SWITZERLAND MINARET BAN: TALIBANIZATION OF THE SWISS VIA THE BALLOT BOX

Some will quickly start comparing this to how churches are treated in Muslim countries – thus proving the point that these European countries are striving to become Saudi Arabia and not a free and open society like U.S.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Around the Net
The Northwestern.com | Commentary | December 7, 2009
By Saad Ahmad | Oshkosh, Wisconsin

What is Talibanization? Is it a specific dogma or a specific type of acts or does this represent the human tendency of being uncomfortable with diversity? At the end it is about intolerance. Such intolerance manifests in brutal behavior in poorer societies and may take the form of a "vote" in more "civilized" societies but at the end it is based on the same core set of values – or lack of them.

Just when we think that we have moved far enough from the horrors of holocaust, Europe reminds us that they are still quite capable of repeating it as and when they feel threatened. Whether it is the French ban on certain forms of Muslim dress, German "contracts" for integration, and now to top it – the Swiss "vote" against building minarets (CNN World).

Sure, Swiss will try to disguise their utter intolerance as "democratic process". This word does not cover the underlying hatred that people may feel about another group. Some will quickly start comparing this to how churches are treated in Muslim countries – thus proving the point that these European countries are striving to become Saudi Arabia and not a free and open society like U.S.

When it is the case of mocking the prophet of Islam, European countries quickly band together to defend the right of free speech and free expression but when one of their own shows such disrespect for core human values of tolerance they hide behind such "votes".

A minaret itself is of no significance to Islam. A mosque is a place of worship and is quite complete without such architectural enhancements. What should be troubling for us is the trend of intolerance that is growing rapidly in Europe. The people who want to cover themselves a certain way in France or want to build their places of worship a certain way in Switzerland are born and bred in those countries.

How is the behavior of these "enlightened" countries any different from the Taliban in Afghanistan who wanted to impose their "sharia" on their citizens. It is these attitudes which when left unchecked lead to the wide spread hostilities later on and may even lead to another holocaust and then people would wonder how they missed the signs!



Read here: Talibanization of the Swiss via the ballot box


Saad Ahmad is a contributing member of Majlis Sultanul Qalam, USA (MSQ-USA). Originally from Pakistan, Saad Ahmad has been living in Wisconsin since 1990 and he works as a computer software consultant.