Swiss Today, Here Tomorrow?

By: Charles Cooper
Topics: In The News

(AP)

A few years ago Robert Kagan wrote a polemic with the amusing title of Americans are from Mars and Europeans are from Venus. Don't kid yourself. When it comes to conjuring up hobgoblins, both sides are on the same wave length.

Just in time for Bill O'Reilly's annual moan-fest about the heathen's war on Christmas comes news that Switzerland has voted to prohibit the construction of new minarets. (They can still build mosques.) I'll leave it to others to explore the domestic dynamics behind the Swiss vote, but the early rush of arguments offered by U.S. apologists of the ban could be plucked from any of the countless culture war moments from the last two decades that have pitted an "us" against "them."

The usual cohort enthusiastically endorsed the vote to (in their words) stop the Islamisation of Europe while offering kudos to the Swiss for a job well done. So it is that National Review's David Pryce-Jones neatly set up a straw man to knock over with the help of this admirably snarky verbal smack down: "No country in Europe quite knows what to do about the Muslims who have come to live there. What exactly should be conceded to them, and why? These puzzling questions go to the core of national identity. Defying those who claim the right to set the terms of public debate, the Swiss have tried to draw a line. Whether the opinion-making elite of the entire continent will allow them to keep to it is quite another matter."

Amazing how much he misunderstands in that brief paragraph. Juan Cole offers a far more nuanced review of Europe's interaction with Islam. But I was curious. After finishing Pryce-Jones' piece, I turned to Google and found this 2007 piece by Pat Buchanan warning how unnamed elites had allowed an immigrant invasion to swamp the "Anglo" populations of California, Texas and New Mexico.

Both Buchanan and Pryce Jones fault out-of-touch intellectuals and bureaucrats for being, well, out of touch, and leading their nations down the wrong path. If you read between the lines, it's easy to unearth the more telling subtext - especially in Europe, where the unresolved questions about ethnic and religious assimilation now coming to the fore. The fact is that white, Christian Europeans are afraid. Chalk it up partly to lingering post-9/11 fears of domestic terrorism, which still loom large. Their nervousness no doubt has been exacerbated by financial stresses brought on by economic globalization as well as last year's devastating financial collapse. But now the Swiss have brought it all out into the open, it's become a political issue. Apropos, remember the hackles raised in February when the Archbishop of Canterbury suggested that Britain adopt parts of Sharia, or Islamic law. He said the challenge was how to incorporate communities which may "relate to something other than the British legal system alone." Though even the Muslim Council of Britain said most of its members did not want the imposition of Sharia, the archbishop's statement invited a storm of criticism.

Pryce-Jones' ideological landsman Daniel Pipes, writes that since a majority of the Swiss electorate have now "explicitly expressed anti-Islamic sentiments" the vote paves the way for the rest of Europe to follow. The irony, according to Pipes is that "it was the usually quiet, low-profile, un-newsworthy, politically boring, neutral Swiss who suddenly roared their fears about Islam only enhances their votes' impact."

For the record, Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, is not buying that interpretation. Demonstrating a uniquely original interpretation of the vote, Widmer-Schlumpf said the vote was "about minarets and not, of course, about the Islamic community."

Suuuure.

Charles Cooper is an executive editor at CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years, working at CBSNews.com, the Associated Press, Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. E-mail Charlie.

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by bernieplanck May 11, 2010 1:28 PM EDT: Talk about setting up straw-men; you dismiss white, Christian Europeans who are afraid of Muslims but ignore the black, Christian Africans who are afraid of Muslims; the yellow, Atheist Chinese who are afraid of Muslims, the brown, Hindu South Asians who are afraid of Muslims.

In the US in 1930s there were morons who went around asking, "What Nazi threat?"

Yes, we Islamophobes are all whining about a non-existent Islamic threat to western civilization. History obviously taught you nothing.; Reply to this comment


by wpmobley December 6, 2009 10:20 PM EST: The truth is we are hated by the Muslim world. It is not only political correctness, but also political madness to hear the words of hatred aimed at the West and not accept them as reality. Even the threats of Osama bin Laden were taken from the eighth and ninth chapters of the Koran.

"When you meet the unbelievers strike them in the neck.... If you do not go out and fight, God will punish you severely...Whenever you find the polytheists, kill them, seize them, besiege them, ambush them...You who believe do not take Jews and Christians as friends...The Hour of Judgement will not come until Muslims fight the Jews and kill them".; Reply to this comment


by wpmobley December 6, 2009 10:19 PM EST: The truth is we are hated by the Muslim world. It is not only political correctness, but also political madness to hear the words of hatred aimed at the West and not accept them as reality. Even the threats of Osama bin Laden were taken from the eighth and ninth chapters of the Koran.

"When you meet the unbelievers strike them in the neck.... If you do not go out and fight, God will punish you severely...Whenever you find the polytheists, kill them, seize them, besiege them, ambush them...You who believe do not take Jews and Christians as friends...The Hour of Judgement will not come until Muslims fight the Jews and kill them".; Reply to this comment


by cidaia December 2, 2009 1:27 AM EST: I grew up in a place where people wanted control over what their neighborhood looked like, and so various things were regulated or even banned outright as "eyesores".

Why shouldn't the Swiss enjoy the same right to control their own space?

If they find minarets culturally intrusive, why shouldn't they have the right to ban them? Haven't Europeans also argued that McDonalds, Disneyland, Starbucks, etc. are culturally invasive? And didn't McDonalds have to spend a lot of money on less offensive architecture, as the price of not being culturally insensitive jerks?

Those who are quite sure it must be anti-Muslim sentiment: who cares? It's their nation, and they can have any kind of architecture they want. It's not like anyone's getting stoned to death or anything, why do we need to intervene?; Reply to this comment


by ToolMangler1 December 1, 2009 6:34 PM EST: "Pryce-Jones' ideological landsman Daniel Pipes, writes that since a majority of the Swiss electorate have now "explicitly expressed anti-Islamic sentiments" the vote paves the way for the rest of Europe to follow. The irony, according to Pipes is that "it was the usually quiet, low-profile, un-newsworthy, politically boring, neutral Swiss who suddenly roared their fears about Islam only enhances their votes' impact."

Daniel Pipes has missed one very important thing about the Swiss Vote. It 'is not' a "anti-Islamic sentiment." It 'IS' a "PRO SWISS" statement. The vote could have banned new Mosques and Islamic expansionism in Switzerland.
It is the same thing that America is on the verge of doing. (This is an "English speaking nation") This is not anti (any language). It 'IS' PRO AMERICA"!!!!!
You may speak your language all you wish, just do not try to force me to learn "Your language" to do business in 'MY' country.; Reply to this comment


by krotec54 December 1, 2009 5:53 PM EST: Diversity is like a cancer; it eats away the core of that nations culture. But the best of immigrants? cultures is the diversity of their cuisine that they bring over.; Reply to this comment

by RobandMandy December 1, 2009 4:27 PM EST

A thriving culture is strengthened by diversity. The reason America is dominate is not because we dictate how others should act or live their lives; we are a nation of immigrants who fought long and hard to guarantee that all men would be welcome to bring the best of their cultures. American culture hasnt finished growing yet regardless how much you don't like the way it is turning out.

Reply to this comment


by cidaia December 2, 2009 1:47 AM EST: A culture that forces the majority to shut up and not have an opinion on issues that affect their lives, is not what I would consider "thriving".


by cidaia December 2, 2009 2:02 AM EST: One other point: America does not value its architectural heritage, and it does not care if its cities look ugly or tacky. But who are we to impose that cultural value on anyone else? Especially on a nation that is so much older and culturally richer than our own.

Tourists going to Switzerland do not want to see American-style architectural mish-mash, and apparently the citizens don't really want to live in an American-style trash heap, either.


by krotec54 December 1, 2009 2:49 PM EST: Yes, Heaven forbid that a minority chooses to immigrate to a host country to keep its identity instead of "assimilating to a better standard of living "of that host country. Host countries do not force minorities to "not resist", they offer them an opportunity for a better life, if they (the minority) resist, then they will deserve whatever happens to them.; Reply to this comment

by krotec54 December 1, 2009 1:37 PM EST

Today?s Muslims are showing so much disrespect to their host country, instead of assimilating; they are isolating and assembling a subversion force to overthrow that government and its culture.
Should the Muslims continue to resist assimilating, they had certainly turned their backs towards their host; then they will find neither protector nor helper in an event of any disasters.

Reply to this comment


by RobandMandy December 1, 2009 1:53 PM EST: Heaven forbid that a minority chooses to keep its identity instead of "assimilating" into the host country. If the host country must force minorities to "not resist", they deserve whatever happens to them.


by kenlin44 December 1, 2009 2:54 PM EST: RobandMandy if a person doesn't want to assimilate into their host country, why are they there. they shouldn't have come to that country if they don't want to assimilate. you leave your country because there is something that is not appealing to you in your country, ie money, jobs, prejudice etc. if you don' like your host country, just leave!!

by LtSmily December 1, 2009 12:31 PM EST

Scared white men, how quaint. The issue at hand is not about (generalization about to happen) men of Middle Eastern heritage, the issue is about a violent ideology that passes itself off as a religion. No matter what apologists say, the purpose of Islam is to Revert "lost people" (there is no conversion to Islam, you are born Islamic and gradually fade away from "the faith"), force all people not of Islamic faith to pay a tithe (key being pay or die) and to subvert all other religions to prepare the golden road for the 12th imam. Islam is the problem, not the people. For example, a farmer is a farmer whether they be U.S. Russian, African, Chinese, or Iranian. They are just men who share a common goal, bringing sustenance from the earth, and most could care less about the internal politics of their leaders. Islam, however, exclusive of all other major world religions, is not compatible with any other society. Even atheist China has issues with Islamic ideology, although for the time being Islam ignores China precisly because they (as far as the government policy) do not interfere with Islamic progress. Islam and all other religions are oil and water, Islam will not allow other religions to exist (another sign of its' political vs religious origins) and as such needs to be stopped now.

Reply to this comment


by RobandMandy December 1, 2009 1:16 PM EST: How many souls have been purged because of the First Commandment? Just because you don't know the history of Christianity doesn't give you the right to dismiss another religion as "violent ideology". How does demonizing a major religon keep us safe by the way?


by ToolMangler1 December 1, 2009 6:53 PM EST: Americans are sooooooo naive! We are SUCKERS! "Islam" means to "submit." The primary objective of Islam is to make you "sumbit"! There is no such thing as "Extreme" Islam. It simply is what it is and it teaches BARBARIC VIOLENCE. What Muhammed taught is in direct conflict with the principles of the United States of America:

1. Muhammed taught there is to be NO FREE SPEECH. Anyone muslim who questions Muhammed, is to be killed.
2. Muhammed taught there is no SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE. Islam and their (sharia) law system is "one."
3. Muhammed taught CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT (via sharia law); which states that all fornicators are to be whipped, adulterers are to be buried to their chest and stoned to death, homosexuals are to be executed; and anyone who attempts to escape from Islam is to be killed. (So there is no freedom of religion either.)
4. There is no equality under Islam. Anyone who is not a muslim is supposed to "submit" to muslims.
To top it off, Muhammed was an adulterer himself and a pedophile. He had four wives, two concubines. One of his wives was a 7 year old child that he sexually abused and physically abused when she was 9 by consumating the "marriage."

When someone tells you they are a "muslim," they are telling you that they follow Muhammed. RED FLAG! HELLO! WAKE UP AMERICA!