Swiss ban on minarets condemned in Muslim world but many voices call for moderation

(Dec.01,2009): The Muslim world slammed the vote in Switzerland in favour a ban on minarets on Swiss soil. For Muslims, the result is case of Islamophobia. However,some called for moderation, especially since the Swiss government, the country’s Catholic Bishops’ Conference and groups like Amnesty International have come out against the ban. “The most painful for us is not the minaret ban, but the symbol sent by this vote. Muslims do not feel accepted as a religious community," said Farhad Afshar, who heads the Coordination of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland.
Elsewhere in the Muslim world, reactions are even stronger. For the grand mufti of Egypt, the result is an insult to Muslims around the world. Still, many have called for calm. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary general of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, said he was confident that the people of Switzerland will reach the best consensus and will take the best decision and overturn the ban.
At the level of media, we find a variety of responses. For the Tehran Times, it is a case of rising “Islamophobia in Europe and violation of religious freedom and convention commitments. Lebanon’s Nahar newspaper as well as Hizbollah’s al Manar TV channel noted that Christians also expressed dismay over the outcome, stressing that it was inadmissible that the religious minority is now to subject to unequal treatment. Nahar also reported that religious groups, including Christians, Jews and Muslims, have come out in a rare show of unity against the right-wing proposal.