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Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

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  • Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

    Turkey Feels The Pain Of Swiss Minaret Ban




    The Swiss Minaret ban has drawn many critical voices from around the world. The majority of Muslims in Switzerland are from Turkey and some from the Balkans. Turkey feels the minaret decision pain as number of Christian churches (namely Armenian and Greek) in Turkey are either closed or turned to museums.

    Nearly 57 percent of the voters in Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets in this picturesque country opening a door for a Europe-wide debate on the issue of religious dialogue throughout the old continent and the Middle East. This was a nationwide referendum, which was supported by Switzerland's right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP). The Swiss People's Party is widely associated with anti-immigration campaigns.

    Observers report that the Swiss Minaret vote indicates the rise and strength of far-right groups in Switzerland. However, others observe that this vote may the first indication of how the Europeans may feel about the limits that the Christians and Christian churches have to face in number of Muslim Countries. The development is indeed very worrying and calls for removing all the barriers around the world for the freedom of religious worship.

    Switzerland has nearly 7.5 million population. The Muslism comprise the small 5 percent of the population with 400,000. They are the second minority next to the Roman Catholic. The country has 150 Mosques where the Muslims worship and only 4 of them have Minarets. Most of the Muslims are from Turkey.

    Turkey, on the other hand is one of those countries where the opposite problem exists. While most Muslim countries and many Christians strongly criticized the Swiss Minaret vote, no one in the Muslim world or even in Europe seems to really care about the situation of the Christian churches and seminaries for preparation of schools in Turkey.

    Churches Turned Into Museums in Turkey

    While many Christian churches operate in Turkey number of others are closed or turned into museums. Halki Seminary, the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, was closed in 1971 and not opened to this date.

    The most beautiful church of the Orthodox Christianity, the cathedral of Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum in 1935 by the Republic of Turkey. One begs the question, "Why not turn it back to a church and give it back to the rightful owner, which is the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in Turkey." In fact, this church is so beautiful and awe inspiriting that it served as a model for many Muslim mosques, like Sultan Ahmed in Istanbul.

    Consider the St. Sophia Museum, which was built in covered Greek cross architecture during the reign of King Manuel I Kommenos in 13th century. Today, St. Sophia church is converted into a museum and is located in 3 kilometers west of Trabzon. The "conversion" of this church into a museum took place in 1964.

    To the credit of the current Turkish government it should be noted that some churches, such as the Armenian church in Aghtamar Island in the Eastern Turkey are restored. However, they are not houses of worship yet.

    How different is the Swiss Minaret ban from Turkey's restoring the Armenian Church Aghtamar, turning it into a museum and not yet allowing to put a cross on the top of the church building? Turkey completed the controversial restoration of Aghtamar Armenian Church in 2006. Armenian religious leaders invited to attend the opening ceremony opted to boycott the event, because the church was being reopened as a secular museum.

    As to the Armenians living in Cyprus, the condition of their religious and cultural properties is a repeated tragedy of living under the condition of systematic violations of their rights, reminding them of the horrors of genocide during the period of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The survivors of this first genocide found refuge on the island with the hope of rebuilding their homes and churches. Today, the Armenians who have been forcibly expelled from the occupied part of the island are totally deprived of their cultural and religious rights while their churches and monasteries have been purposely damaged. An example is the fate of St. Makar Monastery in, which is located in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus. This ancient and important religious site of the local Armenian community has been extensively looted and offered for leasing as a hotel". Armenian community in the Greek part of the island enjoys extensive religious and cultural freedoms.

    Religious freedom and the freedom of worship is dear to every human being in the world. The Swiss Minaret issue is indeed worrying, but equally worrying is the condition of the Christian minorities in Turkey and in the Middle East.

    Now is the time for the secular and religious leaders of Europe and the Middle East to sit down and resolve the issues of the freedom of worship in the entire continent. Now is also the time for Turkey to reevaluate its museum policies ahead of the country's EU aspirations.

    If there had not been so much limitation on the Christian minorities and their properties in Turkey and the Middle East (in some Arab countries Christians have broad religious freedom) perhaps the voters in Switzerland would have thought differently about the Minarets. Perhaps the issue wouldn't even come up.

    Written by Armen Hareyan

    The Swiss Minaret ban has drawn many critical voices from around the world. The majority of Muslims in Switzerland are from Turkey and some from the Balkans.
    B0zkurt Hunter

  • #2
    Re: Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

    Eddo, haven't you heard, in some areas of Europe, Muslim is the new j-ew.

    Apparently, a plurality of Swiss do not have much respect for freedom of religion.
    This UN official concurs. http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=209100

    Ironically, Switzerland shares some similarities with both Nazi Germany and Turkey (no distinction necessary).

    In the end, everyone is everyone's infidel.





    Last edited by freakyfreaky; 12-03-2009, 10:45 AM.
    Between childhood, boyhood,
    adolescence
    & manhood (maturity) there
    should be sharp lines drawn w/
    Tests, deaths, feats, rites
    stories, songs & judgements

    - Morrison, Jim. Wilderness, vol. 1, p. 22

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

      You do realize that Muslims in Swiss have not lost their religious rights at all……they just can’t change the landscape by erecting anymore speaker towers. Minarets have nothing to do with Islam, in fact it is a sign of dominance, and sharia law is not far behind. Even after Mohammad there was no such things and they would just scream out of roof tops. The hypocrisy of some the Muslim word leaders are astonishing to me. Swiss may not be addressing the real issues and this ban by the people may cause trouble for them but democracy has spoken and majority has decided.

      Everybody has equal rights. As a migrant you are suppose to respect your host countries culture, customs, laws, and ethics. You cannot demand them to change their ways to suit you. In other words you must adjust to your new environment (intergrade, no one is asking them to assimilate) rather than adjust the environment to accommodate you when it is in conflict with the said country.
      B0zkurt Hunter

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

        Originally posted by Eddo211 View Post
        You do realize that Muslims in Swiss have not lost their religious rights at all……they just can’t change the landscape by erecting anymore speaker towers. Minarets have nothing to do with Islam, in fact it is a sign of dominance, and sharia law is not far behind. Even after Mohammad there was no such things and they would just scream out of roof tops. The hypocrisy of some the Muslim word leaders are astonishing to me. Swiss may not be addressing the real issues and this ban by the people may cause trouble for them but democracy has spoken and majority has decided.

        Everybody has equal rights. As a migrant you are suppose to respect your host countries culture, customs, laws, and ethics. You cannot demand them to change their ways to suit you. In other words you must adjust to your new environment (intergrade, no one is asking them to assimilate) rather than adjust the environment to accommodate you when it is in conflict with the said country.
        If you are more powerful then them, then you don't need to demand for them to change their ways to suit you. You can change the laws according to your taste. These major changes usually occur after the fall of democracies and the rise of kingdoms whether they be lead by royal families or sultans. Democracies have allowed for the wealthy to become wealthier, and therefore giving them more power.
        "Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it." ~Malcolm X

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

          Originally posted by Eddo211 View Post
          You do realize that Muslims in Swiss have not lost their religious rights at all……they just can’t change the landscape by erecting anymore speaker towers. Minarets have nothing to do with Islam, in fact it is a sign of dominance, and sharia law is not far behind. Even after Mohammad there was no such things and they would just scream out of roof tops. The hypocrisy of some the Muslim word leaders are astonishing to me. Swiss may not be addressing the real issues and this ban by the people may cause trouble for them but democracy has spoken and majority has decided.

          Everybody has equal rights. As a migrant you are suppose to respect your host countries culture, customs, laws, and ethics. You cannot demand them to change their ways to suit you. In other words you must adjust to your new environment (intergrade, no one is asking them to assimilate) rather than adjust the environment to accommodate you when it is in conflict with the said country.
          I think you miss the point. The use of a minaret in architecture is purely expressive. Its use on a mosque is an expression of religious belief as is a cross or star of David.

          A person's right to express his or her religion is part and parcel of a person's right to exercise it.

          First, they make laws preventing you to do something. Then, they pass acts requiring things to be done to you.
          Between childhood, boyhood,
          adolescence
          & manhood (maturity) there
          should be sharp lines drawn w/
          Tests, deaths, feats, rites
          stories, songs & judgements

          - Morrison, Jim. Wilderness, vol. 1, p. 22

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

            Originally posted by Eddo211 View Post

            Everybody has equal rights. As a migrant you are suppose to respect your host countries culture, customs, laws, and ethics. You cannot demand them to change their ways to suit you. In other words you must adjust to your new environment (intergrade, no one is asking them to assimilate) rather than adjust the environment to accommodate you when it is in conflict with the said country.
            Unless of course, you are a celebrity or politician.

            The problem with laws are that they are not applied in a vacuum and the equalness of their application relies on political forces (i.e. the person applying it and the person upon whom it is applied relative to controlling beliefs, ideology, public opinion and sympathies)
            Between childhood, boyhood,
            adolescence
            & manhood (maturity) there
            should be sharp lines drawn w/
            Tests, deaths, feats, rites
            stories, songs & judgements

            - Morrison, Jim. Wilderness, vol. 1, p. 22

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

              Originally posted by freakyfreaky View Post
              Unless of course, you are a celebrity or politician.

              The problem with laws are that they are not applied in a vacuum and the equalness of their application relies on political forces (i.e. the person applying it and the person upon whom it is applied relative to controlling beliefs, ideology, public opinion and sympathies)
              You are talking about bending the laws or the politicians using some laws to their advantage while ignoring others including peoples interests. That is true, no system is perfect and there is no such thing as a true democracy but until someone comes up with the better system I am sticking to it.

              KanadaHye, do you always have to go off of the deep end? Yes the Masons build the pyramids, US blew up its own word trade centers, and a new word order is coming. Can we stick to what effects us directly please, I left my thin foil hat at home.
              B0zkurt Hunter

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

                I agree with Eddo. Immigrants should adopt to the host country not the other way round. The Swiss are not asking the muslims to become Swiss, but they also don't want islamic culture to be projected to them, literally in this case.
                For the first time in more than 600 years, Armenia is free and independent, and we are therefore obligated
                to place our national interests ahead of our personal gains or aspirations.



                http://www.armenianhighland.com/main.html

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

                  Originally posted by Eddo211 View Post
                  KanadaHye, do you always have to go off of the deep end? Yes the Masons build the pyramids, US blew up its own word trade centers, and a new word order is coming. Can we stick to what effects us directly please, I left my thin foil hat at home.
                  Eddo... a New World Order is nothing new, all it means is a shift in the order of power. The wealthy people buying up property everywhere (and I mean everywhere) will simply make the rules whether they are Chinese, Muslim, or green with yellow polka dots. It's not that difficult of a concept to understand. If a wealthy Turk wants to plant mosques all over the world, who's to stop it if he/she is willing to pay for it?
                  "Nobody can give you freedom. Nobody can give you equality or justice or anything. If you're a man, you take it." ~Malcolm X

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Switzerland voted to ban the building of Minarets

                    Why should Armenians defend Muslims? After their treatment of us throughout history, their support of Azerbaijan during Karabakh war? All they have is brought to us is war and oppression, it is their Muslim religion that also majorly contributed to the Genocide.. So I really could care less if they can or can't build minarets for themselves and we Armenians should not care or defend them.
                    Մեկ Ազգ, Մեկ Մշակույթ
                    ---
                    "Western Assimilation is the greatest threat to the Armenian nation since the Armenian Genocide."

                    Comment

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