World reaction to Swiss ban on the construction of minarets Special

The ban on the construction of minarets in Switzerland has been widely commented in the world. Most of the reaction is negative, indicating that the ban is contrary with the Swiss constitution as well as with international human rights law.

According to the Swiss officials, quoted by the Independent, the decision undermined the country's secular image and could be struck down in a court. As expected, Muslim communities and religious leaders around the world strongly criticize referendum results. Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “ban on minarets violates basic human rights and freedoms” and Egypt's Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa described the ban as “an insult to the feelings of the Muslim community in Switzerland and elsewhere”. There is even a much harsher reaction among Muslim communities, describing the ban as "extreme Islamophobia" or “a manifestation of religious hatred", Al Jazeera reports. BBC reports that not only Muslims, but the most of the world's religious leaders, including Vatican officials, criticized referendum results. Secular leaders all over the world are against the ban too. They point out that the decision may lead to a long, never-ending dispute between Muslims and the rest of the world and cause a sharp new conflict. The UN expert says that the Swiss minaret ban discriminates against Muslims. The ban is described as “a vote for intolerance” (The New York Times), which in effect blamed Muslims for "all of Western society's ills" (French Socialist Party spokesman Benoit Hamon for the Los Angeles Times). But the far-right parties across the Europe strongly support the new Swiss legislation. Some of them have begun campaigns to introduce similar law in other countries, which is unlikely to carry out, the Reuters reports. Looking at the decision of the referendum, it can be concluded that Switzerland is strongly anti-Islamic country. That's the wrong conclusion, as Polish journalist and Swiss citizen, Barbara Romer explained to me. Those who participated in the referendum are either enthusiastic proponents or enthusiastic opponents of the ban. Most Swiss are, according to her, moderate opponents of the new legislation, but they didn't participate in the referendum. According to Barbara Romer, most of the Swiss believes that the idea of the referendum was unnecessary, because the issue of the construction of minarets in the country (as we know there is currently four of them in Switzerland) is not so big problem that is necessary to introduce a new constitutional provision. This problem in general should not be elevated to the confederal voting status. As the provision in the constitution is clearly contrary to international conventions, it could lead to the withdrawal of the seats of international institutions from Switzerland. Barbara is convinced that such the referendum results are mainly caused by a campaign before the referendum, in which the main role was played by images rather than logical reasoning. The popular pro-ban poster was showing a Swiss flag covered in missile-like minarets and a black-veiled figure with ‘menacing eyes’, other one the Lucerne water tower collapsing and being replaced by a minaret surfacing from the harbour in front of it. “The results of the referendum will turn against us”, Barbara said. “In Switzerland there is really a great freedom of religious practice, and at this moment because of the referendum, we are perceived as anti-Islamic, and as a persecutor of religious minorities.”