It's official. Terror has won. The decision to ban minarets is the latest victory granted on a platter to every radical, hate mongering terrorist out there; even worse, it gives them a platform of self righteousness from where to boast that they are justified in what they are doing. " The west is waging a war on Islam", they will proclaim - unfortunately, they will be right about Switzerland.
What is even more riling are the news reports that the vote is a "gut reaction" of the Swiss, including ..." resentment over the lack of willingness to integrate by some migrants, the widespread fear of the spread of foreign cultures and the fear that the Swiss Christian culture could be under threat." (swissinfo.com)
Let's get a few things straight. Integration works both ways. It's called assimilation. Integration can only be harmonious and beneficial when both sets of parties understand each other's culture - if the Swiss are saying "my way or the highway" to foreigners, they can only expect a similar response.
Secondly, the Swiss also need to get some perspective. They are a tiny, European country in the Alps, whose greatest selling points include being bankers to the world by keeping people's dirty secrets. And providing large conference rooms to international organisations on the back of being a "neutral" location. They have already been hammered on a world stage on selling point no 1. All the best on maintaining any credibility after this vote.
More importantly, it is delusional to expect that an insular Switzerland will be able to survive in the modern world. Swiss economic development is coming on the back of tax sops offered to foreign multinationals by various cantons.Swiss children seek to study and work abroad. Swiss service industries need workforce replenishment. None of this is going to happen in an environment that is suspicious and hostile to foreigners.
In this single act of fear, Switzerland has delivered itself a setback that is going to take a lot to undo. I am proud to be a citizen of Geneva, which was one of the 3 cantons to not vote for this ban. Let us hope that political cynicism will not lead to more such right wing hate mongering. Let us hope that voices of reason will prevail in the future.
2 comments:
Are you crazy? If you allow Muslims to come there, They will come and make it another Turkey or better still the Northern Caucasus where the Muslims who dwell are of the same racial stock as the European Stock. Europe with a major Muslim stock is not a possibility given that those people are devoted to music and and have a proliferation of icons in their religious places. Moreover Islam should undergo a sea change should she conquer Europe. Hope to God that It does not come true. I pray to God sincerely that Islam should be a Desert Religion par excellence and should not be a religion of the Forests, Rivers, Mountains, Plains and Plateaus.
All opinions welcome here, no matter how surreal, however, I'd have appreciated it even more if you had commented with a name, and not anonymously.
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