Visibility or Invisibility: The Dilemma of the Muslim Associations of Switzerland

Abstract

The Muslim associations of Switzerland are in the throes of a dilemma: should they remain invisible in order to avoid social stigmatization, or become visible in order to speak out and gain fair recognition? This invisibility especially relates to the local level and the impact and interactions that the associations have with their immediate environment. The visibility is characterized by the decision of the 'representative' associations to bring Muslims out of obscurity. It touches on the supra-local level of federal cantonal representation. The analysis in this article will illuminate the two levels of the dilemma, based on observations and interviews conducted with the Muslim religious communities of a large representative region of Switzerland.

Australian Muslims’ Visibility: The Politics of Oppression and Recognition

“…Monnot (2016, p. 51) argues that Muslims' stigmatisation, coupled with the Swiss localised direct democracy system, gives citizens the power to determine or oppose the locale for building a mosque and forces Islamic cultural associations and centres to become invisible. By choosing their premises in remote locations, for example at the cities' margins and in underground garages, these Islamic centres strategically remain discrete and thus paradoxically gain their neighbours' acceptance and respect, mitigating the risk of losing their cultural and religious premises (Monnot 2016). Nevertheless, the strategies of Switzerland Muslims are to remain visible as a federative political body in order to represent Muslims' voices and needs at the political and media levels (Monnot 2016).…”

“…By choosing their premises in remote locations, for example at the cities' margins and in underground garages, these Islamic centres strategically remain discrete and thus paradoxically gain their neighbours' acceptance and respect, mitigating the risk of losing their cultural and religious premises (Monnot 2016). Nevertheless, the strategies of Switzerland Muslims are to remain visible as a federative political body in order to represent Muslims' voices and needs at the political and media levels (Monnot 2016).…”

Within and Beyond the Community: Tensions in Muslim Service Provision in Switzerland

“…This can be understood as a very specific strategy to avoid potential conflicts (cf. Monnot 2016). At the same time, one can also say that the community tries to set an example of what it teaches the children.…”

“…People did not want or do not want the [Muslim] communities to be visible in society and that is why they banned the minarets, then the communities closed themselves off and they are somewhere in industrial areas. And today there are more and more voices saying This statement expresses the ambivalent situation in which Muslim communities and Muslims find themselves: whilst they are not supposed to be too visible to the outside world, they are reproached for withdrawing and expected to open up (see Dellwo and Salzbrunn 2019;Monnot 2016;Gonzalez 2015). These are therefore partially contradictory and conflicting expectations on the part of society.…”