Swiss Muslims’ Bridge of Communication Hailed

This can be found on Islam Online (click on headline of this posting to go there. The article is by
Tamer Abul Einein, IOL Correspondent

GENEVA, May 11, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Swiss Muslim activists and parliamentarians hailed the establishment of a new Islamic group, “the Swiss-Islamic World Organization”, as a bridge to solidify ties between Switzerland and the Muslim world and a counterweight to rising campaigns of hatred and stereotype against the Swiss Muslims.

“Promoting ties between the Muslim minority in Switzerland and parties playing an influential role in Swiss policies, such as Muslim countries, should be linked through influential groupings, not only through individual efforts,” Daniel Vischer, a Swiss MP of the Greens Party and co-founder of the organization, told IslamOnline.net Wednesday, May 11.

The Swiss-Islamic World Organization was established Monday, May 9, in Zurich with the ultimate goal of enhancing ties between the Muslim minority in Switzerland and the Swiss parties interested in developing cooperation with the Islamic world such as politicians, economists and research bodies.

“The Swiss Muslims have become part and parcel of Swiss society and have played important role in promoting ties with the Islamic world due to their different cultural backgrounds,” Vischer said.

The Swiss MP, a staunch supporter of Arab issues, stressed that Swiss Muslims are no longer seen as immigrants in European country. “They [Muslims] are integrated in Swiss society, which requires measures to preserve their rights, not sideline them on the issues of their interest.”

Islam is the second religion in Switzerland after Christianity. The country is home to 330,000 Muslims representing a sizable 4.5 percent of the country’s some eight million people.