(Swiss Info) A Bern politician looks set to test Switzerland’s decade-long ban on the construction of minarets by objecting to a dome that is planned for a religious community building in the Swiss capital. The local parliamentarian of the rightwing People’s Party […]
(Swiss Info) A new survey has found that about 40% of the 130 known Islamist militants in Switzerland receive welfare payments, including unemployment and disability benefits. Most of them are young men, living in suburban areas notably in the French-speaking part of the country, […]
(Swiss Info) An appeal to suspend a provision of a Geneva law that reinforces the separation of religion and state has failed. In February, the secularism law was accepted by over 55% of voters in canton Geneva. Among the provisions covered by […]
(Swiss Info) Qatar-funded projects in Switzerland, including a building complex costing CHF22 million ($21.5 million), have been stopped. The decision comes amid controversial revelations of the “Qatar Papers,” a book published by French journalists. The founder of the Swiss Muslim Cultural Institute […]
(Swiss Info) A Swiss parliamentary decision seeking automatic deportation of convicted terrorists even if their lives are at risk has met widespread criticism. The human rights organisation Amnesty International described Tuesday’s decision to ignore international safeguards and practices as unacceptable. “It will […]
(Swiss Info) The Swiss government has presented its plans for a legal amendment to prevent a nationwide ban on face-covering headgear, proposed by a rightwing people’s initiative. Under the proposal, a person must show his or her face for identity checks by […]
(Swiss Info) The Swiss government has rejected calls to actively repatriate Islamic militants with Swiss nationality from Syria or Iraq. Swiss citizens will not be prevented from returning to the country, according to a government statement published on Friday, but authorities want […]
(Swiss Info) The office of the attorney general of Switzerland has filed an appeal against the acquittal of two leaders of the Islamic Central Council of Switzerland (ICCS) who had been accused of terrorist propaganda. A third defendant has appealed against his […]
(Swiss Info) The government has presented plans to spend up to CHF500,000 ($503,000) annually to protect minority groups in Switzerland against militant extremism and terrorist attacks. The proposal foresees financial contributions for additional building measures, including walls, security gates and video and […]
(Swiss Info) Some consumers in Switzerland and abroad have been questioning the halal label on Toblerone chocolate bars. Although certified as halal in April, it was only this week that a small storm began brewing on social media — with some people […]
(Swiss Info) Zurich cantonal court has upheld the conviction handed down one year ago to a Muslim preacher who worked at a Winterthur mosque, accused of spreading hate and inciting violence. The Ethiopian faces a suspended sentence and deportation. The Zurich court […]
(Swiss Info) Canton Ticino must make more exceptions to its ban on wearing face-covering headgear in public places, the Federal Court has ruled. This ruling came in response to two appeals against the controversial Ticino ban, which was voted in 2013. In […]
(Swiss Info) Businessman and activist Rachid Nekkaz has said he will pay the fines that burka-wearing Muslims in St Gallen incur for breaking the canton’s recent ban on facial coverings in public. Nekkaz arrived in St Gallen’s capital city of the same name on Wednesday, […]
(Swiss Info) Marriages involving minors must be annulled, according to Swiss law. However, exceptions are permitted if it seems to be in the child’s best interests. This provision must be done away with to combat forced marriages more effectively, says lawyer Anu […]
(Swiss Info) The Federal Court says that an initiative by the conservative right Swiss People’s Party to ban head coverings in schools in the southern canton of Valais is invalid. It confirms the decision taken by the Valais parliament. The People’s Party […]
(Swiss Info) The Swiss Centre for Islam and Society has announced the start of a training programme that will prepare Muslim spiritual leaders to give emergency support in hospitals, at care-homes or after an accident. The need for qualified Muslim chaplains in public institutions has been […]
(Swiss Info) A series of ads that display Bible verses, currently on display on public transport in the city of Biel in canton Bern, is stirring controversy. A local politician has posted questions about the campaign to Facebook, sparking a series of […]
(Swiss Info) A couple who refused to shake hands or answer questions with members of the opposite sex on a naturalisation board in Lausanne have been denied Swiss citizenship. In a statement issued on Friday, the Lausanne city authorities confirmed a recent […]
(Swiss Info) A ban on face-covering clothing in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino has affected masked football supporters the most. Hardly any wearers of burkas or niqabs, the original targets of the ban, have been fined. In 2013, two-thirds of Ticino’s […]
(Swiss Info) The Federation of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland has warned against associating crimes with a certain religion. In an interview with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) on Tuesday, federation spokesperson Pascal Gemperli said that someone’s religious affiliation was not a determining factor […]
(Swiss Info) A Somali woman from canton Neuchâtel has been sentenced to eight months’ prison over the genital mutilation of her two daughters, in the first Swiss case of its kind after a law change. The girls were six and a half […]
(Swiss Info) The government plans to earmark CHF500,000 ($503,000) annually to improve protection of minorities, notably the Jewish and the Muslim communities in Switzerland, from terrorist attacks. The funds are to be used to finance education and awareness, as well as other […]
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