27th JANUARY 2010
On Tuesday 26th January 2010 the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) met the Swiss Ambassador to the UK, His Excellency Mr Alexis Lautenberg, to discuss his country’s recent ban on the construction of new minarets. A delegation from MINAB led by Chair, Maulana Shahid Raza OBE, expressed its concerns to the Swiss government that the ban, which was the result of a referendum held in November 2009, discriminated against Muslims living peacefully in Switzerland and had been driven by a campaign of intolerance and scaremongering.
Maulana Shahid Raza OBE said: “On behalf of the 600 mosques that MINAB represents in Britain, we informed His Excellency Mr Alexis Lautenberg, that it is a worrying and regrettable step that Switzerland, a country renowned for its progressive and egalitarian traditions, has incorporated such a divisive and unjust ban into its Constitution. Within any democracy, it is essential that the rights of minorities are protected and so we have asked the Swiss government to work towards ensuring that the 400,000 Muslims living in Switzerland are treated on an equal basis as other citizens. We also strongly urged His Excellency’s government to take measures to achieve a better understanding of Islam within Switzerland and to encourage and promote dialogue between different faiths and communities in order to dispel the myths that surround the faith. We have offered His Excellency the support and assistance of MINAB towards achieving these crucial goals”.
His Excellency Mr Alexis Lautenberg said: “I welcome this delegation from MINAB and I note the concerns that have been raised. One of the key mechanisms of Swiss governance is direct democracy which means that the expression of the people is sovereign. The government cannot go against the result of the referendum and therefore it must be added into our Constitution. There is the possibility that the ban may be challenged in the courts in the future. Since the ban on minarets was introduced, the Swiss government has taken measures to enhance dialogue and engagement with Muslim communities which have always been very well integrated into society. It is important to stress that research recently undertaken on this issue shows that this vote was not a vote against Islam or Muslims in Switzerland; it was centred around the construction of minarets but also around wider fears. Switzerland has had a harmonious relationship with its Muslim communities in the past and we anticipate that this will continue in the future. I look forward to keeping MINAB informed about our work with the Muslim communities in Switzerland”.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) is the representative body of all UK Muslim denominations set up to promote excellence in Mosques and Islamic Institutions.
2. Twelve hundred people representing nearly six hundred mosques and Islamic Institutions from across the country and from all sections of the Muslim communities, Shi'as as well as Sunnis, joined together on Sunday 10th May 2009 in Birmingham to elect the Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board.
