BBC News - Switzerland votes on Muslim minaret ban
Switzerland votes on Muslim minaret ban
By Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Berne, Switzerland
There are only four minarets in Switzerland
Swiss voters are going to the polls to decide on a proposal to ban the building of minarets in their country.
The proposal is backed by the Swiss People's Party, the largest party in parliament, and by Christian groups.
They say minarets would be the first sign of the Islamisation of Switzerland.
The Swiss government is urging voters to reject a ban. There are 400,000 Muslims in Switzerland, and just four minarets across the country.
Islam is the most widespread religion after Christianity, but it remains relatively hidden.
There are unofficial Muslim prayer rooms, and planning for new minarets is almost always refused.
The proposal is for a one-line addition to the Swiss constitution, stating that the construction of minarets is forbidden.
Supporters of a ban claim allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and a legal system - Sharia law - which are incompatible with Swiss democracy.
"I have a real problem with Islam, with the Islamic law, with the political and legal aspect of this religion" said Oskar Freysinger, a Swiss member of parliament.
Opinion polls ahead of the vote are close, with signs that a small majority would reject the ban.
That would be a relief to the Swiss government which fears banning minarets would cause unrest among the Muslim community, and damage Switzerland's relations with Islamic countries.
Amnesty International has warned that the ban would violate Switzerland's obligations to freedom of religious expression.
Swiss Muslim Elham Manea points to the recent construction of Sikh temples and Serbian Orthodox churches and says a ban just on minarets is discriminatory.
"If you are telling me that we are going to ban all religious symbols from all religious buildings, I would not have a problem with that.
"But if you are just telling me that we are going to target only the Muslims, not the Christians, not the Jews, not the Sikhs, only the Muslims, then I have a problem with it because it is discrimination."
Muslim respect
Most of Switzerland's Muslims come from former Yugoslavia, and there is no history of Islamic extremism, but supporters of a ban say minarets are far more than religious architecture.
They claim allowing them would be a sign that Islamic law is accepted in Switzerland.
Member of parliament Oskar Freysinger rejects the charge of discrimination.
"The Muslims as normal human beings are worth my respect - it is not a problem.
"I have a real problem with Islam, with the Islamic law, with the political and legal aspect of this religion."
In recent years many countries in Europe have been debating their relationship with Islam, and how best to integrate their Muslim populations.
France focused on the headscarf; in Germany there was controversy over plans to build one of Europe's largest mosques in Cologne.
Switzerland votes on Muslim minaret ban
By Imogen Foulkes
BBC News, Berne, Switzerland
There are only four minarets in Switzerland
Swiss voters are going to the polls to decide on a proposal to ban the building of minarets in their country.
The proposal is backed by the Swiss People's Party, the largest party in parliament, and by Christian groups.
They say minarets would be the first sign of the Islamisation of Switzerland.
The Swiss government is urging voters to reject a ban. There are 400,000 Muslims in Switzerland, and just four minarets across the country.
Islam is the most widespread religion after Christianity, but it remains relatively hidden.
There are unofficial Muslim prayer rooms, and planning for new minarets is almost always refused.
The proposal is for a one-line addition to the Swiss constitution, stating that the construction of minarets is forbidden.
Supporters of a ban claim allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and a legal system - Sharia law - which are incompatible with Swiss democracy.
"I have a real problem with Islam, with the Islamic law, with the political and legal aspect of this religion" said Oskar Freysinger, a Swiss member of parliament.
Opinion polls ahead of the vote are close, with signs that a small majority would reject the ban.
That would be a relief to the Swiss government which fears banning minarets would cause unrest among the Muslim community, and damage Switzerland's relations with Islamic countries.
Amnesty International has warned that the ban would violate Switzerland's obligations to freedom of religious expression.
Swiss Muslim Elham Manea points to the recent construction of Sikh temples and Serbian Orthodox churches and says a ban just on minarets is discriminatory.
"If you are telling me that we are going to ban all religious symbols from all religious buildings, I would not have a problem with that.
"But if you are just telling me that we are going to target only the Muslims, not the Christians, not the Jews, not the Sikhs, only the Muslims, then I have a problem with it because it is discrimination."
Muslim respect
Most of Switzerland's Muslims come from former Yugoslavia, and there is no history of Islamic extremism, but supporters of a ban say minarets are far more than religious architecture.
They claim allowing them would be a sign that Islamic law is accepted in Switzerland.
Member of parliament Oskar Freysinger rejects the charge of discrimination.
"The Muslims as normal human beings are worth my respect - it is not a problem.
"I have a real problem with Islam, with the Islamic law, with the political and legal aspect of this religion."
In recent years many countries in Europe have been debating their relationship with Islam, and how best to integrate their Muslim populations.
France focused on the headscarf; in Germany there was controversy over plans to build one of Europe's largest mosques in Cologne.
