The Bizarre Logic Behind the Swiss Minaret Ban [Der Spiegel's poky attempt to counter arguments for ban]

Der Spiegel gets a Muslim writer to construct an argument against the Swiss ban

By Yassin Musharbash, born to German mother and Jordanian father.
He studied Arab History and Political Sciences at the Universities of Goettingen (Germany) and Bir Zeit (Palestine). He is the son of a Jordanian father and a German mother. In 2006, his first book was published in Germany: "Die neue al-Qaida. Innenansichten eines lernenden Terrornetzwerks" (The new al-Qaida. Insights into a learning terrorist network).

We are going to pull his anti-minaret argument apart -

Us against them. That is how Europe's right wing sees the Swiss ban on minarets. After all, so goes the logic, Christians in the Muslim world aren't doing any better. But the argument is the height of intellectual laziness. The two groups simply cannot be compared.

First he starts with the extraordinary statement - assuming ignorance. And of course what would the Muslim argument be without mentioning 'the Crusaders'.

Most Christians living in the Middle East were converted by the Crusaders. Weren't they?

Say what?

Then he goes on to explain - how the Middle East Christians got there - hmm.. something to do with Jesus!

It is truly amazing just how many people believe that to be the case. But as it happens, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, not Bern. In fact, the majority of the Christians living in the Arab and Muslim worlds today are actually descendents of those from the early days of Christianity.

As Islam spread from Saudi Arabia, the number of Christians dropped as many people converted to the new religion. Forced conversions were the exception; many sought the tax benefits that came with being Muslim. Today, of course -- primarily on account of massive exoduses -- there are relatively few Christians in the Arab and Muslim world, perhaps only a few percent. Even Bethlehem no longer has a Christian majority.

Forced conversions were the exception - not according to the Bedouin tribes people - who still remember their families forcible conversion from Judaism to Islam. And well I suspect all those raids Muhammad was reported to have gone while raping and pillaging [its in the Koran/ holy books] - were to peacefully introduce Islamic rule to the 'backward' people of the region. Never mind what Muhammad was reported to have done to the temples of the Goddesses around the Kaaba.

Interactions between Christians and the Muslim rulers they've lived under have never been completely free of tension. There have been periods of mutual respect; and there have been times of open discrimination against Christians. Even today, the situation faced by Christians living in the Muslim world varies, depending on country and location. In Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, for example, being a Christian is more or less a crime. In Jordan and Syria, on the other hand, conflicts tend to center around whether it's appropriate to have church bells drowning out the Muslim call for prayer -- and vice versa.

Talk about playing down a fixer upper. There are virtually no Jews left in the Islamic world. And Christians are thinning fast as well. It is a proud tradition under Islamic law - that when the Islamic jizya tax - a religious version of the mafia protection tax - was being paid - by the non-Muslim they had to have a symbolic slice to the neck - I am sure Muslims thought they were just being 'kind' - as many have stated that the tax was fair. Its collection only ended with the European colonisation - to the eternal dismay of the fundamentalist Muslims. The Taliban have reintroduced it in parts of Pakistan - the Sikhs and Hindus - also indigenous peoples to the region are asked to pay or have their shops burnt out or houses burnt down - many choose instead to flee. Basically the tax is meant to ensure that non-Muslims receive Muslim protection - that is from other Muslim attack.

Egypt and other early Christian parts of the Middle East are like the canary in history's mine. As they let us know what it would be like if Islam were allowed to erode our way of life.

This video shows something of the second class status present day Christians in Syria endure under Muslim rule. But according to the Der Spiegel writer things like this are not a problem at all. So long as Muslims are in control - the rest is completely blocked out.



A couple in Syria is finding it hard to have their marriage legally recognized. He's Syrian, she's Armenian, but because of religious differences their union is not recognized by the country's Sharia based law. RT

Twisted Logic

One thing, though, remains the same: Christians in the Muslim world are almost never immigrants from elsewhere. On the contrary, they were there before the Muslims; their oldest churches predate even the earliest mosques. For this reason alone, the situation of Muslims in the West is not comparable with that of Christians in the Muslim world. Indeed, culturally, a Catholic from Jordan has more in common with a Sunni Muslim from Lebanon than with a Protestant from Switzerland.

Turkey has an Syriac Orthodox monastery built in the 400's - has been attempting to expropriate large portions of its land - saying that it does not belong to the church. They have already successfully done the same for the Greek Orthodox and Armenians church property in Turkey.

One should certainly avoid sugar-coating the sometimes unpleasant situation faced by Christians living in the Muslim world. There is room for criticism. But one should choose the appropriate means. To paint the Swiss referendum against building minarets as an act of solidarity with Christians living in the Middle East, as some are now doing, is just plain bizarre.

'Sugar-coating' the sometimes weekly attacks where seldom anyone from these Muslim mobs is ever brought to justice. But one should choose the appropriate means to complain - like the UN where these same Muslim nations are attempting to pass a law banning any and all criticism of Islam - including the most virulent aspects of Sharia. Or like the many riots that broke out across the Muslim world over the Muhammad cartoons? A silly picture - far less serious than burning people alive as Christians were in Pakistan neighborhoods. Or the regular attacks Copts and Baha'is suffer in Egypt. Heck - there is not even a penalty for killing a Baha'i or convert from Islam in Iran. Perhaps the writer can suggest some appropriate places to complain. As far as we know it is not possible to complain about such things at the UN Human Rights Council?

All - while Muslim nations demand action against Europe's horrible Islamophobia!

Some of those who support the result of the Swiss referendum can be heard to say things like: As long as Saudi Arabia won't allow any churches to be built there, we're entitled to tell Muslims that they can't build minarets here. It is a specious argument.

Okay.. why is it that Saudi Arabia should be allowed to fund mosques building in the western world - but continue to restrict religious freedom in their own country. Last I heard they approached Taiwan to put one of their houses of worship there.

The Saudis have recently asked permission to build a mosque in Moscow, a city where there are only four mosques and 2 million Muslims. The Russians, however, are saying they want, in return, an Orthodox church in Saudi Arabia. [WT]

This Washington Times story goes to the heart of European grievance with Islam's double standards. It is clear Russia gets the takeover idea. Though the writer might argue Russia - is intolerant - that they should remember European enlightenment and nuance!

This is an indications that Europe is tiring of putting Muslim sentiment - above all else.

This line of reasoning ignores the lessons learned during the enlightenment and the advances made by modernity. It is a logic that says no matter where they come from, no matter how different they are, "Muslims" are a single historical, religious and political unit, which is supposedly waging an eternal battle against neighboring civilizations. Thus, the growing number of minarets should be understood as merely the visible symbol of this battle of "us" versus "them."

Quran 9:29 instructs Muslims to fight their neighbors until they pay the jizya, convert or are killed - this it can be argued binds all Muslims.

As for enlightenment - perhaps it is this that allows use to see Islam for what it is - over Muslims' willful blindness.

The logic also precludes the notion that a Muslim person who has lived for decades in Switzerland may have amassed other elements to his or her identity aside from religion.

All-In-One Pseudo-Solutions

The whole affair is tinged with irony given that hard-boiled Islamist hate preachers see things the same way. And they prefer to disseminate their ideas far away from the public eye -- in backyard mosques with no minarets.

How many top Islamic clerics in Europe have called for/suggested stonings, beheadings and amputations as a part of the implementation of full Sharia law. This is the exact same things that the radicals want. And they hardly worship in backyard mosques.

But it is also tragic. It wipes away decades of learned nuance in the way Europeans have come to see their Muslim compatriots and neighbors. Surely there are good reasons to keep a close eye on some mosques. One also doesn't have to approve of all mosque designs -- sometimes minarets are indeed intented as symbols of dominance.

But such concerns could easily enough have been addressed on a case-by-case basis.

In Germany mosques are often named after Muslim conquers of places like Constantinople.

There is a time for everything - when people feel they are faced with having hard won rights clipped for the introduction of 'aspects' of Sharia law - nuance goes out of the window.

Especially when the only nuance - people see - is that skewed towards accepting Muslim intolerance.

Now, though, Europe's right-wing populists are celebrating the referendum result as the dawning of a new era -- one dominated by the notion of tit-for-tat. Such thinking, however, is not only the result of the skewed comparison of Muslim apples with Christian oranges, but also of repellent intellectual laziness.

Laziness - far from it - Europe has woken up.

Because one thing is clear: No Christian living in Cairo will benefit from a ban on minarets in Winterthur.

The Egyptians just finished their latest week long looting and burning of Coptic shops and property. And they are being made to travel 37 miles to report it - as local law officials wont deal with their claims for compensation. No - I guess banning minarets in Switzerland wont help them much - but as with most Muslims - this writer doesn't appear he wants to help much either.

Hear this - Muslims get their tolerance together - and Europe will get its tolerance together. Our human rights are being used as takeover mechanisms - call the Swiss action it tit-for-tat or hardball - it seems coming from repressive Muslim societies this is the only thing they understand.