Hat tip to Atlas Shrugs
Atlas Shrugs has a fascinating article up showing the results of recent polls in Europe asking people if they approve of the Swiss Minaret ban or if their own country should ban minarets. The link below shows the polls, which I have translated. Atlas Shrugs has the sources quoted.
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/12/around-the-world-.html
Le Monde (Fr)
To organize a referendum on the construction of minarets, similar to that done in Switzerland where it was rejected by 57% of the population is according to you..
a sign of democracy-61.5%
or a sign of irresponsibility-33.2%
no opinion-5.3%
number of voters-15,763
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L'Express (Fr)
If there were a referendum to prevent new minarets in France, I would vote..
yes-86%
no-11%
No response-2%
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Le Figaro (fr)
Should construction of new minarets in France be banned?
Yes-76.98%
No-23.02%
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M6& MSN (Fr)
Question of the Day:
Are you shocked by the ban on minarets in Switzerland?
Yes- 25%
No-67%
No opinion- 8%
45,021 responses
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BFMTV.com (Fr)
Could the debate on minarets be raised in France?
Yes-75%
No-25%
3317 votes
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20 Minutes-Spain
How do you view it that Switzerland is prohibiting the construction of mosque minarets?
Good-Islamization must be stopped-92%
Bad- It is a blow to integration of immigrants-8%
9,464 votes
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Le Blog de Bourdin & Co
Would you vote for the ban of minarets?
Yes-83%
No-17%
945 votes
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Der Spiegel (Ge)
After the decision of the Swiss, should minarets also be forbidden in Germany?
Yes-76.30%
No-21.41%
Don't know-2.3%
29,164 votes
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Euro News
Are you in agreement with the Swiss decision to ban mosque minarets?
Yes-70%
No-29%
Don't know-1%
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Le Soir (Be)
The Swiss have decided on the banning of minarets. In Belgium, does the question merit being posed?
Yes-63.2%
No-34%
No opinion- 2.8%
3428 votes
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Welt Online
Do you think that the Swiss vote was sensible?
Yes-87%- I am uncomfortable with the minarets
No- 12% Freedom of religion would be crippled because of it (the vote).
4664 votes
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Die Presse (Au)
Should religious building construction be subject to a vote in Austria?
yes-either minaret or mosque-43%
yes-but only minarets-11%
no- Each religion should have its place-46%
7197 votes
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El Mundo (Sp)
Are you in favor of prohibiting mosque minarets as has been acted upon in Switzerland?
Yes- 79%
No- 21%
25,298 votes
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Leggo (It)
No more minarets as in Switzerland: Do you agree?
Yes- 84.4%
No-13.6%
Don't know-2.0%
DN Globo (Po)
Switzerland did well in prohibiting construction of minarets.
yes- 68%
no-32%
1694 votes
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Elsevier (Ne)
Switzerland on Sunday voted for a ban on minarets-a good idea?
Minarets should also be forbidden in The Netherlands-84%
Then the Swiss should also ban construction of church towers- 8%
As long as they are not too tall- 8%
2107 votes
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De Verdieping Trouw (Ne)
Should there be a referendum in The Netherlands over a ban on minarets? Are you for or against?
for-63%
Against-37%
2140 votes
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Comment: These polls are devastating and must serve as a wake up call both to Europe's Muslim communities and Europe's national leaders. It indicates that Europe's leaders are very much out of step with their people on this issue-not just the minarets, but the whole Muslim immigrant issue. It also sends a message to Muslims that the European people are fed up with the radicalism, crime and
arrogant behavior coming from a segment of Europe's Muslim community that preaches the destruction of the host country culture in favor of Islamization and Shariah. This is an issue that the decent immigrants who are contributing to their adopted countries and trying to get along with their neighbors must address within their communities. What is needed here is an agreement between the responsible Muslim community and the governments that the troublemakers, radicals, criminals and all-around bad apples have to go-for the sake of everybody.
If that doesn't happen, many experts are predicting the inevitable rise of far-right radical groups that will only add to the combustible mix.
These polls are anything but insignificant.
What I want to know is how this ties into her theory that Obama is Malcolm X's secret love child ("her" being the loon queen Pamela Geller). I know there's a connection in there somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThis may come as a shock to you, but right-wing Europeans probably read trashy right-wing news publications and respond to their polls in greater numbers than most others.
ReplyDeleteThis seems like as good a place as any to continue our discussion from your previous minaret post...
ReplyDeleteGary, do you personally believe the Swiss are in the right to ban minarets? If yes, why exactly?
This has nothing to do with hateful, dangerous speech in mosques. As I've already correctly pointed out, that sort of activity can occur regardless of whether or not a mosque has a minaret. So radical rhetoric is not a logical or just cause for banning the minaret, and banning minarets will have absolutely zero bearing on what is taught in mosques.
This has nothing to do with building height or architectural style. If it did, the Swiss could easily pass ordinances limiting building heights across the board (including, but not limited to, minarets) or requiring all structures (including, but not limited to, minarets) to blend with the overall architectural style of the surrounding area.
This has nothing to do with disruptive, early-morning noise. If it did, the Swiss could easily pass noise level ordinances that were effective across the board, stating that noise above a certain level is not allowed between certain hours (including, but not limited to, Islamic calls to prayer).
Unfortunately, this is naked, brazen religious discrimination.
Again I ask, do you or do you not support the Swiss ban on Minarets, and if so, on what basis exactly?
I already thoroughly ripped your main justifications to shreds, exposing them for the illogical nonsense that they are. From where I'm standing right now, it seems as if you support the ban simply because you are a small, scared old man, afraid of the Mooslems. Please, prove me wrong.
I am with you on this one.
ReplyDeleteBryan,
ReplyDeletePls send me the documentation on the Malcolm X bit, OK?
Second point, you have single-handedly destroyed the multiple polls conducted in half a dozen European countries. Congratulations. (LOL)
I took it from a previous exchange we had recently that you have never been to Europe let alone lived there. But hey! Who needs life experience when we have learned academic experts with their stats and formulas to teach us how things really are?
Do the Swiss have the right to ban minarets? If that is their desire and it conforms with their legal system (by vote) Yes, I do. I suggest you go over there and tell them they don't have the right. Why? Because it's against the US Constitution, that's why! Saudi Arabia also has the right to ban any other religion but Islam as long as their people allow them to do that. I have the right not to go to Saudi, which I won't. And please stop explaining to me how minarets have nothing to do with whether radical speech is being preached inside. I get it.
Let's be honest. The reason the Swiss have voted this way is because they view radical Islam as being in their own back yard and they are alarmed. And that is why the other Europeans (the people) sympathize with them. Do you think they also fear Buddhist temples?
And I am not a scared little old man who is afraid of the Muslims. Here is why I will prove you wrong. First of all, the ones who are scared are the politically-correct crowd who are shaking in their boots that they will be perceived as Islamophobic. Maybe you think folks like Wafa Sultan and Nonie Darwish are scared little old ladies who are afraid of Muslims. (They live under death threats actually.)
The MSU at UCI, however much they may dislike me, don't think I am afraid. When Malik Ali and others come to UCI, I don't hide under my desk-like some people I could mention.
As for old and little, I am 64 years old, 5'10, 185 pounds and feel great. There. I proved you wrong.
So basically what you're admitting to me is that you believe our own constitution is flawed and that the freedom of religious practice that it guarantees is not a basic human right that ought to be universal?
ReplyDeleteYou heard it here first, folks: Gary Fouse does not believe in the ideals enshrined in the U.S. Constitution!
But that wasn't really the question. I didn't ask if the Swiss "have the right" to ban minarets. I asked if you personally agree with their decision to do so. If such a vote were held here in the U.S., would you vote yes on the ban?
"Let's be honest. The reason the Swiss have voted this way is because they view radical Islam as being in their own back yard and they are alarmed. And that is why the other Europeans (the people) sympathize with them."
Okay, so how EXACTLY will banning minarets change this one way or the other? What EXACTLY do minarets have to with radical Islam any more than church spires and bell towers have to do with radical Christianity? These aren't rhetorical questions. Answer them.
Bryan,
ReplyDeleteWe are not talking about the US Constitution. The Swiss do not live under the US Constitution. If you go to Switzerland, you live under their laws not ours.
Or did you not know that?
So your boffo conclusion that I don't believe in the US Constitution is silly.
If such a vote were held here in the US-as part of a local election- I might or might not vote to ban a particular minaret if I thought it would be a nuisance to my community-like Dawn wakeup calls. I would not vote to ban mosques.
You are still trying to beat that point to death about how minarets are connected to radicalism. For the second or third time, I am not making that connection. Have you considered that maybe the Swiss cannot ban mosques themselves but minarets they can? I assume that is the difference in their law.
May not be rhetorical questions, but they sure like them.
Bryan,
ReplyDeleteBefore you send any more "smoking guns", you might pause to read them first: This is what you sent me:
UPDATE: The "Atlas says that Barack Obama is Malcolm X's love child" charge has gone viral among leftards and lizards. The only problem with it is that it is false. I am not the author of this post, and I posted it because the writer did a spectacular job documenting Obama's many connections with the Far Left. The Malcolm X claim is one minor part of this story, and was of interest to me principally as part of the writer's documentation that "Stanley Ann Dunham could not have been where the Obama camp says she was at various times. I do not believe that Barack Obama is Malcolm X's love child, and never did -- but there remain many, many unanswered questions about his early life and upbringing." (Pam Geller-Atlas Shrugs)
So Pam Geller never claimed that Obama was Malcolm X's love child.
As for the birth controversy, I have never made that claim, so don't tag me with it.
Gary, when I said that you were a little man, I didn't mean literally, in the physical sense. I meant on the inside.
ReplyDeleteI am done with this blog and I am done with you. It is becoming increasingly apparent to me that you are nothing but a fascist, harboring the same sort of disgusting prejudices that the Nazis you seem so obsessed with did.
No matter how much you want to deny it or cloak yourself in distracting tangents, you care nothing for personal freedoms and rights in the universal sense.
You are an Islamophobe, a homophobe (figure I'd remind you of that one), and just a plain old bigot. You may not be anti-semitic, but you constantly only use the Jewish people and their suffering as rhetorical pawns to make the same tired old points. It's patronizing, demeaning, and disgusting.
Goodbye.
Thank you, Ted. I must admit it was getting a bit old.
ReplyDeleteexcuse me Bryan n Gary.. i am a muslim living in the UK, and i cant find any connection of how the banning of minarets will be helpful in any way.. the only thing that it causes is hatred between religions which will lead to anger and will lead exactly with what you are trying to prevent by banning minarets "and then they will say, thats why we banned them!" its like the racism of black and white has started all over again except its all about religion now. so what if i am a Muslim, if i am not hurting u why do you care put limitations on me? i am just like you.. i believe in Christians and we have alot of Christians back home "jordan", infact most of my friends are christians and we do not go putting limitations on each other.. what is happening is only provoking anger that will cause what you fear.. and it will not happen cause we are muslims. it will happen cause we are humans and all humans want to be treated the same.
ReplyDeletePS sry for my language but i aint that good in english.. working on that.
well Gary,
ReplyDeletei really think that it is the same in every religion, you will find people who are willing to change the nature of the things going on.
in every religion there are people who try to advocate revolutionary changes.
well i am a muslim from jordan but i have lived in saudi arabia " cant say i loved it", Egypt, kuwait and dubai.
in all the countries i have lived in, you can choose your religion and no one will care what your religion is, its the personality that counts. the only country that requires you to be a muslim is Saudi arabia.. and that itself ain't right, cause our religion believes that there exist other religions. and even at the times of our profit they had Christians and Jewish people living with them in the same country.
the problem in the world is that the good are always silent and the bad are always spotted. and thats in all religions, but the problem is that when u apply a rule that hurts the good and the bad.. even if the bad are a minority.
i donno maybe cause jordan is really an open society i cant understand where the problem with minarets lie exactly, we do have churches that are bigger than mosques... i had a church in my school.. i was taught by "frere's" and we loved them.. religion is about the manors no matter what you are.. ragarding the minarets am sorry i really cant understand what it has to do with radicalism and why the poster shows them as bullets.. and even why in France women cant wear a veil.. its freedom of choice.. if they found a gun under a veil then well ok its ok to ban it.. cause then that women with the gun woulda disgraced the manors of Islam and we would have no rights protesting against it cause you have a reason of banning it.
am sorry again for the english but am trying my best to get the idea in a right way :) and thanks for your answer
Moe,
ReplyDeleteIf I understand you correctly, you have a tolerant attitude toward other religions and that is good-especially since you are in a non-Muslim country.
But you still didn't say anything about the radical and intolerant Muslims in the uk who openly preach that Islam will take over the country and shariah will rule. It is because of people like that that Europeans have a negative view of Islam. Who is going to fix that problem? I say it has to be people like you. The same situation exists in other European countries like Holland. If you don't know who Theo van Gogh and Pim Fortuyn were (they are dead) you should know. They were Dutchmen murdered in their own countries because they criticized Islam.
There is an old saying in America. When you go to someone else's country, you are an ambassador. They are thousands of Muslims in Europe who are not being very good ambassadors because they have no respect for the culture and values of their adopted country.
My advice to you with all due respect to you as an individual is that Muslims in Europe need to clean house. Get rid of the radicals, Jihadists and haters in your midst-then you can live in the west in harmony and mutual respect.
Thank you, Moe.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if our leaders woke up to the fact that they have allowed so many "undesireables" from the Arab world to come into western civilzation.
I have travelled and lived in various parts of the world. The only Muslim countries I have visited were Turkey (twice) and Egypt, both of which I enjoyed.
I hope that more people like you will speak out against those who are discrediting Islam. America is not at war against Islam. We must, however, especially since 9-11 protect ourselves from terrorists.
thank you for the Post Gary and for your tolerance :) Cheers
ReplyDelete