Rise in Anti-Muslim Attitudes Following Minaret Ban
17 August 2010
The Federal Commission against Racism (CFR) has published its 2009 report, and according to the president of the commission, Georg Kreis, the political climate was reflected in the incident reported. Recent comments by the German Finance Minister led to indignation among Swiss in general, and a feeling that they had all been victims of racism.
However, the report made clear that the initiative against the construction of minarets had led to a rise in anti-Muslims attitudes. 162 confirmed cases of racism and xenophobia were documented by the report, whereas in 2008 there had been only 82 cases. The CFR also remarked that numerous cases were reported by witnesses or third parties, which may indicate a heightened public sensitivity.
Despite the rise in anti-Muslim attitudes, however, the report confirmed that people of African and East-European origin remain the most common victims of racism in Switzerland.