Posted on 11/30/2009 5:55:53 PM PST by americanophile
It's been criticized as an expression of prejudice at odds with European values of tolerance. But in a referendum on November 29, Swiss voters approved a ban on the building of minarets.
And now populist parties in Denmark and the Netherlands say they want referendums, too.
The calls came from two parties known for their tough stances on immigration.
Geert Wilders, head of the Dutch Freedom Party, told the Dutch daily "Volkskrant" that his party "will call upon the government to make a similar referendum possible in the Netherlands."
And in Denmark, Danish People's Party head Pia Kjaersgaard welcomed the Swiss ban and said her party would also seek a similar vote.
Martin Henriksen, a deputy for the Danish People's Party, acknowledged that Denmark currently had no mosques with minarets. But he told RFE/RL that Muslim immigrants have to adapt to Danish society, not the other way around.
"There are plans in Copenhagen and other Danish cities to build grand mosques, and we oppose it in every way possible. And this could be another way to oppose it," Henriksen says.
"The reason why is because immigration that has taken place in Denmark up to 2001 when the Danish People's Party gained influence in the parliament has shown a lot of problems. We have seen in schools, public institutions and workplaces there are certain rules and standards forced in by some Muslims in Denmark. That is why we have to set our foot down."
(Excerpt) Read more at rferl.org ...
Interesting developments, perhaps the Swiss have let the cat out of the burka.
The EU... so open minded its brains have fallen out.
Going to be interesting to see how long the European Union experiment lasts.
“Can we have just small ones, please? We’ll call them minarettes.”
These are NOT bans on mosques.
They are bans on MINARETS. These are the huge towers out of which exceeding loud prayers are broadcast multiple times per day.
Minarets are absolute nightmares to be near.
I know...but they have to start somewhere ;)
Doesn’t this just mean “less minarettes?
It doesn’t really solve the problem of the advancing Muslim population and what they will do to the native inhabitants of Europe once they have the numbers.
Give them 10 years and they will have the votes to overrule this referendum, while outlawing crosses, crucfixes and stars of David.
Of course, losing one’s religious symbols, by comparison to other things that will be going on in Islamic Europe, will seem rather petty.
Minarettes are going to be the least of their problems.
The Swiss, finally, are showing Islam the exact same level of tolerance that Islam shows other religions - none whatsoever.
Maybe they’ll move back to whatver rock they crawled out from under....
I’m guessing they do make good targets from the air.
It’s a positive step, in that it’s the first time the population of a European country has hit the breaks on Islam. It’s a concrete attempt to stop, albeit in a small but visible way, the Islamization of Europe. No, it won’t solve the problem, Islamic imperialism continues, but it’s a step in the right direction.
‘zackly.
Reasons should be given:
—muslims rape non-muslims of host country
—muslims commit too much terrorism
—too many muslims on the dole
—go back to your beloved homeland
...oh that list is far too short!
We need a referendum too: We need to ban presidents with jug-ears, and IQs less than 95.
Heh, in 1988 I was temporarily assigned (USAF) to Saudi Arabia to help the kingdom by providing radar air coverage, which the Saudis lacked at that time, during the Iran-Iraq war. Next to the compound where we were billeted was a mosque with the typical minaret. After the fourth morning of 'call to prayers' at oh-dark-thirty, I came back from work with wire cutters intending to cut the speaker wires. When I climbed the fence in the dark of the night I saw more than a dozen cuts and splices in the wire. I just left it at that, figured by now they knew who was cutting the wire.
- Traveler
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