[Reader-list] Minaret ban marks start of tough Swiss debate on Islam

[Kshmendra Kaul]

Dear Britta
 
The 'minaret ban' in Switzerland does validate itself under, what you have called, 'democratic mechanisms'. From first reports, there is little possibility of it being challenged on the basis of Constitutional Impropriety. If so, then it Legal.
 
The parallel you draw with Gujarat is incorrect. The alleged involvement of the Executive (the Govt. of Gujarat and it's officials) in the Anti Muslim Progrom in Gujarat, in it's legality, would be exactly the opposite of the Swiss referendum. It would be seen as ABUSE of 'democratic mechanisms' and Constitutional norms. It would be Illegal.
 
Your concern for "globally relevant anti-minority politics" is appreciable.
 
Unfortunately, very often people with such concerns demonstrate selectivity in their 'concerns'. Such hypocrisy renders their 'concerns' as hollow and without credibility.
 
I presume you are different.
 
I also presume that you have written/commented extensively on the Anti-Minority Politics in Muslim Majority Countries. Would be be kind enough to share such comments/commentaries.
 
Kshmendra

--- On Mon, 11/30/09, ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de <ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de> wrote:


From: ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de <ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de>
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] Minaret ban marks start of tough Swiss debate on Islam
To: "Aditya Raj Kaul" <kauladityaraj at gmail.com>
Cc: "sarai list" <reader-list at sarai.net>
Date: Monday, November 30, 2009, 10:24 PM


So far it's mainly the pogrom-atmosphere and readers' comments on
newspaper websites that have the déjà vu-effect on me, but it might well
be that Switzerland is also in a more substantial fashion on the way of
becoming the Gujarat of Europe, and this is very scary, not least because
it would prove that with Gujarat a new form of globally relevant
anti-minority politics that does not seek to abolish but that essentially
draws on democratic mechanisms has been established...
Very concerned - Britta

---------------------------------------
Dr. Britta Ohm

Institute of Social Anthropology
University of Bern
Laenggassstr. 49a
3012 Bern
Switzerland
+41-(0)31-631 8995 (main office)
+41-(0)31-631 8997 (direct line)
britta.ohm at anthro.unibe.ch


Solmsstr. 36
10961 Berlin
Germany
+49-(0)30-69507155
ohm at zedat.fu-berlin.de




>  Minaret ban marks start of tough Swiss debate on Islam
>  By Imogen Foulkes
>  BBC News, Geneva
>
> Link - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8386456.st