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Comment: Switzerland defines neutrality in minaret referendum
A collective groan went up from Muslims and non-Muslims alike this week, as a referendum in Switzerland saw citizens vote in favour of a ban on minarets from the country's skyline. What are they afraid of, in a country with less than half a million Muslims and a grand total of four minarets? Could anybody seriously see these tiny marks on the Swiss Landscape as an aggressive takeover bid?
Perhaps it's a dislike of the style of architecture? Maybe the distinctive shape of the minaret doesn't quite fit the Swiss aesthetic? But then, the four Swiss minarets, with their clean, white lines and pointed roofs are not so dissimilar to the country's church spires.
Alas, it would seem we're once again facing the kind of troubling and invidious prejudice which comes from a fear of "the other". And this in Switzerland, which for decades has been a country renowned for its neutrality. The world has many skylines where church spires and minarets compliment each other; where Synagogues and Mandirs coexist in close proximity. If we live in fear of each other, our fear will only breed fear.
This week, the colleagues of The Humanitarian Forum wished each other Eid Mubarak. In three weeks' time, we will wish each other a Merry Christmas. There is space for diversity in the world, and a minaret on the landscape, far from being an attack on non-Muslims, is merely an expression of the diversity which can enrich all human beings. Instead of pretending we are all the same, let's fill our skylines with the symbols of our differences, the better to celebrate and appreciate the beauty of them.
