Switzerland, minarets and Europe Everyone is free to think whatever he wants on the promotion and the outcome of the referendum held last November on the question of minarets in Switzerland, but faced with the proclamations of a hypothetical war santa that Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi recently launched against the government in Bern, which is right across the face square around Europe to Switzerland as they have strong roots to stress - in our continent - and the secular state that freedom of the individual voters to express themselves freely even on certain matters of a religious nature. Besides the ban on building minarets does not affect the freedom of worship of Muslims living in Switzerland. Examine what is happening between Libya and Switzerland or, rather, between the clan of the dictator Qaddafi and the Swiss Confederation, is also important to understand what scenarios is likely to occur in the future in those Western countries that might be considered appropriate to revise the laws governing Relations between State and religious denominations. Of these topics we talk to the columnist John Formicola , for years engaged in Campania to give lectures and cultural events on relations between Islam and Christianity .
Mr. Formicola, in principle, can be challenging to Switzerland to have a referendum on building or absence of minarets ?
All orders that require institutions of direct democracy or popular consultation, what is the referendum, also exclude certain matters relating to the possibility of using them. So if the referendum is held on the subject allowed, it is not contestable. But beyond the positive law - that is, according to the written law and regulations - the mere reference to which its application does not meet certain, it is also clear that, in principle, according to the good political philosophy and the doctrine Church's social entrust to the changing play of popular majorities (as well as members) questions that point to the first principles and under the same conditions of social life is not advisable, if not avoid. Well, certainly not decided by a majority good or bad, true or false, right or wrong, the right to life or its negation. But if it is a matter to be donated to the view of what concerns people, landscape architecture, furniture, the profile - with all the value, as well as aesthetic, symbolic and educational levels of these elements - the city it inhabits, I wonder So when and on what can and should be consulted. In conclusion, it is not only legitimate in principle, but it is only right to ask the people, to its majority, which prefers to face his urban environment.
Invoking the outcome of the referendum, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi proclaimed the "holy war" against the Swiss Confederation. You as a reaction - in the face of this decision by the Libyan dictator - who in Europe is expected to support the value of the secular state ?
Beyond the slightly surreal tone of the statement - but should not be underestimated: the spread jihadism is a reality, and anyone could take seriously a hypothesis is not so remote - it detects the lack of reaction in Europe, both the institutional, that the "social". Perhaps you would prefer not to take too seriously the Libyan dictator, but no one came to this great garments ingerenza dal sapore "religioso" nella politica, che fra l’altro gode nella fattispecie di una forte legittimazione popolare, di uno Stato sovrano. E questa la dice lunga sulla duplicità di pesi e di misure corrente in Europa. Cosa sarebbe accaduto se il Vaticano o una qualsiasi autorità ecclesiastica, pur senza proclami di guerra, avesse anche solo criticato l'esito di un referendum e/o una scelta sovrana della Svizzera?
Sotto il profilo politico e religioso, in che misura si può descrivere - a suo avviso - la gravità o meno di questa "guerra" voluta da Gheddafi ?
Lo stesso nome "guerra" dovrebbe inquietare. Associarlo poi alla "santità", in riferimento a episodi come quello in esame, appare ancora più sconcertante, per utilizzare un eufemismo. La gravità è già del fatto in sé. Se poi qualcuno raccoglie l'incitamento, allora quella che poteva sembrare una farsa da teatro dell'assurdo assumerebbe i caratteri della tragedia epocale.
Avv. Formicola, ci può esporre più approfonditamente la sua opinione sull'uso della cosiddetta "guerra santa "?
Cosa diversa, e certamente legittima per quanto tragica, è la guerra "giusta" – e solo in tal senso potrebbe essere detta anche "santa", nel senso cioè in cui giusto e santo sono sinonimi nella Scrittura –, come tutt'ora insegna il Catechismo della Chiesa Cattolica ai nn. 2307-2317, in particolare paragraph 2309. The editor of Christianity and founder of Catholic Alliance, John Cantoni, remember that in addition to the force of law, there is sometimes the duty of the force, what would the Samaritan have done if it was not after the past, but during the attack? Moreover, the venerable Pope John Paul II, suspicion of warlike tendencies, with clear terms and with great authority (and authority) that was typical, he reaffirmed the traditional teaching that "
There are cases in which the fight Army is an inevitable reality in tragic circumstances in which they can not escape even the Christians "(Homily on the occasion of the celebration of Vespers in Europe Heldenplaz, Vienna September 10, 1983, ed
).
you think should play what role the Italian government in the crisis between Switzerland and Libya ?
What can I say? If the policy has a hidden, the "arcane empires" reach their climax in international relations. Of course, one might say that an intervention would be only right to try to bring reason to the Libyan government. As trite and obvious, this is the only answer I can give her.
In essence, what is happening between Libyan and Swiss, strengthens or weakens, according to her - the motivations of those who promoted and voted for the referendum so as to reject the possibility to build minarets ?
On the one hand, it should strengthen them in their ultimate foundation. Second, it is no small risk that there is a psychological effect of "fear" such as to lead to a sort of repentance for past and future to a philosophy inspired by the idea that agree "to wake the dog asleep "(similar to that followed at the time against the Soviet socialist empire, and how that failure: the dog or asleep, or slept, and is not at all awakened by those who seek to tame or at least confront it).
In Italy there are some mosques and a large number of Islamic cultural centers. If our country was called a referendum to limit the construction of new mosques and minarets, she - in the light of what is happening between Switzerland and Libya - as would turn to exercise its right to vote ?
must distinguish between the mosques and minarets. They both have something different and more than a mere place of worship, but certainly also have this goal. Therefore, to allow the construction of a mosque, or be dedicated to this use of existing buildings - all with appropriate caution and not without some attention to the principle of reciprocity -, meet the requirements of religious freedom, when this not to violate or endanger the principles and basic principles of social order (none, for example, could claim the right, in the name of religious freedom, to practice human sacrifice). The other, the minarets, are incidental, not essential to religion, mosques, and are a genuine symbol of establishment of a religion that differs little or nothing between the size and socio-political cult. Could therefore be perceived by the believer who makes a distinction between dar-al Islam (the land subject) and dar-al harb (land of war), represent a sort of "post", the kind that are used to demarcate the boundaries, and thus amount to a taking of possession, regardless of any reference to positive law. Moreover, just as the bell towers, and with them every urban environment "teach" (They both John Paul II recalled that recently, Benedict XVI, ed
), even the minarets are pedagogy of stone. Nothing is indifferent, no context can be neutral and reduced to a blank sheet of paper to write every day a new social history: in a society in profound crisis of identity - which is the condition, psychiatrically relevant, the forgetful -, the minarets are a factor of aggravation of the crisis and a way to fill the void that it causes. There is no doubt as to preserve and rebuild the remaining time that was destroyed in our Western and Christian civilization, among many other things to do, I would vote as the majority of Switzerland. [
by Carlo Silvano ]
