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THE MUSINGS OF A TRADITIONAL SOUTHERN DEMOCRAT

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Location: Douglas, Coffee Co., The Other Georgia, United States

Sid in his law office where he sits when meeting with clients. Observant eyes will notice the statuette of one of Sid's favorite Democrats.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Switzerland votes to prohibit the building of mosque minarets -- The latest sign of a backlash against Muslim immigrants in Western Europe


A poster of the conservative initiative

From The Washington Post:

Voters in Switzerland decided Sunday to ban the building of minarets, in a referendum that showed an unexpected level of resentment against Muslim immigrants in a country long known for discretion and tolerance.

Opinion polls in recent months had indicated that a majority of voters would reject the measure, fearful of an impact on the country's reputation and ability to do business in the Muslim world. But official results on Sunday showed a surprisingly strong 57.5 percent of those voting endorsed it, against 42.5 percent who opposed.

The ballot was the latest sign of a backlash against Muslim immigrants in Western Europe, where Christian voters appear increasingly eager to preserve their traditional ways in the face of expanded Muslim populations.
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The Wall Street Journal has an article that has a quote utilizing a couple of adjectives:

[T]he Organization of the Islamic Conference, the biggest Muslim group with 57 member states, called the vote a "recent example of growing anti-Islamic incitements in Europe by extremist, anti-immigrant, xenophobic, racist, scare-mongering ultra-right politicians who reign over common sense, wisdom and universal values."

The Swiss government, which waged an aggressive campaign against the initiative, has feared a backlash similar to that suffered by Denmark several years ago after the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.

A number of Swiss companies, such as engineering group ABB Ltd and food maker Nestle SA, have large interests in Muslim countries. For instance, food maker Nestle SA has about 50 factories in the Muslim world and is the world's largest producer of halal food, or food permissible under Islamic law. Nestle has recently begun expanding its halal business in Europe, targeting the Continent's growing Muslim population.

"Nestlé cannot be associated with any form of discrimination," the company said in a statement.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Canada said...

It's surprising that tiny Switzerland could be that way. When you consider that countries like Saudi Arabia and the U.E. are also wealthy and so open to other cultures, what gives? Maybe the Swiss could learn something about multiculturalism from the Saudis.

2:26 PM  

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