the real reason the Swiss banned minarets? fear – not of Islamism, but of religion itself. Asma Uddin points out how the ban has its roots in laïcité, whereas Ian Buruma notes that symbols of faith like minarets remind the secularists of the hole left behind by faith’s absence. These two pieces are enormously insightful and complement each other very well in helping to understand just how secularism is making Switzerland – and Europe as a whole – hostile to any expression of faith at all. As I’ve pointed out, the faithful of all religions – jews, muslims, and even Christians – must make common cause in the face of this threat.
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This analysis doesn’t really account for the many church steeples in Switzerland, nor does it account for the fact that a traditional Swiss greeting ‘Grüezi!’ which is short for the Austrian/German greeting, ‘Grüss Gott’ (“God’s greeting”), used mostly in the Tirol region.
The US constitution demands the separation of church and state, but many european countries have a state religion. According to Wiki:
“Switzerland has no country-wide state religion, though most of the cantons (except for Geneva and Neuchâtel) recognize official churches (Landeskirchen), in all cases including the Catholic Church and the Swiss Reformed Church. These churches, and in some cantons also the Old Catholic Church and Jewish congregations, are financed by official taxation of adherents.[1]“
“…the real reason the Swiss banned minarets? fear – not of Islamism, but of religion itself.
“…must make common cause in the face of this threat.”
How do you come up with this stuff, aziz ?
Please explain.
Well, yes, but are those expressions of the current culture, or are they grandfathered in from the last thousand years?
Totally nonreligious people in America say “oh my God” all day long, and “bless you” after a sneeze.
I’d like to see some numbers on how many new churches are being built in Switzerland, as opposed to how many have always been there.
Clearly they and the rest of the European nations have to choose between allowing a prolific and strongly faithful Muslim immigrant class to provide cheap labor and tax revenue, and keeping their Christian/secularist identities.
Europe isn’t culturally strong enough to assimilate Muslims. Their postmodern ennui is no match for a confident, militant faith.
Rather non-specific and very broad generalizations, Dave.
Pretty much anything can be tossed in that basket with plenty of room for the victims (?) to proclaim yet another faux injury to the faith and turn it into a global insult requiring every person of all other religion to rise up in arms against secularists (whomever they are). So much for the euro-weenies unable to withstand the onslaught of a strong militant faith tradition. Who knows, they could be in for multiple car burnings and other anarchic protest.
Well, yes, but are those expressions of the current culture, or are they grandfathered in from the last thousand years?
I haven’t been to Switzerland for a while, but the Austrian/Tirol region, which is culturally similar, is fairly conservative and religious. The alpine Tirol region, (in Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany) used to be united, and it’s still pretty culturally consistent.
Since Christian and Jewish groups are supported by state money, Switzerland is more supportive of some religions than we are.
Mary,
Not to worry, this is just another one of aziz’s driveby drop-offs where neither major nor minor religious discussion is expected, except in the sense that the thread will or may already have deteriorated beyond any reasonable dialogue.
So much for the euro-weenies unable to withstand the onslaught of a strong militant faith tradition.
I’m not sure what your point is. Clearly, they are not going to proselytize Muslims into Christianity or secularism, and they don’t have the birthrate to keep up. They wouldn’t need to pass these laws if that weren’t the case.
Dave,
I’m really not understanding the issue as presented, nor what the fuss is about. It seems that some global cultural/religious dissent MUST be imposed on the swiss voters as though their latest referendum vote is going to harm all religions (some more than others).
I was a bit annoyed with the Swiss for (apparently) singling out Islam on this. If Aziz and Asma are correct, however their stock has risen quite a lot for me – religion itself is what’s evil; not the particular type of religion which controls any particular population.
I don’t know that they are (correct, that is), though. I suspect that quite a lot of the reason this vote went the way it did is simplistic anti-Islamism.
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