POTENTIAL SWISS MINARET BAN WOULD BE A GOOD SECOND STEP FOR EUROPE

THE LARGEST CONSERVATIVE PARTY HAS BEEN TRYING TO BAN MINARETS FOR A FEW YEARS; IT'S FINALLY COMING TO A VOTE - IN A REFERENDUM - ON NOVEMBER 29TH.

BBC 2007:

A row is brewing over religious symbolism in Switzerland.

Members of the right-wing Swiss People's Party, currently the largest party in the Swiss parliament, have launched a campaign to have the building of minarets banned.

They claim the minaret is not necessary for worship, but is rather a symbol of Islamic law, and as such incompatible with Switzerland's legal system.

Signatures are now being collected to force a nationwide referendum on the issue which, under Switzerland's system of direct democracy, would be binding.

The move has shocked Switzerland's 350,000 Muslims, many of whom have been campaigning for decades for more recognition for their faith.

BBC 2008:

Swiss minaret ban gains momentum

There are currently only two minarets in Switzerland

In Switzerland some 115,000 people have signed a proposal to ban the building of minarets.

The campaign is being organised by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), the largest party in parliament.

Under Swiss law, a group can request a national referendum if it manages to collect 100,000 signatures.

The SVP claims the minaret is not needed for worship, but is a symbol of Islamic law, therefore incompatible with the Swiss constitution.

Buildings with minarets, they argue, symbolise a "political-religious claim to power, which challenges fundamental rights".

TIME LAST WEEK:

Strolling through downtown Geneva on a cool October evening, Nadia, a 23-year-old Kosovo native, shakes her head at a provocative poster depicting a burqa-clad woman in front of a thicket of missile-shaped minarets rising out of a Swiss flag. Below the flag, the word stop is written in big, bold letters. "As a Muslim woman, I am offended by this image," says Nadia, who requested that her last name not be used. "It presents Islam as a danger to Swiss society."

That is exactly the message the poster's creators intend to convey. The image that has unsettled many of Switzerland's 310,000 Muslims is part of a campaign by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) to urge voters to approve a Nov. 29 referendum on whether to ban the construction of new minarets on mosques in the country. The party contends that more minarets — only four mosques currently have them — could inflame extremism and lead to a "rampant Islamization" of the country.

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BBC TODAY:

Muslims in many parts of Switzerland have invited the public into mosques - three weeks before a vote on whether to ban the construction of minarets.

Muslim organisations say they hope their open day will counter what they say are fears and prejudices.

The conservative group that initiated the vote - the largest party in the Swiss parliament - says minarets are a symbol of Muslim political power.

Opinion polls suggest the proposed ban will be rejected by voters.

A Muslim community leader in Zurich, Tamir Hadjipolu, said the proposal - launched by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) - was "open discrimination".

Preaching to the converted?

Switzerland is home to 400,000 Muslims, who have about 200 places of worship. Only four have a minaret, local media say.

FRANCE BANNED THE HIJAB IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS FIVE YEARS AGO.

THE FRENCH ARE NOW CONSIDERING BANNING THE BURQA ALTOGETHER.

I THINK THE WEST OUGHT TO MAKE A LOT OF MOVES IN THIS WAY AND MAKE MUSLIMS WHO HAVE CHOSEN TO LIVE HERE IN THE WEST TO CHOOSE TO BE WESTERN OR TO LEAVE.

REPEAT: BE WESTERN OR TO LEAVE.

WE MUST STOP THE ISLAMIZATION OF THE WEST.