On that Swiss ban on minarets
The backing of the referendum initiated by the right-wing parties came as a disappointment to public commentators and human right activists across continents. The Nationalist Swiss Peoples Party labeled minarets as symbols of rising Muslim political power that “could one day transform Switzerland in to an Islamic nation”. Supporters of the referendum further lamented out […]
The backing of the referendum initiated by the right-wing parties came as a disappointment to public commentators and human right activists across continents. The Nationalist Swiss Peoples Party labeled minarets as symbols of rising Muslim political power that “could one day transform Switzerland in to an Islamic nation”. Supporters of the referendum further lamented out of their detest for Islam and its culture that “minaret is a symbol of domination, which threatens the secular nature of the Swiss society”. Walter Wobmann, president of the committee behind the initiative is quoted as saying, “we just want to stop further Islamization of Switzerland”. All these are a part of western animosity against Islam and Muslims. But, if we may ask, is it not too late at this moment of scientific and historical realities for anyone to begin to launch a fight against Islam? Such, indeed, can only be as good as a lost battle!
Since the ban was proclaimed a fortnight ago, condemnations from within and outside the Muslim world (including surprisingly, France) have continued to trail the very anti-Islamic referendum. It is the view of this column that any constitutional amendment that is targeted at one religious community is certainly discriminatory and abhorrent. The United Nations speaking through its human rights chief, Navi Pillay whose office is based in the Swiss city of Geneva has described the Swiss referendum to outlaw the construction of minarets in Switzerland as “a product of anti-foreigner scare-mongering”. Similarly, Egypt’s Mufti, Ali Gomaa, denounced the referendum and termed it as a calculated “insult to Muslims all over the world”.
The Swiss referendum is unlikely to appear strange to those who are familiar with the long history of odium for Islam in Europe and America. Diverse intrigues have always been used and are still being employed daily to castigate or defame Muslims and their religion. A few instances in recent times suffice as specific illustrations. In March 2005, a woman in America (contrary to Islamic teachings and traditions) led a congregation of worshippers that included men to observe the Friday (Jum’ah) congregational prayer; perhaps, to contaminate orthodox Islam. In January 2006, a Danish newspaper in Denmark sacrilegiously published blasphemous cartoons of the holy prophet of Islam, Muhammad (SAW); probably, to provoke Muslims around the world. Recently too, the statue of a woman with the nakedness of her bosom was mounted in Dakar, Senegal (a country that has a Muslim population of about 94%); possibly to offend the sensibility of Muslims. In any case, the Swiss ban on minarets sponsored by the country’s largest political party is one of the most Islamophobic reactions in recent times. The sponsors, at least, have succeeded in achieving something that every peace-loving and tolerant believer had wanted to prevent; and that is the spread of acrimony between followers of different religions in order to waggle the existing cordial relationships among them.
Of course, the end to Islamophobia is not yet in sight. Italy is the next European country that is already making moves to conduct a referendum, which would ban Islamic minarets. There have been moves in France, too, to ban the full-length body covering by Muslim women. Some German states have equally introduced bans on head scarves for Muslim women teaching in public schools. The construction of mosques and minarets has similarly been met at different times by protests in Austria, Greece, Slovenia, France, Italy and Sweden.
We want to strike a chord for those who feel threatened by the spread of the divine light of truth symbolized in the universality of Islamic religion that the more they hate or show disgust for it, the further it extends and the brighter it gleams. Allah (SWT) confirms in Qur’an 9:32,33 “Fain would they extinguish God’s Light with their mouths, But God will not allow; except that His Light should be perfected even though the unbelievers may detest (it). It is He who has sent His Apostle with guidance and the Religion of Truth to proclaim it over other religions, even though the pagans may detest (it)”.
While individuals, groups and organizations including the United Nations have clearly made their positions known on the Swiss ban, it is cheerless to observe that Muslim leaders and organizations including the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) have kept mute over the anti-Islamic referendum. While we urge Muslims in Switzerland to use dialogue and legal means to contest the ban, we advise their counterparts in other parts of the Muslim world to faithfully suppress their resentment, which might have been hassled by the Islamophobic referendum. The boycott of Swiss products may not be out of place in the attempt to challenge the ban. May Allah (SWT) enlarge the heart of contemporary man to tolerate the right of others to unrestrictedly practice their religion, amin.