21 September 2011 Geert Wilders and his Freedom Party (PVV) are calling for a referendum against the construction of new minarets in the Netherlands. The politician, stating that ‘Minarets… are the towers of a rising desert ideology’, announced that he will submit draft legislation to parliament to move towards a public vote on the matter.
29 October 2010 Almost one year following the referendum to ban minarets in Switzerland, a survey commissioned by the Protestant newspaper Reformiert and carried out by Isopublic seems to indicate that the results of the Swiss minaret ban would be similar were the vote to be held again today: 43% of the 1004 individuals from…
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…
According to a recent report by the Swiss Intelligence Services (SIC), the ban on the construction of minarets has not led to a heightened risk of Islamic terrorism in the country. Nonetheless, the SIC states that Islamic terrorism remains “one of the most present threats” to the Switzerland, and that the state should not lower…
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has called for a moratorium on the Swiss minaret ban during a debate on Islam, Islamism, and Islamophobia in Europe. The recommendation was passed with the unanimous support of the entire assembly, including that of all the Swiss representatives, even André Bugnon, who had earlier supported the…
