Professors at the University of Zurich are contemplating how the Islamic family law could be integrated in Switzerland. It would not be necessary to go to the Civil marriage registrar, instead polygamy could come.
Swiss Universities are working on a concept to integrate the Islamic family law into the Swiss Civil law. The Swiss family right should be scrutinized in view of the cultural and religious plurality society, Zurich law professor Andrea Buechler tells NZZ on Sunday.
Under her supervision a PHD thesis is under preparation on this subject at the University of Zurich. Doctoral student Patrick Brozzo suggests that under certain conditions even polygamy should be permitted. Also the marriage ceremony at the Civil registrar office should be voluntary. “Who gets married by the Imam or the Rabbi has the advantage that their marriage will have full acceptance in their cultural circle”, says Brozzo.
Rene Pahud de Mortanges, Professor of religious law at the University of Freiburg, raises the question, whether besides the western concept of marriage and family also other, for example Islamic family laws, should find its way into the Swiss law.
Categories: Europe, Family values, Islam, Law and Religion, Switzerland
Comments in the Swiss paper that published this articles were mixed. Some Swiss men thought it would be unfair if polygamy would only be permitted for Muslims and advocated that it should be permitted for all. Others warned that polygamy would mean that we would have several mothers-in-law. Still others were horrified by the thought that non-Christian laws should arrive in Switzerland (comments to this letter stated that all that Europe had achieved positively was only since they had separated the state from the religion). Well, from a PHD thesis to law is still a far way to go.