Switzerland's Minaret Ban: Iranian Foreign Minister Joins Criticism

Iran's Press TV reports that Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has told his Swiss counterpart Micheline Calmy-Rey by phone,  "The ban will undoubtedly change Switzerland's image as a leading advocate of human rights."

Mottaki also reportedly said, "This move did not befit a country claiming to be a number one advocate of democracy and religious freedom under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

The Minaret Ban: Turkish and Swiss Foreign Ministers Discuss Further Steps

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and his Swiss counterpart Micheline Calmy-Rey, attending the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Athens, discussed the situation followed Switzerland's ban on minarets.

Davutoglu told Calmy-Rey that the ban could spark a furour similar to that following the 2006 publication in Denmark of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. He said: “Unless timely measures are taken, the issue could snowball instantly and turn into a global crisis.”

Davutoglu said later that Calmy-Rey was aware of how important the situation was and conveyed her word that she would be taking measures to address the situation. Both leaders talked about the possibility of reversing the ban through the collection of 100,000 signatures for a second referendum.

After the Minaret Ban: $50 Billion to Leave Swiss Banks?
After Swiss Referendum on Minarets: Who is Radicalizing Whom?

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Christophe Darbellay, president of the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland, called for a ban on separate Muslim and Jewish cemeteries. According to the Swiss online daily Tagesanzeiger, Darbellay also wants to ban the wearing of burkas, head-to-toe veils worn by some fundamentalist Muslim women.

After the Minaret Ban: $50 Billion to Leave Swiss Banks?

Following Switzerland's ban on the construction of minarets, speculation has arisen over the future of money kept wealthy Muslims in Swiss banks. Turkey's Minister of State Egenem Bagis has called on Muslims to transfer their money to his country.

After Swiss Referendum on Minarets: Who is Radicalizing Whom?

It is estimated that there is approximately $50 billion dollars held in Switzerland by states with a majority Muslim population. The top 12:

- Saudi Arabia: $13.5 billion
- United Arab Emirates: $6.9 billion
- Indonesia: $6.6 billion
- Turkey: $3.9 billion
- Lebanon: $3.5 billion
- Malaysia: $3.3 billion
- Kuwait: $2.3 billion
- Syria: $1.5 billion
- Jordan: $1.5 billion
- Iran: $1.1 billion
- Morocco: $1 billion
- Pakistan: $1 billion

After Swiss Referendum on Minarets: Who is Radicalizing Whom?

On Sunday, 57 percent of Swiss people who took part in a referendum voted in favour of a ban on the construction of minarets. The proposal had been put forward by the Swiss People's Party (SVP), the largest party in parliament. Reaction to the Swiss people's decision was immediate, with criticisms appearing in visual and written media all over the world.

From inside, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey stated that Muslims in Switzerland now faced a restriction on their freedom to express their religion. She added: "The reality of our societies, in Europe and in the world (is that) every blow to the co-existence of different cultures and religions also endangers our security."

Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said: "Concerns [about Islamic fundamentalism] have to be taken seriously. However, a ban on the construction of new minarets is not a feasible means of countering extremist tendencies."

The head of the Swiss Green Party, Ueli Leuenberger, pledged to support appeals against the ban to the European Court of Human Rights.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay called the ban a "deeply discriminatory, deeply divisive and a thoroughly unfortunate step for Switzerland to take." She added: "I have no hesitation at all in condemning the anti-foreigner scaremongering that has characterised political campaigns in a number of countries, including Switzerland, which helps produce results like this."

French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner called the ban "scandalous." Babacar Ba, a senior official of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, warned of an "upsurge in Islamophobia" in Europe. And the Vatican denounced the ban as an infringement of religious freedom.

Turkey is highly critical as well. Turkish President Abdullah Gul said: “This is a noteworthy example in terms of showing how animosity toward Islam, as we call it ‘Islamophobia,’ has been developing in the Western world. This is a disgrace for the Swiss.” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan added: “What is the relationship of a mosque minaret with fundamentalism? That is an outdated, primitive understanding.”

Besides, Amnesty International said the vote violated freedom of religion and would probably be overturned by the Swiss supreme court or the European Court of Human Rights.

After all, do you think that it was right to take the issue of constructing minarets to a referendum? Are minarets really a symbol of political Islam? If so, what makes minarets a symbol of a radical political goal?

What if "non-radical" Muslims in other countries start banning construction of bell towers of churches or banning the sound of bells coming from churches, thanks to the "democratic" decision of the Swiss people that, unfortunately, consolidates the very opposite perception- considering "the West" as "aggressive," "intolerant" and an "enemy of Islam?"

In the end, who is becoming radical?