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Switzerland liberals call for referendum to reverse minaret ban

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] A group of Swiss intellectuals on Sunday called for a reversal of Switzerland's recent vote to ban the construction of minarets. The Swiss intellectual group Club Helvetique told a Swiss newspaper that they plan to institute a new referendum to overturn the ban imposed through a referendum last week. Swiss Supreme Court President Lawrence Meyer also said Sunday that two suits have been filed in federal court challenging the ban's legality. Meanwhile, Muslim leaders have continued to speak out agains the ban. Libyan leader Muamar Gaddafi warned Sunday that the ban could make Switzerland an enticing target for al Qaeda. Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called Switzerland's Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey Sunday to express Iran's anger and disappointment with the ban, telling Calmy-Rey that the ban is inconsistent with Switzerland's stated dedication to democracy and human rights. Last week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pilloy condemned the ban as a form of religious discrimination. Last year, the Swiss government announced that Swiss nationalist parties had gathered enough signatures on their initiative against the construction of minarets to force a national referendum on whether the country's constitution should be amended to ban the structures. The initiative was originally sponsored by the anti-immigrant Swiss People's Party (SVP).

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on December 07, 2009 (boomark / email).