Photo Credit: Sandra Dominika Sutter/SEK
Original article published in Swiss Council of Religions on 09/13/2015
According to data from the Swiss Census of 2013, Muslims make up 5% of the population in Switzerland compared to Christians who make up 71%. In an interview with Swissinfo.ch, the newly elected president of the Swiss Council of Religions underscores the importance of Christian-Muslim relations in today’s world. Gottfried Locher argues that it is necessary to examine the history of Christian-Muslim relations, and to make sure that the mistake of the past are not repeated saying that “The Muslims of Switzerland make up an important part of our population. We must under no circumstances “forget” how to live together.”
He added that his priority is not to create consensus between religion, but to promote peace. “Our task is to create a healthy atmosphere for discussion among the representatives of the religions, so as to enable honest and sincere exchanges on the issues under debate.”
