Decisions by the cantonal parliaments of Zurich and Aargau that could pave the way for legal regulations concerning headscarves in schools have prompted objections from representatives of the Muslim community in Switzerland. While the process is not yet complete, the implications of the initiatives for religious freedom and peaceful coexistence are being debated.
Güneş said they viewed these steps as part of the political process leading up to Switzerland’s 2027 general election. Saying that political demands had been accepted in the cantonal parliaments, Güneş noted that the legal process for implementing them had not yet been concluded.
Two years available to prepare the legislation
Güneş said the relevant authorities had two years to prepare specific legal provisions and that it was unlikely these provisions would be opened for consultation before the 2027 general election. Nevertheless, Güneş said the issue of headscarves could be used extensively in political rhetoric targeting Muslims and Islam in the period ahead.
Güneş argued that the debate was not limited to headscarves worn in schools. Referring to the 2009 vote on mosque minarets and the 2021 burqa ban, Güneş said headscarves had also become a political issue through the visible expression of an Islamic lifestyle, and that voters’ concerns about Islam and Muslims could be mobilized through these symbols.
Güneş said slogans such as “We do not want a caliphate,” “We do not want parallel societies,” “We must stop political Islam” and “Integration matters” could come to the fore during election periods. Güneş said such an atmosphere could influence political choices through fear, insecurity and concerns about identity, warning that social polarization and discriminatory attitudes toward Muslims could intensify.
Legal parties to the case expected to be identified
Güneş said some Muslim groups had launched petition campaigns against a headscarf ban, adding that a concrete legal regulation and its provisions would first need to be established for referendums or legal campaigns to be effective. Güneş said it would be more appropriate to launch such campaigns after the legal parties and legal grounds had been clarified.
Güneş said that claiming there was a general headscarf problem in Switzerland would amount to accepting the prevailing political rhetoric without questioning it. Güneş said the decision to wear or not wear a headscarf was a personal choice belonging to each woman’s free will.
Concern that the debate could become an issue of identity
Güneş said they were concerned that the debate over headscarves could evolve into a broader debate about religion and identity, adding that legal regulations should not directly or effectively target a particular religious community. Güneş said the regulations should be based on objective and general criteria and comply with religious freedom, the principle of equality and the prohibition of discrimination.
Suat Şahin, president of the Federation of Turkish Associations in Switzerland, also said they viewed with concern and did not consider appropriate the initiatives to ban headscarves in schools in the cantons of Zurich and Aargau. Şahin argued that there was no concrete problem threatening social order and said the initiative could increase division and marginalization.
Şahin said the spread of the initiative that began in the two cantons to other cantons and other areas of life in the future would pose a risk to a culture of coexistence. He said that forcing someone to wear a headscarf was just as wrong as forcing someone who wanted to wear one for religious reasons to remove it. Şahin said Switzerland should strengthen coexistence on the basis of law, mutual respect and freedoms rather than bans.
FIDS’s area of representation
Güneş said FIDS, founded in 2006, represented 16 Islamic umbrella organizations at the national level. Güneş said approximately 300 mosques, community organizations and associations operated in Switzerland, of which about 240 were affiliated with FIDS.
Güneş said these organizations discussed Muslim identity and visible Islamic life with the prime minister’s office, parliaments, universities, the Swiss Army, spiritual support services, media organizations and institutions combating racism. Güneş said FIDS carried out a representative role in these areas.
