The notorious Swiss referendum which has denied to Muslims the possibility to build minarets in Switzerland gives me the idea to submit to this forum a test poll. How would you vote for such a referendum about allowing the construction of minarets in your own home town?
Sure, as long as a crucifix that is just as high be allowed and the chanting be relegated to certain times at certain db levels similar to church bells.
Of course, just like we allow church steeples and peeling bells. What I object to is self-centered twits ringing my doorbell and disturbing me with their drivel. So far, none have been Muslim, Jewish, or Catholic. Quite a few have been non-sectarian liberals but most are evangelicals.
Without trying very hard, I don't give a damn as long as the noise level is kept down. There is a church nearby which at times has an outdoor shindig. They are so loud I could hear them 1/2 mile away, indoors, with the windows closed & my hearing aids out. I asked them to turn the noise down. They didn't. I called the police on them, The same goes for any religion.
Personally I would allow it with some limitation about location. I have grown up living 20mt far from the bell tower of a little church and I had the habit to wake up hearing the bells. In Italy the sound of the bells is part of daily life [it would be odd not to hear that sound here ...]. Anyway I was not focusing the attention to the chants coming from the minarets, but to the architectural impact on the "skyline" of a town. And actually architecture means symbols and symbols have got a tremendous power. The problem in Switzerland comes from the realization that Swiss Islam tends to show Islamist behaviors which begin to affect the Swiss society [separated swimming pools, certificates of virginity ... and other oddities, are appearing also there ...]. So, the 57% of the voters who has expressed a negative vote has represented a kind of "cultural defense" of the Swiss social identity. My stance is less rude [may be because in Italy we are not seeing the Islamists at work], I can accept the construction of minarets, but far from the traditional / historical areas of our cities. In other words, minarets cannot stay in a context which is not their proper one.
I wonder what Saudi Arabian citizens would say to the building of Gothic cathedrals in their home towns?
Overall next to an important mosque ... Or, thinking to Catholic traditions, what if Catholics in Saudi Arabia build a giant statue of Jesus [like the one in Brazil] just in an important square of Ryad? It's quite evident that, even accepting the cultures of the people which come from abroad, a population anyway tends to protect and preserve its own identity [and the image of a town is also a matter of identity].
They would probably be opposed to it, but I'm not in a habit of basing my opinions on those of others. Let them build their towers, they're not hurting anyone. Democracy is the most repugnant sort of group-think in my opinion.
Freedom of religion (or lack of it) is one of the reasons why western culture is superior to islamic culture. So even tough I may not like it, I would accept it.
Freedom of religion is also listed among the "human rights" in UN chart. I quote So, as for principal, it's clear that we have to accept that Muslim immigrants build minarets. My only remark is about where. It's evident that, as for any other activity, municipalities have to consider the equilibrium and the social "peace" of the urban area. A religious building is something more sensitive than a shop, anyway there are cases in which municipalities don't allow to open a certain kind of shop in a certain quarter [imagine a sexy shop near to a church, in Italy the investor would never get the license to open it there]. Rights are anyway ruled.
There should be a Federal ordinance that restricts any loud music, singing, crying, or yelling, from any structure in the environment that interferes with and disrupts the peace, or disrupts the normal human sleep cycle, with some exceptions for historical places such as New Orleans or Las Vegas.
? Doesn't it exist in US? In Italy there are laws against "disturbo della quite pubblica" [disturb of public quiet]. In a square you cannot make noise after midnight if not with a permission by the municipality.
There are laws which exist, yet not enforced very often, and besides, the standard of disrupting the peace has become the accepted normal behavior for most Americans, especially in the African American community where noise, followed by yelling, followed by vandalism, followed by death by gunshot is the usual pattern of behavior.
I am not against it but....don't think it would go over very well in Alabama. - - - Updated - - - Why not let the States and local authorities decide?
I would tend to have the same position. Building a mosque on Pisa would be a no no. In the modern industrial district where I grew up. Not a problem at all, and I did not when they built a mosque. I thought it add some much needed character to a pretty bleak skyline actually.
The U.N. is irrelevant in the U.S. and in this discussion. I'd support minarets being built but not the U.N. who wants freedom for religion as long as they aren't Jews.
Interesting thought about Democracy there. I would agree by saying that, yes, people tend to think alike, and they will certainly do so when faced with majority rule. Most sad of all, though, is that they will also let charismatic voices guide their thinking and tell them what's important, what's normal and acceptable, etc. Thus America is governed.
I believe in the First Amendment that allows freedom to worship. I believe part of that is the freedom to build a church/mosque/synagogue/temple. Now, I might agree to a rule that historic parts of town can ban them, but that's just like they can ban a metal/glass building if it doesn't meet architectural styles.
I don't think of Saudi Arabia as a country that I would use as a good example of how religious freedom should work. We are better than they are because we have religious freedom, IMHO.
I wouldn't object to any religious buildings that didn't disrupt the peace or cause other disturbances. I would expect them to have to follow the same rules that any other religious building would but also to have the same opportunities.
