Swiss Muslims to use same measuresSwitzerland's Islamic Central Council has announced that it will launch a push for the country to reverse its ban on minarets, using the same methods that put the measure on the Swiss ballot a year ago. Last year, Swiss voters agreed to ban the construction of minarets after a right-wing campaign instilled enough fear in enough of the electorate to vote for the ban. The far-right forced a referendum on banning the construction of new minarets after collecting a mandatory 100,000 signatures from eligible voters within 18 months. The campaign and the ban were, on numerous levels, absurd. But the response to the minaret ban by Muslim leaders there has been measured and mature as they are participating fully in the legislative process, taking advantage of unique characteristics of the Swiss system to bring the ban back before the electorate. It is the optimum approach to a ban that was passed based on a campaign meant to instill a general fear of foreigners blanketed the country. By utilizing the system, they show that they are on equal footing with those who would undermine religious rights in Switzerland. They are as much a part of the society as those who would deny them their rights. And a victory in a new referendum would put the lie to the fear-mongering that brought about the ban, in the first place. Muslims in the West are at a critical juncture as right-wing fear merchants in Europe and the US are increasingly targeting them for electoral gain. Demonizing a minority is an old trick in democracies, but when the minority realizes that it is equally protected under the law, equality is on the horizon. Switzerland's Islamic Central Council deserves our support. __
