I was reading up on world events on the bbc when i saw this article that took me completely aback. the swiss are voting on a ban on minarets. ive known the swiss to be a wonderful and reasonable people. to see this is quite shocking. the svp are supporting the ban on minarets for they say it is a political statement that is contrary to swiss law. this is of course a load of pappekak. the svp states the minarets represent the establishment of sharia law. if this be the case then wouldnt the establishment of cathedrals represent the manifestation of papal law in switzerland? what about synagogues representing rabbinical law? this doesnt concern the right wing svp.
what gets me is that i have looked up to the swiss since i was a boy. here is a country that has had hundreds of years of peace and a symbol of a better world – granted in my opinion – and they go ahead and do something that i would only expect from the deep south here in the us.
granted if this was a very low minority saber rattling in the name of protecting established traditions because they are afraid of any sort of change, i could see this happening. Unfortunately this is becoming a popular vote and is gaining momentum. i know the swiss government is fully against this referendum, but the people seem to be for it.
even if the referendum does not pass, it is a dark day for switzerland.
~adieu
oh and just as a passing thought…in switzerland, there are more than 12 cathedrals, 44 synagogues and only 4 minarets.
++ ADDENDUM 2009-12-03 ++
i would like to thank rabbi gilles bernheim for his statement about the swiss vote.
