Legal Research

Switzerland Bans Minarets

By Simon Fodden

Just as we were thinking the Texas ban on unions “identical…to marriage” and the Ugandan proposal to severely punish homosexuals were the loony tunes of the moment, here comes a Swiss miss: A right wing proposal to ban minarets in Switzerland, put to the people in a referendum, was a few minutes ago approved by “a majority of the Swiss people and the cantons . . .”

According to an announcement on the Federal Chancellery website:

The Federal Council respects this decision. Consequently the construction of new minarets in Switzerland is no longer permitted. The four existing minarets will remain. It will also be possible to continue to construct mosques. Muslims in Switzerland are able to practise their religion alone or in community with others, and live according to their beliefs just as before.

According to news stories such as this one from Al Jazeera English, the federal government was hoping — expecting, in fact — that the initiative would fail.

Cuckoo clocks and now this daft and cuckoo law.

Full post as published by Slaw.ca on November 29, 2009 (boomark / email).