Swiss businessman builds minaret in protest

[Adsos Letter]

Source: AFP

BUSSIGNY, Switzerland — A Swiss businessman appalled by his fellow countrymen's decision to ban minarets has extended a chimney above his company building into a minaret in protest.

"It was scandalous that the Swiss voted for the ban. Now we have the support of all the far-right parties across Europe. This is shameful," Guillaume Morand, who owns a chain of shoe stores, told AFP.

The businessman, who is not a Muslim, explained that the he had constructed the mock minaret at his building near western Switzerland's city of Lausanne in protest, and at the same time, to "send a message of peace."

More than 57 percent of voters upset opinion polls and defied their government by approving the right wing motion to ban minarets -- the turrets or towers on mosques from which Muslims are called to prayer.

Link: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jEtHJMaOboide2wITSxabVwvHTYg

[Forkboy]

1. Good on him.

:thumbsup:

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. +1

[The Straight Story]

3. I smoke in bars as a protest against stupid laws, so good for him

:)

[jberryhill]

4. I speed, jaywalk, and tear the tags off of pillows!

[Ghost Dog]

10. I'm attracted to 13-year-old girls.

... Hang on, let's not go over the top here.

:( :thumbsdown:

(But, hey, yeah!).

[Violet_Crumble]

5. Building minarets isn't anti-social and dangerous to others n/t

[jberryhill]

18. 57% of Swiss disagree with you

Put that in your alpenhorn and smoke it.

[Scurrilous]

6. K & R

:thumbsup:

[Douglas Carpenter]

7. there are a total of 4 Minarets in all of Switzerland - none of which broadcast calls to prayer

In fact Minarets in Switzerland do not announce calls to prayer.

The vast majority of Swiss-Muslims are Eastern European - most are not particularly religious - very, very few are fundamentalist in any form. The largest number of Swiss Muslims are from Bosnia, followed by Kosovo and Turkey,

There can be little doubt that racism, bigotry and xenophobia were driving forces in this campaign led by a far right, racist party. Here is one of their popular posters:



In the lead up to the vote, a mosque in Geneva was repeatedly vandalized.

Here is a leading poster used by in the anti-minaret campaign:



Jewish organizations are speaking out:

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/jewish_groups_object_to_switzerlands_minaret_ban_20091203



.

[pampango]

11. Great example of civil disobedience. Hope he's prepared to be arrested and make his case in court.

I have friend from Switzerland, who's a college professor, who said he has never been so ashamed of his country. He voted against the minaret construction ban (evidently there are 600,000 overseas Swiss who vote in their elections).

[a la izquierda]

15. my friend voted against it too. nt

[Ghost Dog]

14. "Call to prayer" made a lot of sense to me, at like 5:30 AM, last time I was in Marrakech,

Suite La Mamounia.

[anonymous171]

8. FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!

[Ghost Dog]

9. Right On!

Maybe we should all the world have a vote

in Swiss Cantons, since after all so many of us, apparently, park our money there.

That's true participatory democracy.

[Goldstein1984]

12. Hmmmm

I'm still new to posting on DU, but based on my experience so far I'm surprised to see so much consensus among DUers for civil disobedience. I'm proud of the people in this thread. I was starting to wonder where the "underground" was hiding.

Good on the Swiss businessman.

Gotta love the Right Wing, spreading tolerance no matter where they are.

[Ghost Dog]

13. You forgot the inexistent "irony" icon, Mr. Goldstein, sir.

Room 101 for you.

:sarcasm:

Edit: Once the so-called "centre" NO LONGER HOLDS, far-out right and far-out left can tend to meet, somewhere out there on the other side of the circle.

Usually, irrationally, but on rare revolutionary occasions, it seems,

with reason.

[Goldstein1984]

16. Not Room 101!

I live in Alaska -- the land of Palin, Big Oil, and doublethink. Alaskans believe they are capitalists, and that the Permanent Fund is not a socialist program.

Meeting anywhere with reason sounds good.

[Ghost Dog]

17. "Meeting anywhere with reason sounds good"

Lo mismo digo yo. Within reason.