 |
Kunz: Minaret ban can lead to strengthened dialogue
“We have had contact with the Turkish authorities and the Muslim community in Switzerland on establishing confidence-building measures, and we’ve tried to explain that the ban is not related to the basic freedom of religion,” he said in an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman.
Swiss voters approved a constitutional ban on minarets two weeks ago in a referendum which was condemned by human rights defenders and Muslim groups in Switzerland and abroad, including in Turkey.
The referendum, promoted by the nationalist Swiss People’s Party, centered on the perception of minarets as symbols of rising Muslim political power that could one day transform Switzerland into an Islamic nation. The initiative was approved by 57.5 percent of some 2.67 million voters. Only four of the 26 cantons, or states, opposed the initiative, granting the double approval that makes it part of the Swiss constitution.
Ambassador Kunz said they have tried to explain that the referendum was passed despite the fact that the Swiss authorities had recommended voting against it. Both in Switzerland and abroad they have tried to explain their positions.
He said he had visited the Religious Affairs Directorate in Ankara and met with officials from relevant ministries to organize dialogue-enhancing visits between Turkish Muslims and Swiss Christians, which will start after the new year. He added that the foreign ministers of Turkey and Switzerland will meet very soon as well.
“The Swiss authorities, before the referendum, examined the text of the referendum and reached the conclusion that it is not a violation of binding international law,” he said and added that the in Switzerland everybody can express their beliefs and practice them fully.
“The discussion is still ongoing regarding the referendum, but this is the decision of the majority and has to be respected,” he said, adding to that “the question of democracy is not about whether the will of the majority is right or wrong, but what the majority wants.”
When asked about a possible future referendum on the extradition of foreigners convicted of crimes, he replied that everybody in Switzerland is able to propose referendums and that the referendum in question would mandate the expulsion of foreigners if they commit serious crimes.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AMANDA PAUL |  |
||
| Ukraine: a lost country | |||
| MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE |  |
||
| The 52nd anniversary of May 27 | |||
| ABDULLAH BOZKURT |  |
||
| Turkey and Mexico: Distant yet so close | |||
| BERİL DEDEOĞLU |  |
||
| Yemen and beyond | |||
| ARZU KAYA URANLI |  |
||
| On Memorial Day a few words to make your day memorable | |||
| ABDÜLHAMİT BİLİCİ |  |
||
| Google kidnaps Gül! | |||
| CUMALİ ÖNAL |  |
||
| Critical months for Egypt | |||
| DOĞU ERGİL |  |
||
| Qualities of power | |||
| İHSAN YILMAZ |  |
||
| The Egyptian elections, Islam and Islamists | |||
| EMRE USLU |  |
||
| Operational errors | |||
| MARKAR ESAYAN |  |
||
| There is need for a new initiative | |||
| JOOST LAGENDIJK |  |
||
| Europe can’t have it all. Or can it? | |||
| HASAN KANBOLAT |  |
||
| Are Russian tourists being discouraged from visiting Turkey? | |||
| MELİH ARAT |  |
||
| Handmade | |||
| KLAUS JURGENS |  |
||
| Back to the ’80s | |||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
