Swiss insist Muslim organisations condemn persecution

The Bishops’ conference of Switzerland insists that all Muslim organisations in the country publicly condemn the persecution of Christians and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, writes Christa Pongratz-Lippitt.

“Only the Muslims themselves can say we distance ourselves from this terror and are against this cruelty which also speaks in the name of religion,” the president of the Swiss bishops’ conference, Bishop Markus Büchel of St Gallen, underlined at a press conference after the autumn plenary.

The Muslim concept of community differed from the Swiss concept, general secretary, Erwin Tanner, explained. Whether Muslims were moderate or radical did not play a role. “As long as he is a Muslim, he belongs to the community,” he said. That was why Muslims were “somewhat careful” about criticising radical extremists from their own community, he added.

“The majority of the 400,000 Muslims in Switzerland are not religious and don’t want any odd associations to speak in their name. They are just as indignant about IS terror as their fellow citizens,” Saïda Keller-Messahli of the Forum for a Progressive Islam said.