The Swiss proposal to ban facial coverings, dubbed the "burqa ban," which was approved on Sunday, raised concern and criticism among Muslim and Jewish communities across Europe.
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There has been an increase in the parliamentary and legal discussion against the religious traditions of these two minority groups. Proposals and legislations target kosher slaughter, circumcision, building mosques, sounding calls to pray, placing menorahs in public spaces, and more.
Only a few weeks ago, the European Court of Justice ruled that national authorities can order mandatory stunning for animals before butchering, effectively banning kosher slaughter.
Such proposals are usually interpreted as bolstering the far-Right in Europe, but they are often supported by left-wing organizations as well, which believe that children's rights in case of circumcision, woman's rights in case of head coverings, and animals' rights in case of religious slaughter, precede the principle of freedom of religion.
Legislations that limit religious freedom are often cited in the context of racism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia. However, not everyone who supports such bans is a racist, anti-Semite, or Islamophobe.
There is a big difference between religious practices observed at home as opposed to public spaces.
No legislation bans circumcision performed in proper medical conditions and enclosed places, but laws do limit mass prayers in the street, sounding calls for prayer, and – yes – even wearing facial coverings in public.
Renowned Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn advocated being "men on the street and Jews at home," meaning that one should not impose one's Judaism on one's surroundings. This should be the Muslim approach in Europe as well.
The relatively recent mass Muslim immigration to Europe is cause for concern for many Europeans who see the growing number of religious communities as a threat to the continent's character.
They do not want to end up with public pools where men and women cannot swim together or in workplaces where a colleague cannot be recognized at all. Anyone who immigrates to Europe needs to adapt to the new environment – not vice versa.
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