East Eats West

Women will initiate the reformation of Islam

Picture: The liberal party's debate about the integration of Muslim in Switzerland (unfortunately is Prof. Dr. Tibi hidden behind Doris Fiala).

The immigration of Muslims into Switzerland has recently triggered a fierce public debate about Islam. As there are currently about 300’000 Muslims in Switzerland and 20mio. in Europe (and raising), the issues is becoming more important. The Swiss liberal party (FDP) therefore hosted in Zurich a public debate. The main speaker was the reputable scholar on Islam, Prof. Dr. Basssam Tibi, who is the author of the book “Im Schatten von Allahs”. Here is what he said:

Prof. Dr. Tibi said that as a Muslim he can only accept a Muslim authority. Even though he had lived in Germany for many years and became a German citizen, he never felt being German. So for him being Muslim is still more important than being German. Therefore he longs for a European Islam that for example gives women equal rights, accepts European laws and values the most treasured European possession: freedom. Europe is an island of freedom for him, an island that is built on constitutions and the law and that a European Islam has to accept those constitutions. But he feels that Muslims are not yet integrated in Europe, not like in the USA where even an Imam proudly declares himself an American first and foremost. And not being integrated means for Prof. Dr. Tibi being integrated into the economy, being unemployed. The result is that the real battleground of Islamism is not Iraq, not Afghanistan but Europe. And that the future of Islam will be decided in Europe, not Arabia! He concluded that Islam will be reformed and changed by women and that he can already see this happening around the world.

The perfect spot for a hot chocolate on a Saturday morning

Nothing beats a cup of hot chocolate on a Saturday morning at the Grieder Bar and Café high above Paradeplatz in Zurich. Loooove it!

Restaurant Kreis 6

    If you look for a charming restaurant with a small but pleasant garden in a posh neighbourhood, I can recommend the Restaurant Kreis 6 on Scheuchzerstrasse 65 (4 362 80 06). The charming building with its dome-roof offers a pleasant cuisine served by efficient staff.

Museum of Modern Art, Basle

Picture: Inside the Museum of Modern Art, Basle.

The northern Swiss town of Basle has for long been a centre for art collectors and bold architecture. Therefore it comes to no surprise that it hosts several art museums and reputable galleries that are worth a visit. I recently visited the Museum of Modern Art and was impressed by the small but organically transformed building right next to the Rhine River.

Forget about recipes for success in business!

Lots of management books and MBA business cases give the false impression that there is always a simple recipe for success in business. Well, rather late even management consultants have woken up to the fact that it all boils down to good marketing. This is at least what the reputable consultancy McKinsey realized when they studied companies as Cisco or ABB and found no permanent secret for success in business. This success stories that lend a “halo effect” to CEOs and companies are based on incomplete information and therefore misleading. According to McKinsey there is only one truth: there is no recipe for lasting success and performance, as there is none in real life! Sorry for bursting your cosy little management bubble. 

Read more in this enlightening article by McKinsey: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1928&L2=21&L3=37&srid=17&gp=0

Outstanding pictures and all sorts of questions

For simply outstanding pictures, visit: www.designklicks.spiegel.de

Do you have a question, any question? Drop it at: www.droppingknowledge.org

The gate of Hades opened up again!

Picture: The annual Chienbäseumzug in Liestal: Let's light the fire!

We Swiss are very safety-conscious bunch and our proud of our safe and high-quality country where no one has to fear anything. But at the same time the gates of Hades can be find right in our lovely country, in Liestal. Last Sunday I went to the ancient town of Liestal for their annual traditional carnival I was surprised to see that they set fire to their city and transform this sleepy old town into an inferno of Dante’s proportion! At exactly 7.15pm the procession of wooden brooms on fire (“Chienbäse”) starts with hundreds of men carrying those burning, smoking and crackling torches of pure fire down the central alley of Liestal. The procession passes first through the ancient clock-tower (partially made out of wood). And this is when the gates of Hades opened as the massive iron-chariots stacked with burning logs were pulled through the ancient archway of the clock-tower: the biggest chariot’s flames shot as high as the roof the surrounding buildings sending out waves of heat, smoke and bright colours! The chariots were then pulled at leisurely pace (by the fire-department) down the central alley lined with spectators. And if you are unlucky the chariot stops in front of you sending everyone for cover with the flames shooting out a few metres on each side! The heat from the chariots was so intense I felt my face was on fire and I had problems breathing underneath the oxygen-less smoke! Boy, was that fun! Check out the pictures here: http://easteatswest.typepad.com/photos/chienbseumzug_liesta/chienbseumzug_chienbse.html

Picture: Chariot of fire.

Picture: Men carrying burning logs in the shape of a broom called "Chienbäse".

"We believe in every prophet"

Picture: The oldest Mosque in Switzerland can be found in Zurich. Picture courtesy of Ahmiddaya.

Religion can have a lot to do with culture and aesthetics. Just think about the Peter’s Dome in Rome or the Taj Mahal. On my trip through Asia I visited besides beautiful temples absolutely magnificent mosques like the totally stunning Fatehpur Sikri near Agra, India. So when I got an invitation to the first built mosque in Switzerland (built in 1963) near my apartment I took the chance and I learnt a lot about Islam in one evening.

The interesting thing about Islam is that Muslims have to believe in all prophets, not only Mohammed, but also Jesus, Abraham and Buddha. I also was surprised to hear that Allah warned in the Qur’an explicitly from people mis-using his words and he said that a "reformer" will come and save all Muslims (a Muslim being a person who submits himself to God). The person giving the lecture (the president of the mosque) also stressed that words and sentences from the Qur’an mustn’t be taken out of the context: one has to read the whole Qur’an and use his brain to make sense out of it; a clear statement against fundamentalism. He also mentioned that the Qur’an forbids using bad words about other religions and that no one should be forced to believe in the words of God.

Unfortunately not all Muslims are as liberal as the Ahmadiyyas and Islam is still lacking a reformation as Christianity had. Liberal Muslims as the Ahmadiyyas still face persecution and death threats in many Muslim countries. I hope Christians will learn more about the different shades of Islam: Islam does not equal Islamism and Mosques do not mean a threat to Christians!

Their website is: www.ahmadiyya.ch

I might pay more rent because of the Germans

Recently a Swiss tabloid asked if Germans steal our jobs. As the Swiss economy is humming and growing many companies hire highly-skilled German workers to fill the gap. This led to the result that Germans are the biggest foreigner population in Zurich and German can be heard everywhere and as they are wealthy they frequent the same restaurants, bars and clubs as Swiss do. As Switzerland is very politically correct nowadays Germans are the only foreigners we are allowed to loathe in public without being labelled a racist (and brought before court for that). So are Germans bad? From a purely economical point of view the economy could not do without them. And from my point of view the only tangible side-effect is that Germans drove up rents in the fashionable neighbourhood I am living in (someone claimed that rent in my neighbourhood are 20% higher than elsewhere). Someone must have told them that my neighbourhood is “trendy”. Well, as long the Russians do not learn about it!