THE DECISION of Swiss voters to ban the construction of new minarets was criticised by human rights agencies but welcomed by European anti-immigrant political parties.
French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner said he was “a bit shocked” at the vote, adding he hoped the decision would be quickly reversed. “It’s an expression of intolerance and I detest intolerance,” Mr Kouchner said on French radio.
“If we cannot build minarets that means that we are practising religious oppression. Is it that offensive, in a mountainous country, that there is a building that is a little taller than the others?”
The decision was welcomed, however, by the far-right National Front movement in France. Deputy leader Marine Le Pen said France should hold a referendum on multiculturalism.
“The elites should stop denying the hopes and fears of European peoples who, without opposing religious freedom, reject ostentatious symbols forced on them by politico-religious Muslim groups, often verging on provocation,” she said.
Similar sentiments were expressed by right-wing politicians in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.
Concern was expressed by the Council of Europe, which aims to protect human rights and promote cultural diversity.
The organisation, to which 47 European countries subscribe, is currently chaired by Switzerland.
“Bearing in mind that it is a fundamental right of democratic states to debate and vote on issues of importance to their societies, the referendum held yesterday on the construction of new minarets in Switzerland raises concerns as to whether fundamental rights of individuals, protected by international treaties, should be subject to popular votes,” said the council’s secretary general, Thorbjørn Jagland, a former foreign minister of Norway. “The ban on the construction of new minarets is linked to issues such as freedom of expression, freedom of religion and prohibition of discrimination guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights.
“Therefore it would be up to the European Court of Human Rights to decide, should an application be submitted to the court, whether the prohibition of building new minarets is compatible with the convention.”
The head of the human rights office of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) also expressed concern at the vote.
Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, director of the OSCE office for democratic institutions and human rights, said: “A blanket prohibition of minarets is not consistent with OSCE commitments on freedom of religion or belief and the principle of non-discrimination based on religion.
“By singling out a specific community, the outcome of this referendum has the potential to create tensions and generate a climate of intolerance against Muslims.
“OSCE commitments call for fostering mutual understanding and respect between believers of different communities.”