Switzerland and Religious Freedom
Where Some Beliefs are More Welcome Than Others
Switzerland may be slowly shedding the image of a reserved nation by taking a stand against Muslims while other minority groups have maintained their religious freedom.
Switzerland, landlocked in central Europe, is a country known for its neutrality during the two World Wars. It is country with a reputation for keeping to itself itself in continental affairs. Yet the Swiss society, which is dominated by Christian values, is becoming increasingly hostile to other religions and to Islam in particular.
Religion in Switzerland
Christians make up the vast majority of the Swiss society according to the 2000 census, with Catholics (41.8%) and Protestants (33.0%) being the two main denominations. Even if Christian values are turning less and less to ecclesiastic institutions as a means of expression, churches and the Christian perspective remain a stabilizing factor of the society.
The Swiss work ethic, their reserved nature and realist outlook are all examples of the Christian nature of country.
Muslims are the largest minority faith group in the country at 4.3% of the population, with Jews, Buddhists and Hindus making up a further 1.0% and atheists totally just over 11%.
At the same time, there is a greater tendency towards individual interpretation of religion and there is a growing interest in new forms of religion and spirituality.
Status of Religious Freedom
The Swiss Constitution provides for freedom of religion and the Government generally respects this right in practice and does not tolerate its abuse, in theory at least.
The Constitution grants freedom of creed and conscience and the Federal Criminal Code prohibits any form of debasement or discrimination of any religion or of any religious adherents.
Religion is taught in schools but the Government does not initiate inter-faith activities.
There is one major exception to the freedom of religion, which the authorities bring down to definitions rather than simple segregation – the Church of Scientology has not been recognised because it “did not believe in God” and so is not a “real church”.
Religion in Society
The Swiss authorities have recognised that there is generally an amicable relationship between the different religions and this has made a huge contribution to religious freedom in the country.
However, recent information paints a different picture. If a Sikh, Hindu or Buddhist in Switzerland wants to build a temple there appears to be no problem. However if a Muslim wants to put up a minaret it is a different story.
Despite flourishing Islamic centres throughout the country, there are only two mosques in the whole of Switzerland – in Zurich and Geneva. There has recently been a right-wing campaign to ban minarets which is as much from other faiths as from the non-religious community.
One such protest was in the Buddhist dominated Wangen where a Buddhist temple costing $7.35million was built only four years ago.
Similarly, in neighbouring Trimbach, plans for a new Hindu temple for the Tamil community were approved last year but Muslim plans were blocked. In Berne, while there were “obstacles” in the way of the domes for their Sikh temple, the construction of a minaret was thwarted.
Why Islam?
With the feeling that anti-Muslim feelings are at their highest level in history, Samuel-Martin Behloul, research assistant at the department for the study of religions at Lucerne University, says that this is down to perception: Islam is seen as a threat in a post-9/11 world.
Alfred Donath, president of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities, says a big increase numbers, coupled with a failure to fully integrate, also goes against the country's Muslims.
Although one of the leading Catholic Church’s experts on Islam has warned against the spreading of mosques in the country, the intolerant mood of a minority does not reflect the Swiss majority, which has been stirred by politicians seeking success in recent federal elections as well as narrow-minded religious groups.
Yet this shows the state of politics and individual prejudices rather than the mood of the nation, but it may not simply be a coincidence that the number of non-believers in Switzerland has also mushroomed in recent years. Sometimes the figures speak for themselves.
