14 I ORLD NEWSW Passion Islam I November 2009
Swiss justice dept
rejects ban on
mosque minarets
Chief of Switzerland’s Federal Swiss people are to decide
Department of Justice and Police whether to take in the initiative and
Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said that come up with a new article that bans
Swiss Federal Council rejected an minarets or not through elections that
initiative to ban mosque minarets in would be held in November
Switzerland. Swiss Right parties which are
That “contradicts with the basic supporting the initiative say that
values of Switzerland society’s minarets jeopardize Europe’s
system and constitution which grants “Christian values” and identity
freedom of religions,” she said. The Swiss Federal Council
Such an initiative would jeopardize opposed the initiative and called upon
religions stability in the country, she parliament and large political parties
said, adding that it violates human to support its decision
rights agreements ratified by the Around 400,00 Muslims, most
country, and so it would “defame the of whom come from Turkey and the
image of Switzerland.” Meanwhile, Balkans are living in large Swiss
the Head of the Swiss Council of cities.
Religions Thomas Wipf seconded The Annual Swiss security report hails
Widmer-Schlumpf, and called upon the Muslim society in the country for
dialogue to clarify misconceptions shunning bigotry and extremism.
on Islam and Muslims, and noted Switzerland has only four minarets
that responsibilities lie on the council located in Zurich, Geneva, Winterthur,
which was established in 2006 and Wengen.
1 in 4 people in world are Muslim
Africa. just obliterated by this report.”
The data also showed that Instead the report found that
there were more Muslims in more than 300 million Muslims live
Germany than in Lebanon, in countries where Islam was not the
and more in Russia than in majority religion.
Jordan and Libya together. Of the total Muslim population, 10-
Researchers analysed 13% are Shia Muslims and 87-90%
approximately 1,500 sources are Sunni Muslims.
including census reports, Most Shias live in Iran, Pakistan,
demographic studies and India and Iraq.
general population surveys. Europe is home to 38 million
Senior researcher Muslims - around 5% of its population
Brian Grim told CNN that with European Muslims making up
the overall figure was a slightly more than 2% of the world’s
surprise and said: “Overall, Muslim population.
the number is higher than I More than half of the 4.6 million
expected.” Muslims in the Americas live in the US
The report also found that - however they make up just 0.8% of
Ethiopia has nearly as many the population there.
The report, by the Pew Forum on Muslims as Afghanistan. The Pew Forum has said the
Religion and Public Life, took three Amaney Jamal, an assistant findings will lay the foundation for a
years to compile, with census data professor of politics at Princeton forthcoming study that will look at how
from 232 countries and territories. University, told the AP news agency: Muslim populations worldwide have
It showed that 20% of Muslims “This whole idea that Muslims are grown and what they may look like in
lived in the Middle East and North Arabs and Arabs are Muslims is really the future.
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