Israel Matzav: Guess who's boycotting Switzerland

Guess who's boycotting Switzerland

This is rich. The Kingdom of Darkness, which confiscates bibles, crucifixes and Stars of David from tourists, is boycotting Switzerland over its ban on new minarets.

A number of religious figures in Saudi Arabia called to boycott Switzerland and withdraw all Muslim deposits from bank accounts in the country in protest against the Swiss referendum that banned building new minarets.

The UAE-based newspaper al-Bayan reported that religious moderator Khaled al-Shamrani called for afar-reaching boycott on all good and products originating in Switzerland. He also called upon Muslims to avoid traveling to the country. Religious figure Ahmed al-Hassan called wealthy Muslims to withdraw their deposits from Swiss banks.

Phyllis Chesler points out that Arab Muslim countries don't allow churches or synagogues to be built at all (and in most cases do not allow Jews to become citizens), which make the Saudis hypocritical to put it mildly. She says that it's time to demand reciprocity.

The Islamic world does not allow new synagogues or churches to be built. Either at all — or without great difficulty. (Yes, certain Muslim countries may now “restore” synagogues as museums. There are no or very few Jews left and the synagogues are not fully functioning places of worship.) Further: Muslim fundamentalists currently persecute, torture, and murder those Christians who dare remain in the Middle East, and they kidnap, forcibly convert, and “marry” their very young daughters.

It is time to demand — or at least to expect — reciprocity. Otherwise, we are really being racist in having one (higher) standard for Westerners and another (much lower) standard for the barbarians.

Granted: The West is not as barbaric and intolerant as the Islamic world; we do not willingly wish to become intolerant. Yet, tolerating the intolerant is unwise, or as the Jewish sages tell us: Being kind to the cruel results in cruelty to the kind.

Thus, if there can be no churches or synagogues built in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc. — then why should the Swiss or the Europeans allow new, blockbuster size mosques, and sound-splitting loudspeakers emanating from minarets?

Why indeed?

By the way, Saudi Arabia is not the only Muslim country that confiscates religious artifacts from tourists: So does 'secular' Jordan.

Israel Matzav: Guess who's boycotting Switzerland