Excerpt:
The leader of the Jewish community in the Swiss canton of Geneva warned of "dangers" he said would come from legislation that limits the role of religion in public space.
Philippe Grumbach, the president of the Jewish Community of Geneva, spoke about the legislation, whose drafts call for a strict separation between religion and state, in an interview that the Le Matin daily published Sunday. Initiated last year amid resistance to the effects of Muslim immigration, the bill on separation between religion and state is awaiting approval by the cantonal parliament's human rights commission.
In addition to saying that the proposed legislation is unnecessary, Grumbach added that he was particularly "concerned" about a clause in the draft bill that allows the parliament to ban the wearing of religious symbols in case of "severe disturbances" to public order.