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Anne Applebaum made a unique and plausible argument for the recent Swiss vote in her Dec. 8 op-ed, "In Switzerland, towers of fear." It is possible that Swiss citizens sought to enforce integration and avoid extremism by banning the construction of minarets in the country. If this is the case, and Switzerland is indeed following the example of the French headscarf ban and Danish foreign-marriage restrictions, this will be a catastrophe.
The prohibition of new mosques with minarets marginalizes Muslims in Switzerland. When a person or community begins to experience this marginalization, they may become angry and, in the long term, begin to feel desperate for a means of protest or retaliation. In this way, marginalization leads to radicalization. As is the case with an individual of any creed, radicalization can lead to violent acts and terrorist attacks.
To prevent extremism, the Swiss government should be taking measures to guarantee freedom to diverse minority populations. This would be more effective than combating it through measures aimed at legal marginalization of a particular group. If equality is guaranteed in a positive way, immigrants will want to identify themselves as Swiss rather than seek separation and radicalism.
Carrie Chomuik, Alexandria
The writer is a Middle East research associate for the Regional
Voices Program at the Henry L. Stimson Center.
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