Last year, at a European meeting of intelligence officials from the US and Europe, a Swiss participant commented on a proposed referendum on minarets. He was sure it would go nowhere since, as he said, Switzerland is a very pluralistic society; its Muslim population is relatively small and there are few mosques with minarets. Enlightened…
Leading Turkish-German director Fatih Akın has said he will boycott the Swiss premiere of his new film as a protest against Sunday’s referendum vote to ban the construction of minarets in the country. In an open letter, Akın voiced his dismay and complained that the Swiss ban contradicted his belief in the “harmonious co-existence of…
Following a controversial Swiss referendum to ban mosques with minarets, Christian Democratic state interior ministers in Germany on Thursday recommended Muslims show restraint when building houses of worship. “Naturally the Muslims in Germany have a right to build mosques. But they should make sure not to overwhelm the German population with them,” Hessian Interior Minister…
The Pdl deputy and president of Acmid-Donna Onlus (Association of Moroccan women in Italy) Suad Sbai interprets the result of the Swiss referendum as a consequence of the hatred spread by Islamic fundamentalists throughout Europe. Minarets, in her opinion, more than religious symbols represent the visible, arrogant sign of Political Islam from which, she declares,…
A BVA poll for Canal + suggests that had a similar referendum taken place in France, 54 percent of the people in France would vote against it. Those who were for a referendum would have voted against minarets. A poll by Ifop for Le Figaro suggests that 46 percent of the French are hostile to…
