The Swiss ban on the construction of minarets on mosques accentuates the European cultural struggle with the growing Muslim population in Europe. The larger issue that is highlighted in the minaret ban is European xenophobia, which involves concerns over security and fear of loss of cultural identity.
What Does the Minaret Ban in Switzerland Do?
Passed by popular vote in November 2009, the Swiss constitutional ban prohibits the construction of minarets on mosques. Minarets are spires that were traditionally used to call Muslims to prayer.
The ban does not prohibit the construction of mosques, and the ban does not stipulate that the four existing minarets in Switzerland must be taken down.
Criticism of the Swiss Minaret Ban
The backlash against the Swiss minaret ban has been harsh. Other countries in and outside the European Union, the Vatican, religious individuals — Muslim and non-Muslim — as well as politicians, journalists, bloggers, and so on have criticized Switzerland, a country that has traditionally had a reputation for tolerance, for religious discrimination.
Expressing the sentiments of many, Egyptian Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa said, “This proposal . . . is not considered just an attack on freedom of beliefs, but also an attempt to insult the feelings of the Muslim community in and outside Switzerland.”
Xenophobia, Islamophobia, and Fears of Terrorism in Europe
Xenophobia, the fear of “the other,” in Europe is a growing problem. Much of the hostility is a consequence of Europeans’ exposure to radical Islam, including the concept of jihad (Islamic holy war), and Islamic terrorism.
The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, the 2004 bombings of commuter trains in Madrid, the 2005 bombings of London public transportation, and other smaller-scale terrorist attacks have caused some Europeans to maintain a wary attitude toward Islam.
Incidents of hate crimes and discrimination against Muslims have been on the rise in Europe. Many cases of violence have targeted Muslims themselves as well as Muslim places of worship, cemeteries, and businesses. Controversy surrounding European discrimination against Muslims came to the forefront in the 2004 ban of Muslim headscarves in France and calls in France for a ban on the burqa and in the 2006 Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten cartoons that took potshots at the prophet Muhammad and Islam.
The Swiss campaign posters supporting a ban on minarets draw attention to the fears of many Europeans, highlighting the negative impressions and stereotypes some Europeans have of Islam. The posters show minarets that look like missiles jutting up from the Swiss flag in the background with a completely veiled woman in a black burqa in the foreground.
Obstacles for Europe’s Growing Muslim Population and Europeans
Europe’s Muslim population has been steadily growing over the past decade. Muslims make up 6 percent of Switzerland’s population. Other countries in Europe have significant minority Muslim populations as well, with Muslims comprising more than 20 percent of the population in some major EU cities. In total, about 20 million of Europe’s 500 million are Muslims.
Muslims in Europe face many obstacles to assimilation from both within Islamic culture and from European culture. Muslims have come into cultural conflict with Europeans over Muslim segregationist tendencies, Muslim women’s wearing of the burqa, and some Muslims’ desire to implement Sharia law (Islamic law) in Europe.
Muslim segregation is both self-imposed as a result of the conflict of Islamic values with European cultural values, such as the Islamic prohibition against drinking, and a consequence of European discrimination against Muslims. The problem of assimilation is exacerbated by the fact that many Muslims live in neighborhoods with high poverty and crime rates.
What Does the Future Hold for Europeans and Muslims?
The Swiss ban on the minaret construction is indicative of a larger cultural war happening between western and Islamic ways of life in Europe. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Conference, said the Swiss ban was an “example of growing anti-Islamic incitement in Europe by the extremist, anti-immigrant, xenophobic, racist, scare-mongering ultra-right politicians who reign over common sense, wisdom and universal values.”
The growing European Muslim population has encountered many obstacles to assimilation from within and without. Muslims have butted heads with Europeans over issues of women’s rights and separation of church and state. Tariq Ramadan, Oxford University scholar, commented in the Christian Science Monitor: “Over the last two decades Islam has become connected to so many controversial debates . . . it is difficult for ordinary citizens to embrace this new Muslim presence as a positive factor.”
Islamic terrorism targeting Europeans, European violence against Muslims, and discriminatory practices by Europeans against Muslims are indeed difficult obstacles to peaceful European-Muslim coexistence.
Sources:
Culture Monster: The Swiss Minaret Ban: Anxieties, Unveiled (Los Angeles Times)
Swiss People’s Party Poster Against Minaret Construction
Aimee Larsen Stoddard - Aimee is a professional writer/editor. She has a BA in English and is currently completing an MS in Theology.
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