95–100% | |
90–95% | |
50–70% | |
30–35% | |
10–20% | |
5–10% | |
4–5% | |
2–4% | |
1–2% | |
< 1% |
Islam inSwitzerland has mostly arrived viaimmigration since the late second millennium. Numbering below 1% of total population in 1980, the fraction of Muslims in the population of permanent residents in Switzerland has quintupled in thirty years, estimated at just above 5% as of 2013.[2] TheTurks and those from TheBalkans (Bosnia-Herzegovina andAlbania) make up the largest group. There is also a large North African community (most of them are fromTunisia andMorocco) and a significant Middle Eastern community. This is because, in the 1960s and 1970s, Switzerland encouraged young men from Yugoslavia and Turkey to come as guest workers.[3] Initially these young men were only planning on staying in Switzerland temporarily, however, revised Swiss immigration laws in the 1970s permitted family regrouping.[4] Consequently, these men ended up staying in Switzerland as these new laws allowed the wives and children of these young men into the country.[4] Since this time period, most of the Muslim immigration to Switzerland stems from asylum seekers arriving primarily from Eastern Europe.[5] In more recent years, there has been migration fromTurkey, theBalkans (mainlyAlbania,Kosovo andBosnia and Herzegovina),Iraq,Syria,Morocco,Somalia, andTunisia.
The vast majority of Muslims in Switzerland adhere to theSunni Islam branch.[6] Notable Swiss Muslims includeTariq Ramadan,Frithjof Schuon,Titus Burckhardt,Granit Xhaka,Xherdan Shaqiri andIsabelle Eberhardt.
As of 2019, the largest concentration of Muslim population is in theGerman-speakingSwiss plateau. Thecantons with more than 5% Muslim population are:[7]
Geneva is the only non-German-speaking canton where the Muslim population (6.24%) is slightly above the average (5.40%).[7] Another remarkable demographic feature in comparison to other European countries is the relatively equal distribution throughout the country[8] (compareIslam in the United Kingdom). No administrative unit has more than 8.55%[9] of Muslim population, and no town or village more than 16.8%.[10] The lowest percentage of Muslims in a canton is 1.82%[11] (theItalian-speakingTicino).
88.3% of Muslims in Switzerland are of immigrant background, 56.4% fromformer Yugoslavia (mostlyBosniaks, andAlbanians fromKosovo), 20.2% fromTurkey and 6% from Africa (3.4% from North Africa).[12] 10,000 of the 400,000 Muslims are believed to be native Swiss converts.[13]
In the 12th century, Arabic-speaking Muslims from their MediterraneanFraxinet base settled in theValais for a few decades. They occupied theGreat St. Bernard Pass and even managed to reach as far asSt. Gallen to the north andRaetia in the east.[14]
Islam was virtually absent from Switzerland until the 20th century. It appeared with the beginning of significantimmigration to Europe, after World War II. A first mosque was built in Zürich in 1963 by theAhmadiyya Muslim community. Muslim presence during the 1950s and 1960s was mostly due to the presence of international diplomats and rich Saudi tourists inGeneva.[citation needed]
Substantial Muslim immigration began in the 1970s, and accelerated dramatically over the 1980s to 1990s. In 1980, there were 56,600 Muslims in Switzerland (0.9% of total population). This ratio quintupled over the following thirty years, notably due to the immigration fromFormer Yugoslavia during the 1990sYugoslav War. While the Muslim population continues to grow rapidly, the rate of growth has decreased after the early 1990s. The growth rate corresponded to a factor of 2.7 over the 1980s (10% per annum), a factor of 2.0 over the 1990s (7% p.a.), and a factor of about 1.6 over the 2000s (5% p.a.).[15]
Theburka was outlawed in the canton ofTicino after a citizen initiative to hold a referendum. With 65% in favour of a ban and it was ruled that the ban was constitutional, the ban took effect in July 2016. Those who violate the law face a fine of up to CHF 10,000.[16] One of the primary figures behind this burka ban is now attempting to ban Muslims from praying in public.[17]
In September 2018, a ban on face-covering veils was approved with a 67% vote in favour in the canton ofSt Gallen.
In March 2021, apopular initiative for a national ban on face coverings was approved by a narrow majority of 51.2% of voters.[18] Although the text does not explicitly mention Islam, the burqa or the niqab, the media and campaigners on both sides dubbed it the 'anti-burqa law', and the public was well aware that it targeted Muslims in particular.[19] The ban, which comes into force on 1 January 2025, contains numerous exemptions: it doesn't apply on aeroplanes, diplomatic premises or places of worship. In addition, face coverings remain allowed for reasons relating to health, safety, weather conditions, local customs, artistic performances or advertising.[20]
Swiss Muslim organizations begin to form in the 1980s. An umbrella organization (GIOS,Gemeinschaft islamischer Organisationen der Schweiz) was formed in Zürich in 1989.Numerous organizations were formed during the 1990s to 2000s, including
It is estimated that there are 260 mosques and prayer rooms with connected services in Switzerland.[3] In comparison to the European average, Switzerland has the second lowest number of mosques per Muslim inhabitant, with about one mosque to every 4000 Muslims in Switzerland.[4]
There are two Swiss mosques which predate 1980 and the rapid increase of immigration of Muslims from the Balkans, Turkey and the Middle East over the following decades. Today, there are numerous mosques and prayer rooms across the country, predominantly in the urban parts of theSwiss plateau.[22]
In 2007 theBern city council rejected plans to build one of the largest Islamic cultural centers in Europe.[23]
Four Swiss mosques haveminarets, there is a mosque in Zurich, a mosque inGeneva, a mosque inWinterthur, a mosque inWangen bei Olten. The latter was erected in 2009 following several years of political and legal disputes. In the wake of the Wangenminaret controversy, apopular initiative was passed with 57.5% of the popular vote in November 2009, introducing a ban on the construction of new minarets. The four existing minarets are not affected by the ban.[24][25]Although theSwiss People's Party won the poll, the campaign was rocked[citation needed] by the conversion to Islam ofDaniel Streich, a council member from the party. Streich left the SPP in opposition to their campaign against new minarets. The referendum also prompted concerns from other countries, with the perception that the Swiss electorate was increasingly shifting towards the right.
In a 2018 survey conducted by Switzerland's Federal Statistics Office, 29% of Swiss respondents said they mistrusted Islam and 11% said they mistrusted Islamic followers.[26] Comparatively, in 2016, 14% of Swiss respondents said that they mistrusted Islamic followers.[26]
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