SESSION 9:TEXT FOR WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER
SWISS MUSLIMS OPEN MOSQUES TO PUBLIC
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Muslims in Switzerland held a nationwide open mosque day on November 7th. The event was to encourage better community relations between Swiss people and their Muslim neighbours. It also comes three weeks ahead of a national vote on whether or not to ban the building of new minarets. Over 100 mosques and Islamic religious centres across the country opened their doors and invited non-Muslims in. Muslim leaders said they wanted to do away with the fears and prejudices people have against Muslims. "We hope these meetings will build a dialogue and better understanding," said Hisham Maizar, a senior Muslim spokesman. BBC reporter Imogen Foulkes visited a mosque in Zurich and said the many visitors who came enjoyed themselves.
Switzerland will vote on November 29th on a plan to ban the construction of minarets on mosques. The right-wing Swiss People's Party called the small towers a symbol of Islamic religious intolerance and of Muslim political power. However, most Swiss people are against a ban. The Wall Street Journal reported a poll in which 53 per cent of people are against a ban and 34 percent for it. There are 400,000 Muslims and less than 200 mosques in Switzerland. Only four of these have a minaret. Business leaders are worried the vote will harm their nation’s relations with Muslim countries. Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey went further. She said: "A vote in favour of the referendum could make Switzerland a target for Islamic terrorism."
Swiss Muslims open mosques to public - 9th November, 2009
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