Fribourg Islam centre won’t come to a vote

People in canton Fribourg will not be voting on whether the university should have a Centre for Islam and Society. The cantonal parliament threw out the Swiss People’s Party-backed initiative to close it. Parliament on Friday voted with a big majority to uphold the view of the cantonal government, namely that the initiative was unconstitutional. But the fight may not be over; the backers of the initiative may still be able to take the decision to the federal court. The Swiss Centre for Islam and Society (SCIS) is attached to the theology faculty at the university and is to offer imams training in Swiss politics, law and history. It opened in January 2015 and is currently in a development phase. The initiative, from the conservative right People’s Party - which was also behind the recent failed attempt at the national ballot box to enforce a hardline proposal to deport foreign criminals – was launched last summer and had gained 9,000 signatures. A ...