Poster Used In Campaign

The Swiss People’s Party have conducted a referendum to ban the building of minarets in Switzerland. Local Turkish cultural association’s minaret in Wnagen bei Olten, Switzerland, one of the four minarets in Switzerland. The SVP claims turret (the small corner at the corner of the building) are signs of militant Islam. The SVP is a anti-immigration party as they believe the slender conic structure on a mosque’s tower from where the muezzin called for prayer showed a “political-religious claim to power”.

The most controversial part of the campaign was a poster in which a woman in a burqa and missile shaped minarets at her background. In 18 months signatures of 100,000 eligible voters makes way for this referendum. German speaking region of Lucerne agreed with the ban while Geneva and Vaud (French speaking areas) voted against the ban.

According to projection contracted by state owned television DRS, the percentage increased from 37% in pre-vote poll support to 59% in actual voting. According to the projection 26 regions of the country have approved the ban which means it will become a constitutional amendment. In a video broadcast the Swiss president, Hans Rudolf Merz addressed to the nation. He said,

“Muslims should be able to practice their religion and have access to minarets in Switzerland too. But the call of the muezzin will not sound here.”

The SVP’s decision of referendum caused anguish in Muslim countries and economically Switzerland would face boycott by the rich Muslims who shop, bank and invest money here. President of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Zurich, Taner Hatipoglu said,

“The initiators have achieved something everyone wanted to prevent, and that is to influence and change the relations to Muslims and their social integration in a negative way.”

He said if the anti-muslim activities carries on like this then “Muslims indeed will not feel safe anymore”. In the population of 7.5 million, Islam is the second largest religion with 400,000 followers.