Banning Minarets

In this interesting article by the New York Times, we find out that the people of Switzerland have strongly supported legislation that would ban the building of Minarets, a type of Islamic spire traditionally used to call Muslims to prayer.

I think that firstly, the New York Times did a decent job of telling the story, including the reactions of moderate Muslims who feel offended and rejected by the Swiss. I think that this is an appropriate response, and I think that the banning of Minarets is an attack against civil rights.

I would like to point out, however, that Muslims tend to have a double-standard about what civil rights really are. They clearly see injustice when it is committed to them, such as the banning of minarets. But what about the injustice of killing a man for making a movie critical of Islam? Or the world-wide outrage against the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of the prophet Muhammad? What about their civil rights?

I don't think it's right to ban someone from building a religious structure. In America, that would be considered unconstitutional, and rightfully so. But I do think that if Muslims want their civil rights to be respected, then they need to respect the civil rights of others.