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mosques in Switzerland, only four haveminarets, and only two currently haveplans to build them. The ban representsmore than the prejudices of the Swisspeople. It represents a growing trend ofanti-Muslim sentiments in Europe, theincreasing tensions between the Muslimworld and the West, and one of the biggestdrawbacks of a Democratic society:the possibility of a tyrannical majority.The ban has experienced backlashall around the world as Europeanleaders, including those in Switzerland,have been quick to denounce the ban.It has also caused anger in the Muslimcommunity and from religious leaders. Astatement released by the Vatican calledthe ban “a heavy blow to religious freedomand integration.” Yet the surprisingrealism of the situation is that Switzerlandonly represents the surface of theunderlying problem of religious tensionsnow being faced in Europe. In France, aban on certain traditional Islamic veilsis being considered to curb the effect ofsome of the more fundamentalist sects ofIslam. Europe, a continent often praisedfor its equality and ability to overcomedifferences appears to be reverting to thebigoted values that led to World War IIand the Holocaust.Yet to fully understand the ramificationsof this ban, which appears to beracial and religious prejudice at its worst,we must look at the circumstances thatmade it possible. Switzerland has a MuslimPopulation of around 400,000 anda total population of 7.5 million. ContinuedMuslim immigration to Europesparked by war in the Middle East haslead the Swiss people to become fearfulthat their identity was being lost ina flood of Islamic beliefs. The extremeSwiss People’s Party took advantage of theSwiss Constitution’s loose laws regardingamendments and proposed a one-sentenceamendment to the Constitution toban the further construction of minarets.In order to amend the Constitution,a majority of both popular votes andthe twenty-six cantons in Switzerlandis needed. When the ban was proposed,world leaders quickly looked to Swissleaders to strike down the amendmenton one of two grounds. The Swiss Constitutionguarantees religious freedom, andin addition, the International Declarationof Human Rights drafted in and signedby Switzerland states religious freedomis a fundamental human right. However,Swiss leaders allowed the referendum totake place, citing that the failure of thisamendment would be a testament to thetraditional tolerance and understandingof the Swiss people.Despite this, in a surprise result,57.5% of voters and twenty-two of twenty-sixcantons voted for the ban. Now,the Swiss Parliament will have to draftthe amendment to the Constitution, aprocess that often takes over a year. Theconsequences of this ban will not onlybe felt in Switzerland, Europe, and theMuslim community, but in the UnitedStates as well. The ban serves as a sad reminderthat democracy, the most prizedAmerican value, can often be just as evilas dictatorship, tyranny, and the oppressionthat we so often seek to eliminate.Switzerland’s pure democracy has provenAmerica’s founding fathers’ biggest fear:The ban serves a sad reminderthat democracy, the mostprized American value, canoften by just as evil as thedictatorship, monarchy, andoppression that we so oftenseek to eliminate.the persecution of a oppressed majority atthe hands of the tyrannical majority. OurConstitution and method of governmentis apparently safe from the policies of intolerancecurrently being implementedin Switzerland. Ours is a representativegovernment, not a direct democracy, inwhich the wishes of a more moderateand reasonable body of representativesand elected officials makes decisions governingthe nation. And while voters pickthese representatives, the diversity of theAmerican people and the safeguards setin place help prevent obvious narrowmindednessand discrimination. Ourfounding fathers’ fear that a tyrannicalmajority was no better than a tyrant ledthem to develop our intricate system ofgovernment that has worked so well toprotect America from travesties such asInternationalthe minaret ban in Switzerland.America is not completely freefrom the burden caused by the hypocrisyof preaching democracy. Proposition 8 inCalifornia and similar measures in severalstates around the nation have sent aresounding message of intolerance to thegay community. While legislation againstgay marriage may not seem as discriminatoryas the minaret ban in Switzerland,it is, in reality, quite similar. Proposition8 struck down the right of gay couplesto marry and directly opposed the notionthat marriage is a human right, asstated by Article Sixteen of the InternationalDeclaration of Human Rights. Thefact that Proposition 8 was struck downexpresses a clear cultural bias (often instilledby religion) evident in the unlawfuland immoral persecution of a particulargroup of people, in this case the LGBTcommunity in California and acrossAmerica. Americans, regardless of theirreligious views, should strongly opposemeasures to strip the gay community ofits rights, lest our country sink to Switzerland’slevel of discrimination.Even if the recent vote in Switzerland,which happened miles away, isnot a reminder of the dangers of democracy,than the current situation involvinggay marriage should be. The majority isnot always right. Some form of democracyis a necessary part of a free state, butthe tyrannical majority is a severe sideeffect. The floodgates of democracy haveopened, releasing a torrent of inequality.Those who doubt the effectiveness andfairness of the Electoral College and arein favor of a system where a popular votedominates need look no farther for affirmationof the system. Those who areambivalent toward the effectiveness ofour Congress need only look across theAtlantic Ocean. While Congress maybe petty, partisan, and corrupt at times,it protects us from the radicalism andbigotry that has recently engulfed Switzerlandand threatens to harm America.HMRJanuary 2010 HM Review 11