Voters who supported a people’s initiative to ban minarets last November wanted to make a symbolic gesture against the spread of Islam in Switzerland.
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A survey of voters carried out by Swiss universities found, however, that the majority in favour of a ban was not equivalent to overall rejection of Muslims in Switzerland.
On November 29, 57.5% of votes cast were in favour of the people’s initiative, much to general surprise. Switzerland is the first European country to forbid the construction of minarets.
According to the Vox Analysis survey of more than 1,000 voters, released on Monday, the initiative was marked by a strong political Left-Right divide – the Left rejected the ban by more than 80 per cent, and the Right was in favour by almost as much. The political midway held the balance, voting two to one for the ban.
The most common reason for voting in favour of the initiative was to make a gesture against the spread of Islam and its model for society. Around one in six voters said their decision was a reaction against the discrimination of Christian churches in countries where Islam is strong.
Only 15 per cent were critical of Muslims living in Switzerland, leading the study’s authors to conclude that the vote could not be seen as a general rejection of Muslims in the country. Almost two thirds of those polled said that Swiss and Islamic ways of life were compatible.
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Minaret ban approved by 57 per cent of voters
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According to final results, 57.5 per cent of voters and a majority of cantons backed the initiative. Turnout was high, at around 53 per cent. The result comes as a major surprise and a slap in the face of the government. Opinion polls ahead of the vote had predicted the ban would be rejected by…
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In French-speaking Switzerland Freysinger became the voice of the yes side. He recently defended the minaret ban, accepted by 57.5 per cent of voters on November 29, in a debate on the Arab television channel al-Jazeera. Freysinger rejects outright the argument that the yes vote stemmed from fear and ignorance and he deplores the fact…
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Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf met six representatives of Islamic organisations in Bern on Monday, to discuss the situation of Muslims in the light of the anti-minaret vote passed by the Swiss public on November 29. It was the third such meeting since the anti-minaret initiative was launched, but the first since it was passed. Follow-up…
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A burka-clad woman, rocket-like minarets shooting from a Swiss flag: A poster by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party ahead of a nationwide vote on whether to ban the construction of new minarets in Switzerland has been banned as racist by the city of Basel. Swiss go to the polls on November 29 to decide on…
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Most people swissinfo.ch spoke to in the streets of Bern on November 29 said they had voted in favour of a ban on the building of minarets. Only two supporters of the initiative agreed to be taped. (Julie Hunt, swissinfo.ch 29.11.2009)
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