The top United Nations human rights official has heavily criticised Switzerland's ban on the construction of minarets, arguing it is "clearly discriminatory".
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Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement that Sunday’s vote – 57.5 per cent of voters were in favour – was the product of “anti-foreigner scaremongering”.
Voters adopted the ban and surprised many by defying the government and parliament, which had rejected the rightwing initiative as violating the Swiss constitution, freedom of religion and the country’s tradition of tolerance.
Pillay added that the ban was “deeply divisive and a thoroughly unfortunate step for Switzerland to take” and risked putting the country on a collision course with its international human rights obligations.
In a related development, Turkey, which wants to become the first Muslim member of the European Union, said the Swiss ban on minarets violated basic human rights and freedoms.
Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that the Swiss vote had caused disappointment and was unfortunate.
It called on Switzerland to correct the decision, adding that more than 100,000 Turks living in the country were worried.
Europe’s main human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, has also criticised the ban, indicating that the vote could be overturned.
Supporters of the ban say the number of Muslims in Switzerland has grown sharply from 50,000 in 1980 to over 300,000, but it is still only about four per cent of the 7.5 million population.
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Rightwing rejects parallel Muslim society
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High on the agenda are tighter legal measures against forced marriages and genital mutilation of women, as well as a ban on wearing the burka in public and special dispensation from swimming lessons for Muslim pupils. “Voters gave a strong signal to stop the claim to power by political Islam in Switzerland at the expense…
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UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Asma Jahangir, criticised the “clear discrimination towards the members of the Swiss Muslim community”, in a statement on Monday. “I have serious concerns about the negative consequences of the outcome of this vote on the freedom of religion or belief of members of the Swiss Muslim…
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“The irrational fear of Islam has struck once again in Europe,” said the French Libération newspaper in an editorial headed “Absurd”. “The ban on minarets has cast a sudden pall on the image of a country which is used to the peaceful coexistence of religions,” it commented. Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung says the Swiss People’s…
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With banners saying “This is not my Switzerland” some Swiss took to the street to protest against a ban on minarets approved at the polls. Members of the Muslim community expressed their disappointment and incomprehension. (SF-TSR/swissinfo.ch 30.11.2009)
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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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