’More Muslims Should Denounce Fundamentalism’

SWISSINFO.CH: Imam of Bern Mustafa Memeti has been at war with religious fundamentalism for years.

Recently elected ‘Swiss of the year’ by the readers of the Sunday newspaper SonntagsZeitung for his “fight for the cohabitation” of communities, Memeti advocates a liberal Islam that adopts western values without concession.

“I’m afraid that the climate of suspicion and fear will again become more generalised in the times to come,” says Memeti, who hails from Serbia, almost a week after the attacks by Islamic fundamentalists in Paris.

At the forefront of Memeti’s plans is training Muslim preachers in Switzerland and exercising state control over the mosques as a means of fighting radicalisation. In a voice torn with emotion, he espouses with conviction his proposals for Islam in Switzerland. » | Samuel Jaberg | Monday, January 26, 2015

Switzerland Orders Community Service for Returned Islamic State Jihadist

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Convert to Islam, who spent two weeks in training camp in Syria before changing his mind, has been spared jail with 600 hours of community service

Switzerland has ordered a returned recruit of the Islamic State group to do 600 hours of community service and will not send him to prison, in the country's first sentencing of a foreign jihadist fighter. Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber's ruling went into effect this week, he told public broadcaster RTS late Wednesday.

The 30-year-old recent convert to Islam, from the western Swiss canton of Vaud, had travelled to Syria late last year to join an IS training camp.

The man, whose name was not given, told the broadcaster he had been indoctrinated over the Internet.

"I was new to Islam... The videos I saw and the discussions I had online made me feel like I had to go there," he said. » | AP | Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Provocation: Five Years after the Minaret Ban: The Muslims of Switzerland Rise Up against Islamophobia

Switzerland: Multicultural Paradise?
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: In March, the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service announced that a growing number of jihadists are being recruited in Switzerland. The number of robberies and assaults on Swiss trains has skyrocketed to such an extent that the Swiss government recently opted to equip transport police with firearms, and at least 1,400 women in Switzerland have been victims of forced marriages.

A controversial new report by the Swiss government claims that Muslim immigrants are so well integrated into Swiss society that no further federal policies or programs are needed to promote Muslim integration or to counter Islamic extremism.

Published by the Swiss Federal Council [Bundesrat] on May 8, the 102-page study -- known by the short title, "The Situation of Muslims in Switzerland" -- so completely downplays the countless problems associated with Muslim immigration in Switzerland that the report has been ridiculed as being worthy of a "case study in political correctness."

The report was first commissioned by proponents of multiculturalism within the Swiss Cabinet shortly after Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum in November 2009 to ban the construction of minarets, the tower-like structures on mosques that are often used to call Muslims to prayer.

The surprise outcome of the referendum, which passed with a clear majority of 57.5% of the voters, represented a turning point in the debate about Muslim immigration in Switzerland.

Among other matters, the referendum exposed the growing gap between Swiss multiculturalists and ordinary Swiss voters on the issue of Muslim immigration. The Swiss Federal Council had campaigned hard against the ban, arguing it would "endanger peace between religions" and "hinder integration." After the ban was approved, the government launched a multi-pronged effort to "educate" the Swiss populace through taxpayer-funded pro-Islam research.

The latest report estimates the Muslim population of Switzerland to be between 350,000 and 400,000, or around 5% of the total population of 8 million. The vast majority of Muslims in the country originate from the Balkans, Turkey and North Africa, and roughly one-third are Swiss citizens. Many of them are second- and third-generation immigrants firmly establishing themselves in Switzerland. » | Soeren Kern | Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Swiss Member of Parliament, Oskar Freysinger on Islam

WIKI: Oskar Freysinger »

Burka Ban Proposal Thrown Out by Parliament

SWISSINFO.CH: The House of Representatives has voted against banning burkas worn by Muslim women from public spaces in Switzerland, sounding the death knell for an initiative put forward by the canton of Aargau several years ago.

Following a March Senate vote with the same result, the house decided by 93 votes to 87 that the initiative would not go through.

Speaking for the majority, centre-right Radical Party parliamentarian Hugues Hiltpold said banning the burka would be excessive and would encourage tourists from Muslim countries to have negative opinions of the country.

“Today in Switzerland, wearing this type of clothing for religious reasons doesn’t pose any problems in daily life and is a rare practice in the Swiss Muslim community,” Hiltpold added.

“Banning the niqab or the burka in Switzerland would have adverse consequences for Swiss Muslims.” » | swissinfo.ch and agencies | Friday, September 28, 2012

MUSLIMS IN SWITZERLAND: The Muslim community in Switzerland accounts for about 4.5 per cent of the population.

Most Muslim immigrants came from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. The community includes up to 100 nationalities.

The number of Muslims doubled between the censuses of 1990 and 2000, largely boosted by an influx of refugees and asylum seekers, including from the war in the former Yugoslavia.

There are about 200 mosques and prayer houses in Switzerland, but only four have a minaret. On November 29, 2009, 57 per cent of voters supported a people’s initiative to ban the construction of new minarets in Switzerland. This was in the wake of heated debates and legal battles at a local level about requests by mosques to build more minarets. [Source: swissinfo.ch]

Islamic Jihadists Using Switzerland as Base
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Swiss analysts say the initiative of "Ummah Schweiz" is an effort to establish "parallel" legislative body in Switzerland that will be a mouthpiece for the Islamic fundamentalists, who are seeking to impose Sharia law on the country. With representatives in all 26 cantons, the group will be fully functional in 2013.

Radical Muslim groups are using Switzerland as a base from which to promote Islamic jihad in Europe and beyond.

Islamists in Switzerland are providing jihadists with logistical support, and also stepping up their use of Internet websites there to spread Islamic propaganda as well as to incite their supporters to commit acts of terrorism and violence.

Swiss authorities have identified at least 10 trips by Islamists from Switzerland to jihadi training camps overseas just during the past 12 months.

One finding of Swiss Federal Police Annual Report for 2011 (in German), published in Bern on June 21, is that although Switzerland was not a direct target of Islamic terrorism in 2011, the Swiss Federal Police Office, also known Fedpol, did investigate a Swiss convert to Islam who used the Internet to discuss a terrorist attack involving explosives against an American installation in Germany. Although the report does not provide further details about the investigation, it states that the suspect's being Swiss proved that "not only people with immigrant backgrounds could be supporters of jihad."

In response to the rising threat from radical Islam, Fedpol, recently launched a new specialist IT research department to intensify efforts to monitor jihadist websites and their operators. Fedpol also strengthened its cooperation with the Swiss Federal Intelligence Services. In a related move, the Swiss Federal Justice Ministry on June 30 announced that Switzerland has refused to take back a Jordanian refugee who, after he was found to have links to Islamist rebels in Somalia, had been given asylum.

The refugee, 19-year-old Magd Najjar, had been caught in May and charged in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 6 for links to Islamist Al-Shabaab rebels affiliated with al-Qaeda, and who openly state that they want to impose Islamic Sharia law in Somalia.

"Clear evidence shows that he visited regions of Somalia where jihadist groups are involved in conflict (against the government). It also appears that he had contact with Islamist elements in Switzerland," the Justice Ministry said in a statement.

Swiss law states that refugees can lose their asylum status if they threaten or compromise national or international security.

Separately, leading Islamic groups in Switzerland say they want to establish a single national representative body that will enable all of the country's Muslims to "speak with one voice."

The organizers say their new "parliament" will be called "Umma Schweiz" [The Islamic Nation in Switzerland"] and be based on the principles of Islamic Sharia law. The headquarters of the organization will be located in Basel with "representatives" in all 26 cantons (or "states") of Switzerland. The first "test vote" of Umma Schweiz will be held in the fall of 2012; the group will be fully functional in 2013. » | Soeren Kern | Monday, July 09, 2012

Radical Muslims Plan Biggest Swiss Mosque

THE LOCAL – SWITZERLAND: The Islamic Central Council of Switzerland (ICCS) is trying to raise enough funds in the Gulf states to enable the construction of a 20-million franc ($21 million) prayer centre in the capital Bern.

With three storeys, the planned mosque would be the biggest in the country. In addition to a prayer room for 270 men and 174 women, plans show that the building would have conference and training rooms, shops, underground parking and a garden.

The president of the Council, Nicolas Blancho, confirmed his fundraising activities in Kuwait and Qatar to newspapers SonntagsZeitung and Le Matin Dimanche on Sunday, although he said the organisation has not received any donations yet.

“For the time being, we’re just building relationships of trust with potential sponsors,” said Blancho, adding that searching for donors is a long process. » | Monday, January 16, 2012

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Nicolas Blancho veut 20 millions pour ériger une mosquée dans l'ouest bernois : Le président du Conseil central islamique suisse (CCIS) multiplierait les contacts pour lever des fonds et ériger une maison de Dieu musulmane à Bümpliz. » | ats/Newsnet | dimanche 15 janvier 2012

Nicolas Blancho joue à l’ambassadeur en Tunisie
LE MATIN: Le président du controversé Conseil Central Islamique Suisse a rencontré ce week-end le chef du parti religieux récemment arrivé au pouvoir en Tunisie. En parlant au nom des musulmans de Suisse….

Nicolas Blancho prend-il un peu trop ses désirs pour des réalités? La question est ouverte au vu de l’une des dernières informations postées sur le site de son organisation, le Conseil Central Islamique Suisse (CCIS). Relatant un voyage effectué par le Biennois à Tunis ce week-end, un texte explique que le président du CCIS a présenté les félicitations des « musulmans suisses » à Rachid Al-Ghannouchi, leader du parti islamiste Ennahda, qui a récemment gagné les élections.

Problème: l’organisation de Nicolas Blancho – qui défend un islam assez rigoriste – divise fortement chez les croyants vivant en Suisse. Si ses dernières manifestations ont réuni de nombreux participants, beaucoup de fidèles contestent sa légitimité à parler au nom de tous les musulmans helvètes. Vice présidente de l'Union des organisations de cette religion à Genève, Lucia Dahlab en fait partie. Selon elle, Nicolas Blancho est coutumier des effets d’annonce un peu «gonflés». «Rien que le nom de son organisation me laisse perplexe, il a vraiment trop tendance à s’autoproclamer représentant de tout le monde.» » | Raphaël Pomey | LeMatin.ch | mardi 15 novembre 2011

Immigrants Want Cross Removed from Swiss Flag
HUDSON NEW YORK: An immigrant group based in Bern has called for the emblematic white cross to be removed from the Swiss national flag because as a Christian symbol it "no longer corresponds to today's multicultural Switzerland."

Ivica Petrusic, the vice president of Second@s Plus, a lobbying group that represents mostly Muslim second-generation foreigners in Switzerland (who colloquially are known as secondos) says the group will launch a nationwide campaign in October to ask Swiss citizens to consider adopting a flag that is less offensive to Muslim immigrants.

In a September 18 interview with the Swiss newspaper Aargauer Zeitung, Petrusic said the cross has a Christian background and while the Christian roots of Switzerland should be respected, "it is necessary to separate church and state" because "Switzerland today has a great religious and cultural diversity. One has to ask if the State wants to continue building up a symbol in which many people no longer believe."

In the interview, Petrusic said Switzerland needs new symbols with which everyone, including non-Christians, can identify. As an alternative to the current Swiss flag (see image here), Petrusic proposed the former flag of the Helvetic Republic (see image here) which was officially introduced in 1799 and consisted of green, red and yellow colors. "Those colors are similar to the current flags of Bolivia and Ghana and would represent a more progressive and open-minded Switzerland," Petrusic said.

The proposal to change the Swiss flag has been met with outrage across the political spectrum and is sure to fuel anti-immigrant sentiments in Switzerland. » | Soeren Kern | Monday, September 26, 2011

HT: Marisol @ Jihad Watch »

ABNA: Swiss Muslims Speak Out to Defend Swiss Flag against Claims it Offends Immigrants » | Source: Islam Today | Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Swiss Politician Bans Minarets then Converts to Islam
Al-JAZEERAH.info: The Swiss politician Daniel Streich, who rose to fame as a result of his opposition to mosques in his homeland, has now embraced the faith he reviled.

Daniel Streich was a member of then Swiss People's Party (SVP) in Switzerland. A well-known politician, Streich led the calls for a ban on minarets across Switzerland. He was active in building anti-Muslim sentiments throughout Switzerland. This sustained campaign led to him being given a high ranking position in the Swiss Army.

SVP Witch Hunt

Streich left the SVP in November 2009 calling his party's campaign against Islam as a 'witch hunt.' The date coincided with the second anniversary of Streich's conversion which he had kept secret from the party.

With the party's campaign to ban minarets leading to a referendum, Streich said the situation had become unbearable for him. >>> Faisal Hanif | Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Anti-Minarett-Initiative – Ex-SVPler: «Schweiz braucht mehr Moscheen»
20 MINUTEN ONLINE: Daniel Streich, Militärinstruktor und bis vor Kurzem SVP-Politiker in Bulle, ist aus der Partei ausgetreten. Grund: Er ist zum Islam konvertiert. Zwei Jahre lang verheimlichte er dies seiner Ex-Partei. Jetzt - mit der «Hetzjagd gegen den Islam» - wurde die Situation für ihn untragbar.

Er war ein treuer SVPler und Christ, las die Bibel und besuchte regelmässig die Kirche. Nun liest der Militärinstruktor und Gemeinderat von Bulle, Daniel Streich, den Koran, betet fünfmal täglich und geht in die Moschee. «Der Islam bietet mir logische Anworten auf wichtige Lebensfragen, die ich im Christentum nicht abschliessend fand», sagt Streich. >>> dp/20 Minuten | Montag, 23. November 2010

Muslime in Uniform: Sicherheits-Risiko für unsere Armee?
BLICK.ch: ZÜRICH – Daniel Streich ist Militärinstruktor. Und: Er ist Muslim. Das ist kein Einzelfall. Ein Problem für die Schweizer Armee?

Lange hat er sein Doppelleben geheimgehalten. Einerseits strammer SVP-Rechtsaussen und Militärinstruktor. Anderseits streng praktizierender Muslim. Er bete fünfmal jeden Tag und gehe in die Moschee. Jetzt habe Streich die Flucht an die Öffentlichkeit angetreten, berichtet «20 Minuten». Hat sich öffentlich zum Islam bekannt – und den Austritt aus der SVP bekanntgegeben. Jetzt will Streich der BDP von Bundesrätin Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf beitreten.

Wieviele Muslime in der Armee?

Offiziell gibt es keine Infos zur Anzahl der Muslime in der Armee. «Die ist wahrscheinlich viel höher, als uns bewusst ist», sagt Strategieexperte Albert A. Stahel von der Uni Zürich gegenüber Blick.ch. Es gebe zahlreiche eingewanderte Kosovaren, Bosnier, Türken, die heute als Eingebürgerte Militärdienst leisteten.

Sind Muslime in der Armee ein Sicherheitsrisiko? Diese Frage wird in westlichen Demokratien zunehmend diskutiert, seit der muslimische Militärpsychiater im texanischen Fort Hood wegen seinem Hass auf die USA 13 Kameraden tötete.

In der Schweiz gibt es einen Bericht über die politische Einstellung der Imame in der Schweiz, den das VBS erstellt hat, aber nicht veröffentlichen will. Ob auch etwas über Muslime in der Armee und mögliche Auswirkungen steht, ist ebenfalls nicht bekannt. Islam und Armee: «Gleiche Macho-Kultur» >>> Von Michael Scharenberg | Dienstag, 24. November 2009

Swiss Minaret Appeal Goes to European Court
BBC: An appeal against last month's decision by Swiss voters to ban minarets has been submitted to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

The appeal was lodged by Hafid Ouardiri, an Algerian-born Muslim and a former spokesman for the Geneva Mosque.

Mr Ouardiri wants the court to rule that the ban is incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Some 57.5% of Swiss voters and 22 out of 26 cantons - or provinces - voted in favour of the ban last month.

The referendum proposal was put forward by the Swiss People's Party (SVP), the largest party in parliament, which said minarets were a sign of Islamisation.

Switzerland's federal government had urged Swiss voters to reject it, warning it would contravene religious freedom and human rights and could stoke extremism. >>> | Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Swiss Minaret Ban Reversal Vote in Pipeline
elECONOMISTA.es | GLOBAL: ZURICH - Swiss liberals are considering a new referendum to overturn the ban on building new minarets in the country, Sunday papers reported, as Libya's Muamar Gaddafi warned the ban played into the hands of terrorists.

Club Helvetique, a group of over 20 Swiss intellectuals, will draw up an action plan to overturn the ban, which has drawn widespread criticism abroad and prompted hundreds of people to take to the streets this weekend in Zurich, Basel and Berne.

"A new initiative is the most democratic way of achieving this," constitutional lawyer Joerg Mueller told Sonntag.

Voters adopted the ban in a referendum a week ago, defying the government and parliament which had warned the right-wing initiative violated the Swiss constitution, freedom of religion and a cherished tradition of tolerance.

Two complaints questioning the legality of ban had already been handed to Switzerland's Federal Court, Sonntag said.
Libya leader Gaddafi said the ban had done a great favour to al Qaeda militants, who would use it to attract recruits in a holy war against Europe, news agency SDA reported.

"The activists are now saying: 'we told you that they are our enemies...join al Qaeda and declare jihad on Europe'." >>> Reuters | Sunday, December 06, 2009

International Anger at Swiss Mosque Minaret Ban

Dutch Call for Anti-minaret Referendum
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: Dutch MP Geert Wilders' Freedom Party has said it wants a referendum on the building of minarets similar to the one held in Switzerland on Sunday . Mr Wilders expects the Dutch to ban new minarets just like a 57.5 percent majority of Swiss did.

The referendum result is hailed as a breakthrough by the opposition MP. "It's the first time that people in Europe have stood up to a form of Islamisation."

Other xenophobic nationalist parties in Europe are taking a similar line to the Netherlands' Freedom Party. Mario Borghezio, a Euro-MP for Italy's Northern League (Lega Nord) called for a referendum in Italy, saying "The flag of a courageous Switzerland which wants to remain Christian is flying over a near-Islamised Europe."
 


Switzerland is home to 6 million Christians and 400,000 Muslims. There are currently 200 mosques in the Alpine country, but only four minarets. >>> | Monday, November 30, 2009

Swiss Vote to Ban Minarets

As the Swiss Say No to Minarets, I Vote We Have Many More Referendums
THE TELEGRAPH: Why is making decisions for the nation a right of the government and not one of the people, asks Melanie McDonagh.

The Swiss have spoken and, oh dear, the government isn't best pleased. Against all the approved advice, from churches, politicians and business, the people have voted to ban minarets.

The outcome of yesterday's referendum was entirely unexpected, given that Swiss manufacturers, pallid at the thought of Abu Dhabi saying no to Swatches, had lobbied vigorously against a ban. The government wasn't keen on reprisals from excitable Islamists. But notwithstanding all the high-level advice, the people were having none of it.

Actually, the notion of building minarets in Switzerland is pretty redundant. They couldn't be used to call the faithful to prayer because noise regulations, this being Switzerland, don't permit it. Small Islamic communities all over Switzerland just wanted to make their presence felt. On the skyline.

It was interesting, the nature of the coalition against the minarets. The campaign was led by the populist Swiss People's Party, but it was supported, unexpectedly, by Swiss feminists because they have issues with Islam's treatment of women. And – who knows – because of the phallic shape of the structures concerned. In fact, the most notable thing about the poll was that, in favour of the ban, women outnumbered men.

Personally, I blame the Turkish prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan. The opponents of minarets hardly needed to make an argument; all they needed to do was quote, out of context, his pronouncement that minarets are the bayonets of Islam and the job was done. Nice one, Mr E.

Actually, I felt rather cheered when I heard that the Swiss had voted as they did, for the simple and sufficient reason that I like it when people don't do what they're told by politicians. I was ecstatic when the Danes voted against the Nice Treaty; I felt a kind of subversive thrill when Ireland turned against the Lisbon Treaty, though it did vote the approved way second time round.

Referendums are brilliant, precisely because they give people a chance to consider what everyone says they ought to think and do, and then do just what they want anyway. It's the nearest we get nowadays to the full-on democracy of Athens, unless you count reality television.

The sad thing, of course, is that it couldn't happen here. Whenever anyone suggests having more referendums, politicians say, in a grand way: nope, we are a parliamentary democracy. Finis. >>> Melanie McDonagh | Monday, November 30, 2009

Kommt jetzt die grosse Islam-Debatte?
BLICK.ch: Minarett? Nein danke! Klare Abstimmung, unklare Folgen. Polit-Bern reibt sich die Augen.

Die beiden Väter der siegreichen Initiative: Die SVP-Nationalräte Ulrich Schlüer und Walter Wobmann schütteln sich die Hand. Bild: Blick.ch
Paukenschlag zum ersten Advent: Mit unerwartet deutlichen 57,5 Prozent haben die Schweizer der Initiative «Gegen den Bau von Minaretten» zugestimmt – gegen die Empfehlung von Parlament, Bundesrat, aller Parteien ausser der SVP und den Kirchen.

«Das Verbot ist direkt anwendbar und tritt ab sofort in Kraft», erklärte Justizministerin Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. Alle Minarette, die heute noch keine rechtskräftige Bewilligung hätten, dürften nicht mehr gebaut werden.

«Das Verbot widerspricht der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention», warnt aber Widmer-Schlumpf. Ein Bauverbot könne deshalb an den Europäischen Menschenrechtshof weitergezogen werden. Erhält die Beschwerde recht, gibt es laut Widmer-Schlumpf nur zwei Möglichkeiten: «Das Verbot müsste erneut vors Volk, oder wir müssten aus dem Europarat austreten.»

Die Väter der Initiative beeindruckt Widmer-Schlumpf damit wenig: «Wir erwarten, dass die Regierung jetzt nicht via ausländische Gerichte das Resultat hintertreibt.» Sie freuen sich über das «fantastische Resultat» >>> Von Nicole Freudiger, Simon Spengler und Hannes Heldstab | Montag, 30. November 2009

BLICK.ch: Kommentar von Blick-Politik-Chef Clemens Studer: Minarette waren nicht das Problem >>> | Montag, 30. November 2009

Walter Wobmann: Ihr Volksvertreter im Bundeshaus >>>

TIMES ONLINE: Balderdash from The Times >>>

My COMMENT on The Times leader, which, of course, will not be printed!

Rarely have I ever read an article, still less a leader, which is based on such woeful ignorance. The writer misunderstands the nature of Islam and equally disturbingly misunderstands the nature of democracy too.

The Swiss enjoy democratic rights that other Europeans could only dream of, and that is because of their direct democracy. Their direct democracy allows the Swiss to call for a referendum on any issue if enough signatures can be collected from Swiss citizens. (200,000?).

In this case, enough signatures could be collected; and the referendum was held. The Swiss voted on it, and this is the result. The people have spoken. Basta!

It's no use talking up democracy then decrying it when the people give you an answer which you don't want to hear.

I know Switzerland very well indeed. I have lived there for many years. I also know Schwyzertüütsch and German (and French), so I know something about the mentality of the people. Let me assure you that minarets do not sit comfortably in Switzerland, no more than Islam does. Yet, in fairness to the Swiss, Muslims have been welcomed. But clearly there are limits. The minaret is one such limit.

If Muslims continue to live in Switzerland in peace and tranquility, I feel sure there will be no problems. But the Swiss have done what all other Western politicians should have done long ago: They have said you are welcome to work here, as long as you abide by our rules. How can sensible people argue with that? – © Mark

TIMES ONLINE: More Balderdash from The Times >>>

Here’s my comment which probably won’t get printed:

This article is nothing but balderdash. Hatred of the Swiss. Contempt for democracy. Shame on the 'The Times' for printing such rubbish! – © Mark

VOA: Kouchner Talks Krap on Swiss Referendum >>>

THE TELEGRAPH: Tosh! This Time from The Telegraph: What can Muslims teach the Swiss about tolerance? Churches are totally banned in Saudi Arabia! The Swiss haven’t banned mosques, just minarets. As for the Vatican… it had better remain silent, for there will be no Vatican if Islam gets too strong in Europe >>> | Monday, November 30, 2009

Anti-Dhimmitude in Switzerland! Swiss Voters Back Ban on Minarets
With this one referendum, the Swiss have shown more spunk than the rest of the West put together! Bravo! – © Mark
BBC: Swiss voters have supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets, official results show.

More than 57% of voters and 22 out of 26 cantons - or provinces - voted in favour of the ban.

The proposal had been put forward by the Swiss People's Party, (SVP), the largest party in parliament, which says minarets are a sign of Islamisation.

The government opposed the ban, saying it would harm Switzerland's image, particularly in the Muslim world.

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes, in Bern, says the surprise result is very bad news for the Swiss government which also fears unrest among the Muslim community.

Our correspondent says voters worried about rising immigration - and with it the rise of Islam - have ignored the government's advice.

"The Federal Council (government) respects this decision. Consequently the construction of new minarets in Switzerland is no longer permitted," said the government in a statement, quoted by the AFP news agency.

Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said the result reflected fear of Islamic fundamentalism.

"These concerns have to be taken seriously. However, the Federal Council takes the view that a ban on the construction of new minarets is not a feasible means of countering extremist tendencies," she said.

She sought to reassure Swiss Muslims, saying the decision was "not a rejection of the Muslim community, religion or culture".

Switzerland is home to some 400,000 Muslims and has just four minarets.

After Christianity, Islam is the most widespread religion in Switzerland, but it remains relatively hidden.

There are unofficial Muslim prayer rooms, and planning applications for new minarets are almost always refused.

Supporters of a ban claimed that allowing minarets would represent the growth of an ideology and a legal system - Sharia law - which are incompatible with Swiss democracy. >>> | Sunday, November 29, 2009

Votations Fédérales : La construction de minarets interdite en Suisse
20MINUTES.ch: Des minarets ne pourront plus être érigés en Suisse. L'initiative populaire «contre la construction de minarets» a été clairement acceptée dimanche, ce qui constitue une surprise.

«On faisait confiance à la lucidité du peuple suisse, c'est une énorme déception», a déclaré Youssef Ibram, imam du centre culturel islamique du Petit-Saconnex (GE). Photo : 20Minutes.ch
Près de six votants sur dix et ont appuyé le texte. Celui-ci était perçu par les opposants comme une menace pour la paix religieuse en Suisse.


L'initiative antiminarets était donnée perdante par les sondages. Elle a pourtant clairement passé la rampe: une majorité de 57,5% des votants (1.534.054 personnes) ont dit «oui» et seuls quatre cantons s'y sont opposés, à savoir Genève (59,7% de «non»), Vaud (53,1%), Bâle-Ville (51,6%) et Neuchâtel (50,8%). En Suisse romande, les cantons du Valais, de Fribourg et du Jura ont approuvé l'initiative par respectivement 58,0%, 55,9% et 51,2%. Le Tessin a dit «oui» à 68,1%, Berne à 60,7% et Zurich à 51,8%. La participation s'est élevée à 53,4%.

Lancée par des membres de l'Union démocratique du centre (UDC) et de l'Union démocratique fédérale (UDF), l'initiative «contre la construction de minarets» avait été déposée en juillet 2008 avec plus de 113.000 signatures valables. Demandant d'inscrire dans la Constitution fédérale la phrase «la construction de minarets est interdite», elle requerrait la double majorité du peuple et des cantons. L'UDC était le seul parti gouvernemental à recommander le «oui». «Islamisation sournoise» >>> ap | Dimanche 29 Novembre 2009

Die Schweiz verbietet den Bau von Minaretten: Deutliche Zustimmung zur Volksinitiative
NZZ ONLINE: In der Schweiz wird der Bau von Minaretten künftig per Verfassungsartikel verboten. Das Stimmvolk hat eine entsprechende Volksinitiative angenommen. Die Zustimmung fiel überraschend hoch aus und beträgt 57,5 Prozent.

In der Schweiz wird der Bau von Minaretten verboten. Das Stimmvolk hat der Anti-Minarett-Initiative aus Kreisen der SVP und der EDU wider Erwarten zugestimmt, und zwar deutlich: 57 Prozent der Stimmenden sagten Ja. Bei der letzten Umfrage von Mitte November hatten sich lediglich 37 Prozent der Befragten für die Initiative ausgesprochen. Mit ihrer umstrittenen Kampagne gelang es den Befürwortern offenbar, in der letzten Phase des Abstimmungskampfes viele Unentschlossene für sich zu gewinnen. >>> sda | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

Referendum in Svizzera, sì a proposta stop minareti
REUTERS ITALIA: GINEVRA - Gli elettori svizzeri hanno approvato oggi la proposta della destra di vietare la costruzione di nuovi minareti, in un risultato sorprendente destinato a creare imbarazzo al governo neutrale della Svizzera.

L'agenzia di stampa elvetica Ats e altri media hanno detto che nel referendum circa il 57,5% degli elettori e 22 dei 26 cantoni hanno detto sì alla proposta avanzata dal partito di destra Swiss People Party (Svp).

In Svizzera sia il parlamento che il governo hanno respinto la proposta dicendo che viola la costituzione del Paese, la libertà di religione e la nota tradizione di tolleranza svizzera. Secondo il governo elvetico una modifica della costituzione per proibire la costruzione dei minareti potrebbe "fare il gioco dei gruppi estremisti". >>> | domenica 29 novembre 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: «Eine grosse Peinlichkeit»: Reaktionen auf das Minarett-Verbot >>> | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

TAGES ANZEIGER: Minarett-Verbot liefert Ghadhafi neue Argumente gegen die Schweiz: Das Verbot von Minaretten in der Schweiz hat die islamische Welt überrascht und schockiert. Der Volksentscheid könnte politisch instrumentalisiert werden, wie ein Experte meint. >>> vin/sda/ap | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

NZZ ONLINE: «Gegen Minarette, nicht gegen eine Glaubensgemeinschaft» : Der Bundesrat zum Ausgang der drei eidgenössischen Volksabstimmungen >>> wab. Bern | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

NZZ ONLINE: Applaus vom rechten Rand Europas: Rechtsgerichtete Parteien feiern Ja zur Anti-Minarett-Initiative >>> sda | Sonntag, 29. Novembre 2009

NZZ ONLINE: Spontane Demonstrationen in Bern und Zürich: Einige hundert Personen äussern Unmut gegen Anti-Minarett-Initiative >>> sda | Sonntag, 29. November 2009

LE TEMPS: Votation Minarets : Les Suisses refusent massivement les minarets >>> Le Temps avec ATS | Dimanche 29 Novembre 2009

THE TELEGRAPH: Switzerland risks Muslim backlash after minarets vote: Switzerland risked a Muslim backlash on Sunday after its citizens voted overwhelmingly to ban minarets on mosques. >>> Alexandra Williams in Geneva | Sunday, November 29, 2009

TIMES ONLINE: Swiss voters 'back ban on building of minarets' >>> Charles Bremner in Paris | Sunday, November 29, 2009

Women Lead Swiss in Vote to Ban Minarets
Photograph: The Sunday Times
THE SUNDAY TIMES: A right-wing campaign to outlaw minarets on mosques in a referendum being held in Switzerland today has received an unlikely boost from radical feminists arguing that the tower-like structures are “male power symbols” and reminders of Islam’s oppression of women.

A “stop the minarets” campaign has provoked ferment in the land of Heidi, where women are more likely than men to vote for the ban after warnings from prominent feminists that Islam threatens their rights.

Forget about tranquil Alpine scenery and cowbells: one of the most startling features of the referendum campaign has been a poster showing a menacing woman in a burqa beside minarets rising from the Swiss flag.

It seems to have struck a nerve in Langenthal, a small town near Bern where Muslims plan to put up a minaret next to their prayer room in a bleak former paint factory.

“If we give them a minaret, they’ll have us all wearing burqas,” said Julia Werner, a local housewife. “Before you know it, we’ll have sharia law and women being stoned to death in our streets. We won’t be Swiss any more.”

A spoof video game on the internet called Minaret Attack shows minarets popping up all over the idyllic Swiss countryside, after which a message proclaims: “Game over! Switzerland is covered in minarets. Vote to ban them on November 29.”

“It’s a dirty campaign,” said Mutalip Karaademi, an Albanian who leads Langenthal’s small Muslim community. “They’re trying to provoke us.”

A poll suggested the Swiss would narrowly reject a ban but the feminist involvement is having an effect: according to one poll, 39% of women were in favour of a ban, but only 31% of men.

Tatiana, a teacher who had previously voted for the left, was quoted in a newspaper as saying she would vote for the minaret ban as she could “no longer bear being mistreated and terrorised by boys who believe women are worthless”. >>> Matthew Campbell | Sunday, November 29, 2009