Switzerland has voted, in a national referendum, to ban the construction of minarets by a majority of 57%.
The Swiss have a democratic system. Where a petition requesting a referendum is lodged with 100,000 signatures or more, it has to be acted upon by the government. This petition was organised by the Swiss Peoples' Party.
The government opposed the ban saying it would harm Switzerland's image, particularly in the Muslim world. In a statement, the government said it accepted the decision.
Presently there are 4 minarets in Switzerland but planning applications for new minarets are almost always refused.
Amnesty International said the vote violated freedom of religion and would probably be overturned by the Swiss supreme court or the European Court of Human Rights.
Wouldn't it have been much more sensible to have sorted this out at the planning stage?
Why did they decide to ban the minarets as it seems to play right into the hands of the extremist clerics? Wouldn't it have been far better to agree with Swiss muslims that their minarets will not be taller than any other religious building in Switzerland? Wouldn't it have been far better to explain to the muslim community that Switzerland is not a dhimmi state and no religious building reigns supreme and come to some consensus from there?
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