A Swiss patriot speaks to Diana West -- "A Swiss 'Extremist' Against Islamic Law":
THE SWISS ALPS, SWITZERLAND -- "Explain the minaret ban," I asked.I was sitting in the side room of a house, overlooking a flat plot somewhat larger than the trampoline outside. Beyond that trampoline, still visible in the evening light, rose the Swiss Alps. Across the table, Oskar Freysinger sat poised to address my query over some cups of espresso, speaking as a local leader of the Swiss People's Party.
Or perhaps I should say -- a local leader of the "extremist," "bigoted" and "xenophobic" Swiss People's Party. That's how this largest political party in tiny Switzerland is routinely discussed, or, rather, dismissed by elites, glitterati and other social deadweights.
Why? Because the Swiss People's Party is, with noticeable success, fighting to bring massive immigration, including Islamic immigration, under control in Switzerland before this rigidly neutral, quite independent, non-European Union country loses its uniquely Swiss character. (Hardly unimaginable given that 21.1 percent of Swiss residents are foreign.) This makes men like Freysinger a dire threat to the multicultural world order. Hence the very nasty, but meaningless names.
Now engaged in probably its greatest battle yet, the Swiss People's Party has just amassed more than the requisite 100,000 signatures on a petition to trigger a national referendum, in this controversial case, on whether Switzerland should ban minarets, the towers that often soar high enough over mosques to transform the skyline of any cathedral town in Europe. Out of 90 mosques in Switzerland, only two have minarets. Three more are now in political limbo.
"We have long reflected on this," said Freysinger, 48, a strongly built man whose intelligent face, long, dark pony tail and summer sandals confound the Tyrolean-capped, alpine stereotype. A high school teacher of German literature, he is bilingual in German and French, and plenty serviceable in both Italian and English, the latter being our interview lingo.
Discussing the "long progression" of Islam -- now 4.3 percent of Switzerland's mainly Christian population of 7.5 million -- into Swiss life, he explains that what concerns him is "not the (Islamic) religion, but the law," meaning Islamic law, or Sharia. And while there is religious freedom in Switzerland for new mosques, this same freedom does not extend to minarets, which he sees as political more than religious symbols. "Minarets are not necessary for the practice" of Islam, he explains.
Indeed, historically, the minaret has often served as a sign of Islamic political power. In our own era, it may be seen to symbolize the introduction of Islamic law into formerly non-Islamic societies.
"In that case," Freysinger continued, "we said: `OK. We'll attack the symbol. It's always about symbols because symbols have a big truth behind them. And so we attack this symbol of conquering Islam and we say: You are welcome in our country, but there is one law, and one constitution for every person in this country. And there is no special law for an Islamic girl, or an Islamic man. There is no Sharia. Nothing."
Read it all.
so this guy speaks 4 languages from a country with a mix of language and ethnicity as part of its identity and yet he is a
"extremist," "bigoted" and "xenophobic"
What does that make people who arrive in a new country and want to make it like their old country?
Do we need to invent a new word or are we mis-using existing words?
Perhaps if this guy was going to Tunisia and telling them to speak 3 or 4 languages as normal, be neutral, and have one law for all that is not sharia, then perhaps he could be labelled as bigoted and xenophobic.....
Until then, I shall think it is those who are quick to hurl insults who are the bigoted xenophobes who want swiss people to make their identity and culture a page in a history book.
Muslims want the entire Western civilization's identity and culture to be a page in an Arabic history book, all lumped together in the chapter about "pre-islamic ignorance".
Islam conquers in many ways. One of the methods is a slow step-by-step islamisation of a country. A little prayer room at the back of a building, then footbaths, then a small minaret, then a little extension of the prayer room, then a total buyout of the building, till it becomes an Islamic centre, and finally a full-fledged mosque - dar al Islam forever.
Banning minarets is in itself is not a big step, but it is one if one sees it as giving out a message that political Islam is unacceptable and will be opposed. It is also a small step in the direction that we have to go - the near elimination of Islam from the West.
Some readers here seem not to realise that there are indeed people who fight to ‘bring massive immigration, including Islamic immigration, under control’ who are ‘‘extremist,’ ‘bigoted’ and ‘xenophobic.’’ Such is definitely the case of a number of SPP’s members.
The SPP is a party with very unpleasant and very real fascist tendencies, a party whose policies regularly endanger the Swiss Constitution and the Swiss Institutions, which they purport to defend.
As for the particular initiative that is here discussed, please notice that it isn’t the party that launched it, it’s one of their members who did as a private citizen. Party members then support it, but, again the Party is not officially responsible for it. It’s not the first time they adopt this tactic when launching initiatives that are particularly unpopular.
That is hypocrisy. Or worse, cowardice.
I am a Jihad Watcher, fully aware of the dangers that Islam poses to civilised societies, and fighting that awareness about this greatest of threats becomes general. So don’t get me started with the ‘you’re in denial’ or anything of the sort stuff.
Oh, by the way, the ‘Swiss Patriot’ Oskar Freysinger is an immigrant. Yep, from Austria.
One has to admire the Swiss-they are really fighting insurmountable odds-Koranists, PC, etc.. I wish them luck.
Swiss Little Girl
Forgive me if I don't believe your bald assertion someone who expresses nothing approaching a fascist attitude has "very real fascist tendencies." Usually people provide evidence for character assassination and defamation. I'm also skeptical of the oxymoronic character of your statement "very real" and "tendencies" seem to cancel one another out. One implies evidence (very real) which you don't provide while the next is speculation (tendencies).
In Europe the only people not automatically labeled fascists are authoritarian socialists who hate Jews. Opposing Islam, as it was during WWII, suggests you oppose fascism. Some "very real" (really) fascists in Europe support the EU and Islam.
The Reds, The Browns and the Greens or The Convergence of Totalitarianisms
Alexandre del Valle
The Fascist Left have turned the Nanny State into the Bully State
A mosque for ex-Nazis became center of radical Islam
Unlike your assertions, Swiss Little Girl, I've only begun to present the evidence I have available for my position.
"As for the particular initiative that is here discussed, please notice that it isn’t the party that launched it, it’s one of their members who did as a private citizen."
Swiss Little Girl,
I know nothing at all about the party who supports this initiative, and I'm sure, like all political parties, the SPP has its share of unsavory characters. The same can be said, and often is, of the political parties in the US.
Still, I can't but envy a political system that allows for an initiative to be made by a private citizen. It's very difficult for individual voices to be heard, in the US, unless he is saying something so shocking that it stuns everyone else into silence.
Swiss Little Girl
concerning Freysinger's origins:
from what I can find, his father was from the Tyrol (Austria), but his mother was from the Valais (Switz.), and he was born in Sierre, a town in the Valais. I don't pretend to know the Swiss law on citizenship in such a situation, but it seems clear he was born in Switzerland, and in normal usage one cannot be an immigrant to one's native country.
Ebonystone:
I stand corrected, immigrant is not the word. However, the irony remains.
Beagle:
In Switzerland the members of the executive body, the federal council (the ‘government’ if you want, even though the word is misleading, because the federal council is not composed by the party or coalition of parties that won the elections, but by members of all the major parties represented in parliament) these members of the federal council are elected by parliament. On December the 12th last year parliament chose not to re-elect the then SPP federal councillor (?) Christoph Blocher, and leader of the party, but to vote instead for another member of the SPP party, Ms. Eveline Widmer Schlumpf. SPP members themselves have on occasions not voted for candidates to the federal council that parties proposed (notably in 1993 and in 1983, http://www.sp-ps.ch/index.php?id=132&L=1); in 2003 they have voted Ms. Ruth Metzler (Christian Democrat Party) out and Mr. Blocher in. Their choices, and parliament’s, though not to the liking of the parties that didn’t get their way, were respected. They, however, would not respect last year’s perfectly legal election: they have sought to expel Ms. Widmer Schlumpf from the party, and, not having the legal tools for doing so for, they expelled her together with her cantonal section instead. The entire cantonal section! Canton are states, we are a confederation: it’s as if, say, the republican party choose to expel form the national party the section of Alabama. They also chose to expel their other federal councillor, Mr. Samuel Schmidt (and so his cantonal section, another state section) because he wasn’t very hot at idea of Ms Widmer Schlumpf being kicked out.
What to make of these kind of procedures? They do not seem to me to be particularly democratic.
What to make of a party in which almost everything is decided according to the wishes of one person (Christoph Blocher) and whose president (Tony Brunner) does not dear to speak his mind before he has consulted with him?
A party that continually vilifies the federal council (even when it’s in it), that seeks to reduce its right to speak of the projects it after all has come up with (Initiative ‘Souveraineté du peuple sans propagande gouvernementale’ http://www.parlament.ch/E/dokumentation/do-dossiers-az/Pages/do-behoerden-dokumente.aspx?)? Who vilifies parliament, all other political parties, on the grounds that they are ALL corrupted? Sounds familiar?
What to make of a party whose proposals compromise our country’s state of right? (Their ‘democratic naturalisation’ initiative would have prevented foreigners to whom naturalisation had been denied the right to both a) get an explanation as to why that was the case and b) appeal. Now you may think that it’s no big deal to deny foreigners a right to get explanations and make appeals, but I’d prefer not have such a precedent enshrined into my country’s laws.)
The reason why Mr. Christoph Blocher was voted out of the federal council is that he was unable to respect what we call ‘concordance:’ I mentioned the fact that the members of the council do not come from the party that won the elections, but from all the major parties that have found their way into parliament. This means that there are people from all across the political spectrum (left to right), and who naturally do not have the same positions. ‘Concordance’ means that they have to get along with one another nonetheless, and that, in practice, once a decision has been taken, they have to uphold it, regardless of what their personal opinion was (you were unable to convince you fellow federal councillors? Shut it). Blocher was just unable to do this. The work of the council was because of this severely disrupted. You will agree that a government must be able to govern.
The SPP operates in a way that does not tally with the political tradition of Switzerland, that is foreign (yes, foreign) to how our institutions and our federalism work. You may not accept that the examples I have given you are ominous, that they may viewed as carrying an unpleasant connotation (read: fascist tendencies), but that the SPP’s tactics endanger
is something I doubt you’re in a position to deny.
This has been a long post. I have provided as many links as I could, but since much of what I describe is related to a diffuse way of working on the part of the SPP, it is difficult to be exhaustive.
I apologise to all dhimmi watch readers for taking up so much space to discuss Swiss politics, which is hardly the blog’s subject matter. I apologise to Mr. Freysinger, whose precise situation I have misrepresented. It is not my intention to engage in defamation or character assassination.
One thing more, however, if you allow me trespass a little longer on your patience
Precisely because of the threat posed by Islam, and because of the so far general failure of the European governments (including my own) to seriously face it, fascism is also a threat for my continent. If serious measures are not taken now, the temptation of fascism will grow. As for me, I am afraid I am seeing it being indulges in my country, and I am quite concerned about this.
I guess all I wanted to say is this: my enemy’s enemy’s is not necessarily my friend.
God bless you all,
Well it's about time.. The Swiss have the SVP, the Brtis have the BNP and now Germany is finally catching up with citizens there forming the Pro-Germany party which comes from local anti-mosk construction initiatives all over the country.
Austria has the ÖVP and I think Denmark has something similar already too.
France got shafted by Sarko-dhim-zy and I expect there will be a Pro-France party within the next two years.
All of these parties have a lot of things in common. They will hopefully network and collaborate.
These parties are not against other European countries or against the US. These parties are against islam.
Not a minute too soon either!
I work closely with Oskar ....
A man of culture intelligence .... OpenMind's and a wonderful sense of humor .... a great musician .... singer and writer of great poems and lyrics
At the same time an astute well versed Politician ... who can debate anyone on TV and Radio
His party .... after all is the largest party in Switzerland
So ..... the largest party and having the most voters .... are we possibly ALL extremists and xenophobes ????
Lets not forget .... Most Swiss including myself .... Speak about 3 languages .... Due to our country's history and geography .... We have 4 National languages...
Swiss German (high German in education), French (La Suisse Romande), Italian for our Tessin....
( Al cantó del Ticino hi ha la Lega dei Tecinesi) , Romansh ...Romanish .... Grisun ....(Rumantsch Grischun) once the Roman province of Rhaetia Prima ....
Oskar has been promoting many Initiatives .... that are utmost important for holding up Israel's rights against our FM CALMY-REY (also known here and called Cruella)
He's a great help when I need to get things moving ....for the cause of Conservatism... for the cause of common sense
We are not against Europe .... we are very pro America... and the FREE WORLD ...
we are against the EU .... we want to be our own Sovereign
Since after all we are having a Direct Democracy.... and the People are the Sovereign
We don't want to be taken over by Islam ...
I say .... great cheers to Oskar ..... keep it coming Oskar
Swiss Little Girl .....
Your information about Blocher voted out of the Federal Council ... is totally misrepresented ... since obviously you don't want to see facts Little Swiss Girl
The Swiss people spoke ... and they wanted Blocher elected.... that was clear
There was simply .... as we all know a staged complott between
Members of the other parties -- , mainly CVP, SP, Greens, Green Liberals (ZH) .... since suddenly They had secret meetings, telephone calls... With Widmer Schlumpf .... and wanted against the people's will discard Blocher .... Who was an excellent Minister and doing his job .... but the LEFT mainly with the help of the CVP... and SP mainly Their leader.. CVP Christophe Darbellay ... complotted ....this was proven in a TV investigation ....
You obviously with the LEFT cannot stand conservatism...
It was those who voted against Blocher and named their own person from the SVP who was not candidate .... that left the Concordance .... you missed the point
I think it's a disgrace that the only minister, Blocher, with any experience of industry and commerce was deposed by a catholic and LEFT conspiracy. ...
The others, like most politicians everywhere (Clinton Blair Sarko etc...) are all failed lawyers.
Let's hope that next time the conservatives get together in revenge and boot out that miserable creep Leuenberger....and Calmy-Rey... better known as Calamity-Rey or Cruella