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This week it was announced that a majority voted to ban the construction of minarets in Switzerland. This has brought up a great discussion and many questions have followed suit. An article in Huffington Post stated that the vote should not be considered racist. It should however be viewed as a statement by the Swiss that they will not stand for the radicalization of Switzerland. For many the minarets represent radicalism and not Islam in general. The article explains that the western freedoms and liberties were hard to come by and citizens are not ready to give them up to Sharia law. Tawfik Hamid writes that,

“It seems strange that Muslims would insist on building minarets for mosques in Switzerland while thousands of mosques exist inside the Muslim world without minarets. The minarets are seen by many as representing the superiority of Islam, especially when they are taller than the churches; this sheds some light on the hidden intentions of Muslims who insist on building minarets in the heart of Europe. It is important that Muslims in Switzerland explain why they insist on using such historical symbols of Muslim superiority when it is neither mentioned in the Koran nor considered vital to building a mosque.”

Is Switzerland onto something? Is this a breach of freedom of religion? Or, is the ruling acceptable if it is understood that the goal of the minaret is to show Islam as a superseding power over others? It will be interesting to continue to watch this story unfold and see if other countries follow in Switzerland’s footsteps.