After a dinner with Muslims, Swiss Federal Councillor Beat Jans sparked a debate with a quote. He cited the former German President Christian Wulff, saying, “Love Muslim women and men, the Islam as a religion and you as people belong to Switzerland.”
The reactions did not take long to come in and they were largely negative. Jans emphasized that both the Islam as a religion and Muslims as people belong to Switzerland, while some readers praised him, the majority of responses were critical.
Especially from conservative circles, opposition emerged. SVP National Councillor Nina Fehr Düsel strongly disagreed, stating, “No, Islam does not belong to Switzerland.” FDP politician Përparim Avdili criticized the statement as “unfortunate” as Switzerland is a state with a separation of religion and politics. In his opinion, Muslims belong to society, not the Islam as a religion.
The Federal Department of Justice and Police (EJPD) defended Jans, saying that his statement was meant to show solidarity with the approximately 450,000 Muslim women and men in Switzerland.
Jans’ post on X has rekindled an old debate not only in Switzerland but also with a glance at Germany. In 2006, Wolfgang Schäuble said the Islam belongs to Germany, but it was only when Christian Wulff repeated the statement in 2010 that a storm of outrage broke out. Wulff then clarified that the Islam can only be part of Germany if its adherents accept the country’s fundamental values. Those who reject these values must be prepared to face resistance.
Jans aimed to set a sign of openness, but it backfired. Instead of applause, criticism prevailed, with conservative politicians accusing him of downplaying the political and religious dimensions of Islam. The debate once again shows how polarized the question of whether Islam belongs to Switzerland is.