Religious tolerance and Mohammedans

It seems the Swiss citizenry has voted not to allow minarets on mosques. Mosques will have to go unmarked by their traditional emblem of violence, the crescent moon of the scimitar.

The Swiss, who DO live in a country with state recognized and supported churches and do practice toleration of non-recognized churches and their adherents, are largely Christian, with 88% reporting that they are Christians of some flavor. Apparently the citizenry there recognizes the swelling Mohammedan population as a distinct threat to their religious freedom and their social values.

However, the really droll part of this is the remarks being made about the Swiss by various Mohammedans.

"The Swiss have failed to give a clear signal for diversity, freedom of religion and human rights," said Omar Al-Rawi, integration representative of the Islamic Denomination in Austria, which said its reaction was "grief and deep disappointment."

Mr. Al-Rawi is Iraqi - Iraq being a country where members of the Christian and Jewish faiths have been persecuted diligently for centuries. Where women are and historically have been, treated as legal inferiors of men. Let's talk about diversity, Mr. Al-Rawi, shall we?

"It's a sad day for freedom of religion," said Mohammed Shafiq, the chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, a British youth organization. "A constitutional amendment that's targeted towards one religious community is discriminatory and abhorrent."

Mr. Shafiq is a Briton, born to Pakistani parents. Pakistan - that beacon of religious toleration, where Sharia is the law and where waves of anti-Christian pogroms and violence have swept the country repeatedly since 1971.

For a Mohammedan to complain of lack of religious toleration is as silly as hearing a Daley of Chicago complain about political corruption or hearing Hugh Hefner complain about a lack of chastity in the community.

Bravo for the Swiss. They've got more sense and more courage than most of Europe.