Ads | Lifestyle | Entertainment | Legal questions Italy | Legal questions UK | Photogallery | Videos | Who we are | Contacts | Follow us on Facebook
OSCE concerned about outcome of Swiss minaret ban referendum
Thursday, 21 January 2010 09:31 | 
Italy’s Northern League party praises the results
2nd December 2009: The director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Ambassador Janez Lenarcic, has expressed concern at the outcome of the referendum held in Switzerland on 29th November on the ban of the construction of minarets.
"A blanket prohibition of minarets is not consistent with OSCE commitments on freedom of religion or belief and the principle of non-discrimination based on religion," Lenarcic said.
The referendum, launched by the Swiss People's Party and the Federal Democratic Union, was backed by 57.5 per cent of voters and a majority of cantons.
Members of the Advisory Council of ODIHR's Advisory Panel of Experts on Freedom of Religion or Belief also expressed concern.
"The claim that the approved constitutional amendment does not limit freedom of religion or belief because it only affects the construction of minarets rather than mosques, and that minarets have no religious significance, is seriously flawed," said Jakob Finci, President of Jewish Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a member of the ODIHR Advisory Council.
Gerhard Robbers, another member of the Council and Professor of Law at Trier University in Germany said religious buildings must conform to planning laws, like all buildings.
"However, such laws must be non-discriminatory and it is difficult to see how banning the construction of minarets is compatible with this," he said. "According to international norms on freedom of religion or belief, the contents of a religion and its manifestation, including the question of minarets, should be defined by the worshippers themselves and not by states."
Lenarcic added: "By singling out a specific community, the outcome of this referendum has the potential to create tensions and generate a climate of intolerance against Muslims. OSCE commitments call for fostering mutual understanding and respect between believers of different communities."
European right-wing groups, have, however welcomed the result, calling for other countries to take similar measures. In Italy, Northern League said the country should follow in Swiss’ footsteps. Simplification Minister Roberto Calderoli announced that a constitutional referendum to ban the building of Islamic minarets in Italy will soon be submitted to parliament.
Mr. Calderoli said that while the Swiss are trying to stop Islam’s propagandistic aspects, in Italy there is a debate on granting immigrants the right to vote and reform of the Citizenship law. For Islam, religion and politics are the same; in fact the former prevails over the later, he claimed.