www.izrs.ch

(qi) The prominent islamic studies scholar Reinhard Schulze from Bern talked today in the DRS radio program "The Talk of the Day" about the subject "burqa ban". When asked whether he had ever seen a woman in a burqa, he enumerated devoutly to European countries where he has never ever seen a burqa-wearer striding across the road - Switzerland was of course one of them. In fact, it is assumed that in the whole Helvetic Republic there lives not a single burqa wearer. If so, then you come to meet the Arabic version of the face veil, the niqab, which, besides few exceptions, mainly tourists and parts of the embassy staff from the Arabian Gulf are wearing.

Schulze called the current debate for this reason an "argument about nothing." Rather, European societies were seeking their identity in the negative differentiation from Islam. It is obviously difficult for the Europeans to define their identity positively.

Asked about the issue, who bears the blame for the currently overheated debate, Schulze said, especially the media, which were only on scandals and shortened reports beyond recognition. Islam was by this only perceived as a "scandal" in public: Minarets, Central Council and now the burqa.

Because this "argument for nothing" will ultimately not lead to the formation of an opinion on Islam in public, according to Schulze, the debate on the headscarf issue after the possible implementation of a face veil ban is likely to play a role again: "May women in public space profess a belief over the headscarf?"

Listen to the radio program on SRDRS here.