Switzerland didn’t disacknowledge Islam, as social media posts claim

Islam is the world’s most common state religion, but a recent Threads post claims Switzerland doesn’t even recognize it as an official faith. 

"Switzerland banned Hijab and no longer recognizes Islam as an official religion via referendum," the July 16 post said. 

It was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)

In 2023, Switzerland’s parliament voted to ban full face coverings such as burqas, setting a fine of up to 1,000 Swiss francs (about $1,140) for violators. The law followed a 2011 referendum in which Swiss voters approved a proposal to ban face coverings in public. But the referendum didn’t disacknowledge Islam. 

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Switzerland is a predominantly Christian country, according to a page about religion on the Swiss government’s website. Most people belong to either the Roman Catholic Church or the Protestant Reformed Church. Approximately 6% of the population is Muslim. 

"In Switzerland, freedom of religion is one of the fundamental rights enshrined in the federal constitution," the site says.

In 2021, the Swiss government opposed the referendum to ban face coverings, as did a coalition of left-leaning parties that called the proposal Islamophobic, The Associated Press reported then. The measure’s supporters, meanwhile, argued face coverings such as burqas symbolize the repression of women. 

We rate claims Switzerland no longer recognizes Islam False.