Conference condemns the rabbis ban minarets and the targeting of Jews fear the future
Posted on 2009-12-05




Through a number of rabbis (religious) Jews have expressed concern that the Swiss decision to ban construction of minarets, saying that the next target in Switzerland may be Jewish ritual.

There were fears the Jewish religious leaders during the conference of European rabbis held Thursday in the Russian capital Moscow with the participation of about 800 a rabbi from more than 40 countries, through which participants expressed concern about the growing hostility to religion.

The news agencies quoted Philip Caramel, Director of International Relations at the conference saying that "any move in the direction of hostility to foreigners, or feelings of extreme nationalism is bad for the Jews .. the growth of the extreme right to confer legitimacy to xenophobic opinions."

And early this week, Switzerland said that the results of the referendum on the proposal to ban construction of minarets point to get a step on the support of 57 per cent of the vote, an unexpected surprise, as most opinion polls show that voters oppose the proposal, although a slight majority.

At the Vatican, the head of the Pontifical Council for Migrants, Monsignor Antonio Maria Filho, agreed that "the line adopted by the Swiss bishops" who expressed "deep concern" at what he described as "a severe blow to religious freedom and integration in general."

The Monsignor Filho again: "We Christians can not accept the logic of exclusion, if one wants to be a Catholic must be open to others."

The Secretary-General of the Council of the Swiss Bishops, Monsignor Felix Gmor through in a radio interview on the discontent of the Swiss Bishops issue of banning the construction of minarets in Switzerland.

Gmor and link between this decision and a ruling of the European Court on the prevention of the crosses in Italy "Both positions are based on the mistaken belief that religion should be merely a private matter, and for the Christian is not possible .. We have to open debate and clear, because society turbulent, There is a contradiction in all European societies. "