Swiss evangelical leaders file suit to overturn religious symbol ban in Geneva
Three evangelical leaders in Switerland have filed a lawsuit challenging a recent constitutional amendment that bans lawmakers in the Canton of Geneva from wearing visible religious symbols.
The lawsuit was brought by the Swiss Evangelical Alliance and announced on July 20, according to the Tribune de Geneve newspaper.
https://www.tdg.ch/symboles-religieux-des-chretiens-font-recours-contre-le-vote-202230557550
The ban effectively covers all religious symbols such as veils, kippahs, or crosses without targeting any particular religion.
According to RTS, the official Swiss broadcaster before July 20 most of the reactions had come from supporters of veiled women, since the Swiss People's Party deputy behind the ban had specifically targeted Muslim symbols.
Geneva's cantonal parliament, the Grand Council, narrowly passed the constitutional amendment on Nov. 21, before Geneva citizens officially approved the religious symbol ban with a 51.4 percent majority in a public referendum on June 14.
Switzerland is a federal state composed of 26 cantons, each with its own constitution, parliament, government, and courts.
The new restriction applies to members of Geneva's cantonal parliament, known as the Grand Council, as well as municipal councils.
Yet, Michael Mutzner, director of the Christian Public Affairs Association and a local church president, filed the lawsuit alongside Markus Hofer and Joseph Kabongo.
Hofer represents the World Evangelical Alliance at the United Nations as an accredited representative, while Kabongo is a theologian and retired pastor with the Evangelical Party.
Mutzner argued that Christians must defend religious freedom for all faith communities, not just their own.
"Religious freedom is either for all, or, ultimately, for no one," said Mutzner quoted by the Christian Daily.
"When the rights of one religious community are restricted, the freedoms of all communities become more fragile. It's a slippery slope. For Christians, this is a matter of loving our neighbor and wanting for others the same freedom we want for ourselves."
He said that such rights are also in Christians' interests he said.
"History shows that once fundamental freedoms are weakened for one group, they rarely stop there," he said. "Defending the rights of others today helps safeguard the freedoms of everyone tomorrow," said Mutzner.
According to Mutzner, local measures in Geneva intended to limit Muslim street prayers had already impacted Christian churches.
For example, some evangelical churches can no longer hold baptisms in Lake Geneva because authorities reserve the necessary permits exclusively for state-approved religious communities.
Mutzner cited the biblical passage 1 Timothy 2, which urges believers to pray for authorities so that citizens can live peaceful lives.
He urged fellow evangelicals to pray for politicians, court wisdom and a society that values freedom, justice and mutual respect.
The Swiss Evangelical Alliance opposed the ban in its statement, asserting that the amendment curtails fundamental rights.
The group noted that while it supports a secular state that guarantees neutrality and religious peace, secularism should not suppress religious beliefs in democratic spaces.
The alliance said that unlike civil servants who directly embody the state, parliamentarians represent the diversity of their voters.
Forcing elected officials to conceal their religious beliefs severely limits religious freedom and raises serious questions regarding the Swiss Federal Constitution.