Message to the Swiss people from a Muslim girl: Finding hope in a ban of minarets

A lot of you voted against banning minarets. The government, bishops, and others were against the ban.

The UN denounced the ban as "clearly discriminatory". Amnesty international denounced the ban as violating " the freedom of religion of Muslims living in the country and the prohibition of discrimination on the grounds of religious belief as set out in several international human rights instruments that Switzerland is a party to."

The vote to me -and to a lot of people around the world- is saddening. Not because future mosques in Switzerland will be build without minaretes. Minarets are not a must-have part of mosques. No minaret was built at the time of prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Minarets have come to be a traditional way to maximize the area the call to prayer reaches and to recognize mosques.

What is saddening is the fact that this vote took place in Switzerland.

I'm sad you accepted voting on allowing people to practise their religion freely. This is a human right, not a matter of opinion. The Swiss, of all peoples, should honour that.
"Countering extremism", it was said. But it's refusing other people's rights that throws seeds of misunderstanding, hatred, and extremism, which we should now try to prevent being sown. The saddest thing would be to see a whirl of reactions and reactions to reactions.

I'm sad you have been manipulated by silly posters -with which a practising Muslim, like myselft, can't identify; since she doesn't wear a burqa and knows there are only 4 minarates in Switzerland- put up by people, who, instead of working for your interests and your country's development, took the easy way to publicity -attacking an integrated peaceful minority- and made you beleive some pieces of stone on top of a building were actually dangerous or a symbol to an unusual power!


This is the Switzerland I know:

Minaret & Church tower
Mahmoud mosque (oldest in Switzerland) facing a protestant church in Zurich

This is the Switzerland you should preserve.

I'm sad you don't know Islam; its beauty and its values of tolerance, accepting the other, and working for the good of humanity. I'm certain if you did, this vote wouldn't take place to begin with. It is my hope that this vote would be repeated later, at a time when Muslims would do a better job getting their message across.

I hope you take this opportunity to know more about Islam and decide for yourself if it is a danger or an enlightment. Go to mosques. Ask questions. Read the Quran.

http://tanzil.info/

The Quran: 'The Private Rooms' Chapter, verse 13
O men! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware.
O ihr Menschen, Wir haben euch ja von einem männlichen und einem weiblichen Wesen erschaffen, und Wir haben euch zu Völkern und Stämmen gemacht, damit ihr einander kennenlernt. Gewiß, der Geehrteste von euch bei Allah ist der Gottesfürchtigste von euch. Gewiß, Allah ist Allwissend und Allkundig.

The Quran: 'The Family of Imran' Chapter, verse 64
Say: "O followers of earlier revelation! Come unto that tenet which we and you hold in common: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall not ascribe divinity to aught beside Him, and that we shall not take human beings for our lords beside God." And if they turn away, then say: "Bear witness that it is we who have surrendered ourselves unto Him."
Sag: O Leute der Schrift, kommt her zu einem zwischen uns und euch gleichen Wort: daß wir niemandem dienen außer Allah und Ihm nichts beigesellen und sich nicht die einen von uns die anderen zu Herren außer Allah nehmen. Doch wenn sie sich abkehren, dann sagt: Bezeugt, daß wir (Allah) ergeben sind.