Minaret ban marks start of tough Swiss debate on Islam

[struggle4progress]

By Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Geneva

... Elham Manea, founder of the Forum for a Progressive Islam - an organisation dedicated to Muslim integration in Switzerland - is disappointed not just with the outcome of the vote, but with the debate around it ...

"We didn't ask the right questions, when we talked about integration problems for immigrants with an Islamic background.

"For example what is the size of political Islam, how big is the problem of forced marriage? Do we have that problem? Yes we do, we know we do, but which groups are practising it, and how do we deal with it?"

The problem for Ms Manea, and many Swiss Muslims, is that the ban on minarets does not really address any of these problems and may even isolate the community still further ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8386456.stm

[wtmusic]

1. A ban on minarets should be JUST the thing

to prevent forced marriage. :thumbsup:

[CJCRANE]

2. What if a non-muslim builds a minaret

just to be rebellious?

If I was a Swiss conceptual artist that's what I would do.

[Dorian Gray]

3. Me too....

this is insane.