In Switzerland everybody the right to make an initiative. If you collect so and so many signings the populace can vote if they want to accept your initiative or not.
Propably all of you heard that it's now forbidden to built minarets in Switzerland because of such an initiative. It was accepted with about 57.5% of the votes.
Many experts say that the populance wanted to show a signal against the Islamization. They see the minarets as a symbol of power. They are propably also worried because the government isn't sure how it should go on with the immigrations. Please don't think that Switzerland is a racist country, otherwise we wouldn't have 20-25% foreigners. Another reason why the people voted "yes" might be that the prisons are filled with 70% foreigners.
I wonder now what do you think about that (especially if you are Muslim). Is it really that bad that minarets mustn't be built? Because mosques still can be built and Muslims still may live out their religion.
BTW polls showed that this "minaret interdiction" would propably also be accepted in Germany and Austria if they had a direct democracy. And: I voted against this initiative
Many experts say that the populance wanted to show a signal against the Islamization. They see the minarets as a symbol of power. They are propably also worried because the government isn't sure how it should go on with the immigrations. Please don't think that Switzerland is a racist country, otherwise we wouldn't have 20-25% foreigners. Another reason why the people voted "yes" might be that the prisons are filled with 70% foreigners.
People can still voice their opinions by way of free speech. I don't like the methods of this 'minaret'; allowing the people to directly decide what should be here and not is not very stable. This is why we have elected officials; by voting for them, they represent the common masses, therefore what they decide reflects what the people in general want. This is also not stable, but the elected officials at least know government and law--what would happen if this-and-this is in effect, yadda yadda.
but the elected officials at least know government and law
I have to add that the government (or a committee) controls if the initiative is against the law or not.
allowing the people to directly decide what should be here and not is not very stable
I agree with you that it isn't good for a big country but I think that in a small country it works pretty good. The people have the power, not the governent.
allowing the people to directly decide what should be here and not is not very stable.
It's how Swiss politics works. Most national issues are settled by referendum. This is true democracy. Having elected officials vote is a Republic. Switzerland is a Federal Parliamentary Democracy. While the Parliament and Federal Council make many decisions, the voters also get a direct say. This is how Switzerland has been for a long time and it seems to work.
So if these minarets in Switzerland are now banned, what are the Swedish people going to do? Will the parliament now make all decisions?
The SWISS are going to go on living normally. Minarets are banned. It would just be like if bell towers were banned from churches. They can't be built. That's it. Take the bells down and move on.
Probably all of you heard that it's now forbidden to built minarets in Switzerland because of such an initiative. It was accepted with about 57.5% of the votes.
Many experts say that the populance wanted to show a signal against the Islamization.
What I see out of this is that the populace were basing their decisions off morals. Which is good that the minarets are banned because of this reason; basing opinions off straight morality shouldn't be part of making decisions. These morals can branch off to be part of religious standing, which is NOT a good thing. I don't know if Sweden also has separation of church and state, but the U.S.A does. We can't force people to be religious or not be religious, but we also cannot force the religious to vote in a non-religious way; how would we know, and we can't physically have religious people change their views. Religion will always be part of voting; we can't change that.
The Swiss have a right to ban whatever they want and if the Swiss people don't want Minarets built in their country then that's up to them. It is nice to see a government that listens to the people and follows their will which is basically the government's job.
It's Switzerland, NOT SWEDEN! And the people are called Swiss not Swedish
Oopsies. I think Cen is going to kick me again now XD
But yeah, having the government decide what to do is the government's job, and electing the officials is OUR job. They represent our will, so what they vote on reflects what we want to have happen.
So apparently denying freedom for others is true democracy.
I mean, we support democracy until we find it inconvenient, which means we are simply a more democratic version of the old autocracies.
This motion to ban minarets utilises a number of fallacious arguments (the minaret being a symbol of political power) and fear mongering (ads in support of the measure depicted minarets as missiles). Note there are only four minarets in the entire country, and that they are aesthetic only (they are not used in the call to prayer).
I'm personally troubled that this kind of hypocrisy still exists. People claim Islam is going to take away this or that, but isn't that exactly what they are doing? Why the hell is it still permissable in the West to attack Islam?
So apparently denying freedom for others is true democracy.
Just because you don't agree with the outcome doesn't mean the system is undemocratic. The Swiss have conducted free and fair elections for ages. It is democracy when the majority rules. And the majority said to ban Minarets.
Some freedoms must be denied. Human sacrifice is not allowed. It's denying freedom of religion, but for a good reason. The same goes for the Minaret ban in Switzerland. The Swiss are tired of the Islamification of Europe and felt it was time to defend their secular values. Muslims have been immigrating to Europe faster than ever and some are trying to push their lifestyle onto Europeans.
