(Swiss Info) The government has decided against introducing state-run training courses for imams as a way of preventing the potential radicalisation of extremist preachers.
A religious neutrality clause in the Swiss constitution and an international comparison led the government to its conclusion that state training is “unsuitable,” it said on Wednesday.
The statement came in response to a 2016 call by parliament to examine ways of preventing “Islamic proselytising” and to better use the potential of imams to integrate Muslims in society.
While it agrees with the integration aim, the government said that official training would run against the state’s obligation to remain neutral towards religions and not to interfere in religious communities.
