More Swiss Cheese!!

Do you remember the Swiss minaret ban a while ago?  Amidst all the rhetoric I tried once again to bring context.  N one listened then, maybe now this will find resonance.

Enjoy.



Minarets Banned In Switzerland but Who is the Real Victim?



The Swiss make what is arguably the best chocolate, watches and cheese. There taste for religious tolerance, however is now at risk with their recent vote to ban minarets on newly constructed mosques. The reasons for this ban are many but is based in large part on the growing fear of Islamic global expansion. Not an unreasonable fear, considering what has been happening in regards to Islam in most of Europe the last 40 years.

“Anti-Islamic fear mongering” is a phrase steeped in emotion and an alleged causus belli, intimating that to be anti-Islamic means casting fear of Islam to the unsuspected. It is Islam itself which perpetuates fear-mongering as stated by bin-Laden where he said "Hostility toward America is a religious duty, and we hope to be rewarded for it by God . . . . I am confident that Muslims will be able to end the legend of the so-called superpower that is America”(Time Magazine, 1995)

How is it that defamation of religion only applies to Islam and Muslims? Islamic countries demand respect for Islam yet deny it to Christians, Jews and other non-Islamic religions. Most Islamic countries are repressive, offer only limited human rights and virtually all persecute religious minorities. Non-Muslim, or non-Islamic peoples have no religious rights in Islamic countries, even the most moderate ones. Indonesia and Malaysia, often seen as bastions of secular Islam have religious restrictions against Christians and others, and they use sharia law, just in case a non-Muslim needs to be prosecuted for “insulting Islam”.

The shouts of blasphemy echo across the Muslim world, and supported by Islamic law those who defame Islam, either by cartoons, construction restrictions, banning of burqas or hijabs are to be dealt with harshly. Ever the willing dhimmi, western press fawns over the faults of their own society, claiming “Vengeance, boycotts, retaliation ... this clash with Islam could cost dearly." From the newspaper Le Temps in Geneva this misguided statement values restrictions on freedoms over truthfully examining the doctrine which would cause this display of cowardice and appeasement.

The minaret itself is not only a sign of a mosque it is also the platform for the muezzin to call the faithful to prayer 5 times a day. It may be viewed by the masses as merely an architectural edifice but according to the Brill Online Encyclopedia of Islam “[T]hroughout the mediaeval period, the role of the minaret oscillated between two polarities: as a sign of power and as an instrument for the adhan (call to prayer). As for the legitimacy of this latter polarity, however, the same minaret entry also points out that “It [the minaret] seems on the whole unrelated to its function of the adhan calling the faithful to prayer, which can be made quite adequately from the roof of the mosque or even from the house-top.” The minaret is a symbol of Islamic political power and thus is subject to any legislation whether pro or con.

When the loudest Islamic voices in Europe constantly call for Islamic hegemony, the death of Jews and Israel and for the flag of Islam to fly over 10 Downing Street it should be easy to understand the fear. Anjem Choudary, firebrand preacher in England and a true jihadist said it is only a matter of time before the flag of Islam flies over Downing Street, the White House and the Kremlin. Mr Choudary’s friend, Omar Bakri Mohammad, another English Imam has said “We will use your democracy to destroy your democracy”. Are not these words “fear-mongering”? Do these words carry less weight and less vitriol than the banning of minarets? No they do not, they show the absolute belief in Islam and the cause of jihad.

It is Islam which demonizes the west, claiming that we hate Muslims and are at war with Islam. There have been no statements to that effect from the west, however the claims of war from Islam against the west continue unabated. In order to deflect any questioning of Islamic hegemony the claims of “Islamophobia” and “fear-mongering” progress until there is no hope of untangling the web of lies and deceit.

The head of Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi has this to say when approving the killing of non-Muslims “This is not my personal view. This what the Shari’a Law says, the law of Allah, the only valid law on the earth”. The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gom’a had this to say in an April 2008 interview in the daily Al-Ahram “Muslims must kill non-believers wherever they are unless they convert to Islam” There is not one peep of protest against these heinous calls yet minarets whip up anti-western sentiment as easily as whipping up cream.

Islamic doctrine has been in place for 1400 years and nothing the west says or does will have Islam hate us any more than they do now. Islamic intolerance is inculcated in the Qur’an, hadiths and sunnah of Muhammad beginning in 610AD. Sura 2, verse 190-193 says this about Islam’s enemies “Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you....and slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse that slaughter. And fight them until persecution is no more and religion is for Allah”. Banning minarets cannot compare to advocating the murder of your enemies and it is the moral relativist who chooses to try.

The cries of fear-mongering carry no weight if applied to the west. America and all other democracies value the individual in all areas: religion, speech, voting, family, work, etc. Islam, through sharia law, the Qur’an and its interpretation by its leaders values blind loyalty, hatred of any outsider and the absolute need to conquer lands deemed part of Dar-al-Islam or the House of Islam.

The Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1942 during a talk entitled “Islam is not a religion of Pacifists” said this “Those who study jihad will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world”. Ask yourself then: what is closer to fear-mongering, banning minarets or calling for the conquest of the globe?

Minarets are an outward sign of Islam just as bells on a church or a cross on the roof are an outward sign of Christianity. Inside the walls of those houses of worship is where you will find the true tenets being preached. Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism and their offshoots preach love of neighbor, service above self, love of family and the goodness of all people. It is there you will find fear-mongering to be a thing of the past, no longer part and parcel of the liturgy.

Islam as defined today by its leaders and practiced by hundreds of million of Muslims across the globe is anything but tolerant and inclusive. If the Swiss see fit to try and reduce the influence of political Islam by banning minarets it is doing so in the interest of its citizens. The Swiss have seen first hand the immigration problems created by a massive influx of Muslims into Europe, and they have been on the receiving end of Islamic theology although to a lesser extent than Europe proper. It is not unusual, then for Switzerland to react this way. If Islamic leaders were to call for co-operation between the Muslim communities and their host countries in all areas, there would be little need for a minaret ban.

Muslims today are welcome in any country they wish to settle in. Political Islam, which is a part of social/familial Islam, is much less the partner in society and much more the pariah. The Swiss understand this and thus the ban on minarets. Let’s keep the chocolate, watches and cheese and forget the minarets.









Have a wonderful day!