The right-wing Swiss Peoples Party warned of “Islamizing” Luzern, portraying its famous tower as a minaret.
Posted on 02/19/2005 4:26:01 PM PST by Land_of_Lincoln_John
GENEVA, February 19, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – A Swiss think-tank has recommended teaching Islam in schools as it helps the second and third generation of the Muslim community integrate into society.
The Swiss Academy for Development (SAD) cited in a recent study the success story of teaching Islam in schools in the two cities of Kriens and Ebikon, central Switzerland, in the 2002/03 school year.
“The results of the experience exceeded all expectations and showed a positive feedback,” said the study, released on February 15.
“It can serve as a model for all cities across the country. Such schools encourage Muslim students adhere to their identity as they learn their religion in the languages used in the country,” it added, referring to the four official languages German, French, Italian and Romansch.
The study further said that the move is aimed at removing ethnic tensions as Muslims feel that they are being discriminated against for no reason other than their religion or background though a large portion of them do hold the Swiss citizenship or are permanent residents.
The academy called for providing basic finances for the project and enhancing cross-fertilization in the country.
Founded in 1991 and based in Biel-Bienne, SAD is a politically independent, non-profit foundation.
It is dedicated to the question of how societies handle social change and cultural diversity.
Federal authorities have put the study into consideration and signaled readiness to hold talks with academicians and experts in this regard.
In 2001, the Union of Muslim Organizations in the district of Luzern managed to get the government go-ahead for teaching Islam in Kriens and Ebikon, where a large number of Muslim students are enrolled in schools.
The body had offered to pay for schoolbooks, teachers’ salaries and other expenses.
Appealing
The study further concluded that it was better for Muslim students to have their religion classes in schools other than in mosques.
“When they go to mosques, they feel as if they are doing it out of duty since most of these classes fall on weekends.”
The program has indeed appealed to Swiss Muslims, who hailed its modern and endearing methods.
“My daughter has grown up here and speaks fluent German. She finds religion classes in her school very appealing,” Bosnian-born Murad Mildic told IslamOnline.net.
Munira Bin Hassan, of Tunisian origin, said that ever since their three sons joined the religion classes in school, they demonstrated great enthusiasm for learning more about Islam.
“There is no problem with the teaching method in mosques, but it is too classic for my sons,” she told IOL.
Pakistani-born Momtaz Khan is proud that his son and daughter can conceivably and brilliantly defend their religion.
“They impress me when they talk about Islamic tenets like fasting or hijab,” he said.
Many parents who spoke to IOL also paid tribute to Mrs. Regina Steiner, a Swiss teacher who embraced Islam 13 years ago, for helping their children love religion classes.
Right-Wing Obstacle
Experts, however, see right-wingers are a major obstacle to expand the teaching of Islam to other areas.
Officials in Luzern has already refused to support programs for qualifying imams and teachers of the Muslim faith in the district.
“The Muslim community in Luzern will definitely be disappointed at this kind of marginalization,” Bruno Staehli, an educational expert, told IOL.
The right-wing Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) has launched a ferocious campaign warning of “Islamizing” Luzern, portraying its famous tower as a minaret.
In 2004, Swiss Muslims withstood media onslaught, demonstrating to the public that they were an integral part of society.
Day in and day out, headlines like “The Islamic Terror is Coming, “Country Vs. Radicalism”, “Islamists Living With Us,” “Hijab in Parliament” and “Swiss Funds for Islamic Terror” were splashed by newspapers.
Islam is the second religion in Switzerland after Christianity. The country is home to 330,000 Muslims representing a sizable 4.5 percent of the country’s some eight million people.
Forty-three percent of the Muslim community is of Turkish origin.
The right-wing Swiss Peoples Party warned of “Islamizing” Luzern, portraying its famous tower as a minaret.
Ping
SAD is right!
/sarcasm
SAD or the SPP is wight?
Thx for the ping, John. If we can just get the werewolf to act like a pup and dress like a human...maybe it won't be dangerous.
EUrope has turned its back on the Lord. This is what happens.
The cancer is spreading.
Bump! I was thinking the same thing.
Do they teach anything from the Bible, or would that be radical? (sarc)
As a know-your-enemy course of instruction, this may not be such a bad idea.
What's to stop the Muslims from pretending to learn the "state" version of Islam on weekdays and getting all the more pissed when the get the Wahhabi version during the weekends? I think Europe is doomed unless the apply really brutal force against Muslims. It's the only long-term solution that works in the Mideast.
4.5% - almost at critical mass. Another European country in the toilet.
“The results of the experience exceeded all expectations and showed a positive feedback,”
Positive, if you don't really care whether Muslims take over your country.
I'm doing a lot of research on this issue and starting to do some preliminary writing. You ask a very good question. There is one fact we cannot escape though and that is we are not going to get 1.5 billion people to abandon their religion. One of the things I think the West needs to do is get the teaching of Islam out of the hands of the imported trash and into the hands of westernized natives who teach it in the native language of the host country.
There is a marked shift in the interpreted translation of the English versions of the Quran post 9/11. Whether that means they are trying to adapt it to our culture or simply confuse us with dissimulation through their practice of taqiyya remains to be seen.
However, if children continue to be taught Islam in the original, Arabic text they will never escape its insanity.
I got an idea.
How about this?
NO
Hey, Muhamed, you know all that stuff you hear at home? It's BS. Let me tell you how it really is...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.