Democracy vs. Preferred Way of Life
M. Orhan Tarhan
June 05, 2009
This is a fictitious story that happened in the year 2050, that has great relevance to events of 2009.
In the year2019 United States and NATO forces had finally totally defeated the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The hard corps Taliban that was still alive was thrown out of that region. No one wanted to have them. For months they were taken in ships through the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean ports. Finally the good-hearted folks of Switzerland agreed to take them. They came with their Bourka-clad women. They were told that they will have to live by the Swiss law. Soon they built their mosques. They refused to send their sons to Swiss schools, out of fear that they would be converted. Their daughters were kept home anyway. The boys were put to madrassas. Thus, they got reorganized to stay as ignorant as before.
When they came, they were a pretty big number. Considering the low birthrate of the Swiss and the extremely high birth rate of the Taliban, by 2050 the Taliban began to exceed the original Swiss population. In the last 30 years all the Taliban became Swiss citizens. The Swiss run their democracy by plebiscite in which all citizens take part. The Taliban had not changed in 30 years. Some had learned a broken German. During that time they had been forced to live by the Swiss law. Now they wanted to live by the Islamic law, the Sharia, and they had the voting power to enforce it. When I say "They" one must understand that only the men-folks talked. The women were scared to death to open their mouths.
Of course, the Swiss population was greatly alarmed. They certainly did not want to change their modern European way of life. Also , if the Taliban wins in the plebiscite, they may want to take the government, according to Swiss Law. Who wanted to live under a Taliban state? The Swiss had a dilemma: If they followed democracy, they would have to accept the Sharia, because the Taliban had the vote.
But they did not at all want to live by the Islamic law of the 7th century. That desire indirectly was un-democratic. The Europe that envelopes Switzerland was strongly criticizing the "Un-democratic Swiss movement", so did the U.S. press and media. Of course it was not their own skin.
The concerned Swiss began to talk in their homes and clubs increasingly intensely in search for a solution. The Swiss have a citizen´s army ready at all times. That army never accepted any Taliban, because none of them applied. The Taliban was not interested in Switzerland. The Swiss people and their army were almost the same thing. Thus the Army was automatically involved in the current discussions of national character. The Army finally found a solution. They decided that the most important thing for the Swiss population is to preserve their modern European Way of Life. For that, they would delay the next plebiscite by one year, If this is undemocratic, so be it ! During that one year, the Swiss Government will put each Taliban before a vital choice:
Either you decide to get integrated with the Swiss People or you leave this country. Integrating means sending your sons and your daughters to Swiss Schools. No one will convert them. You should learn one of the Swiss languages. You should open the face of your women and give up the idea of living by the Sharia.
Quite a few Taliban refused to integrate. This time, the European pro-democracy proponents, who were advising the Swiss to abide by the result of the next plebiscite, did not want to accept any of the expulsed Taliban. After the non-integrators had departed, the plebiscite was run without trouble. The women got rid of their bourka and opened their face. The girls went for the first time to a school , some to co-educational ones. The women and the girls became very thankful to the Swiss..
End of the Story *****************
Here is a question for the Readers: If you were a Swiss in 2050, what would you decide? Would you abide by democracy or not?
In the year2019 United States and NATO forces had finally totally defeated the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The hard corps Taliban that was still alive was thrown out of that region. No one wanted to have them. For months they were taken in ships through the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean ports. Finally the good-hearted folks of Switzerland agreed to take them. They came with their Bourka-clad women. They were told that they will have to live by the Swiss law. Soon they built their mosques. They refused to send their sons to Swiss schools, out of fear that they would be converted. Their daughters were kept home anyway. The boys were put to madrassas. Thus, they got reorganized to stay as ignorant as before.
When they came, they were a pretty big number. Considering the low birthrate of the Swiss and the extremely high birth rate of the Taliban, by 2050 the Taliban began to exceed the original Swiss population. In the last 30 years all the Taliban became Swiss citizens. The Swiss run their democracy by plebiscite in which all citizens take part. The Taliban had not changed in 30 years. Some had learned a broken German. During that time they had been forced to live by the Swiss law. Now they wanted to live by the Islamic law, the Sharia, and they had the voting power to enforce it. When I say "They" one must understand that only the men-folks talked. The women were scared to death to open their mouths.
Of course, the Swiss population was greatly alarmed. They certainly did not want to change their modern European way of life. Also , if the Taliban wins in the plebiscite, they may want to take the government, according to Swiss Law. Who wanted to live under a Taliban state? The Swiss had a dilemma: If they followed democracy, they would have to accept the Sharia, because the Taliban had the vote.
But they did not at all want to live by the Islamic law of the 7th century. That desire indirectly was un-democratic. The Europe that envelopes Switzerland was strongly criticizing the "Un-democratic Swiss movement", so did the U.S. press and media. Of course it was not their own skin.
The concerned Swiss began to talk in their homes and clubs increasingly intensely in search for a solution. The Swiss have a citizen´s army ready at all times. That army never accepted any Taliban, because none of them applied. The Taliban was not interested in Switzerland. The Swiss people and their army were almost the same thing. Thus the Army was automatically involved in the current discussions of national character. The Army finally found a solution. They decided that the most important thing for the Swiss population is to preserve their modern European Way of Life. For that, they would delay the next plebiscite by one year, If this is undemocratic, so be it ! During that one year, the Swiss Government will put each Taliban before a vital choice:
Either you decide to get integrated with the Swiss People or you leave this country. Integrating means sending your sons and your daughters to Swiss Schools. No one will convert them. You should learn one of the Swiss languages. You should open the face of your women and give up the idea of living by the Sharia.
Quite a few Taliban refused to integrate. This time, the European pro-democracy proponents, who were advising the Swiss to abide by the result of the next plebiscite, did not want to accept any of the expulsed Taliban. After the non-integrators had departed, the plebiscite was run without trouble. The women got rid of their bourka and opened their face. The girls went for the first time to a school , some to co-educational ones. The women and the girls became very thankful to the Swiss..
End of the Story *****************
Here is a question for the Readers: If you were a Swiss in 2050, what would you decide? Would you abide by democracy or not?
Print
Email
