For a period of two years, from 2006 to 2008, the Swiss People's Party and the Federal Democratic Union spearheaded campaigns to ban minarets in this land-locked nation of banking and financial institutions. A few months ago, somewhere in the historical buildings of Switzerland, members of both political parties succeeded and probably celebrated the passage of a referendum that forbade a particular architectural design, simply because it was characteristic of a particular religion.
Who’s dumb and who’s dumber?
Some of the most economically-gifted people in the world toasted and congratulated each other for the mere fact that they didn’t like how some people recognized an edifice’s design of cement, steel and paint.
What does a nation operating as a one-stop shop for billionaires have to fear about minarets?
If this was the Vatican or Tel Aviv we’d understand. But in the land also known for its chocolates, time pieces, army knives and mountain ranges, making a non sequitur argument en masse is probably the most intellectual constitutional amendment in human history. Not.
If your nation has trillions of dollars stashed in hundreds of its banks and financial institutions you’d think that people in government would be preoccupied with making other people’s lives better. Despite all their seeming progress and advancements in technology, some members of the Swiss government are queasy with religious practices of refugees from Kosovo and immigrants from Turkey. Refugees? Really, Swiss government?
Who’s overreacting?
Perhaps the Swiss saw the minarets as a threat to their ATM machines, or they misunderstood that some of these structures may block the view of the Alps. One thing is for certain – the Swiss don’t care about the loss of construction jobs building minarets. Even in this period of global recession they can afford to ignore them.
What makes this Constitutional amendment even more laughable? The Swiss don’t even have a legal or official definition for a minaret.
One would think, in the midst of one of the richest nations in the world, and having some of the most highly-educated leaders on the planet, they would not be dazed or intimidated by a particular design for an edifice. If this is not a form of ignorance equal to antiquated tribal practices, then what is?
While this part of Europe is once again inciting insensitivity to religious freedom, the rest of the freedom-loving peoples of the world will have to carry the slack for them for the future of global democracy.
