By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS (AP) – 52 minutes ago
GENEVA — Swiss television says projections based on ballot results show Switzerland's voters have approved move to ban the construction of minarets, which right-wing parties have labeled as symbols of militant Islam.
The projections contracted by state-owned television DRS say the Swiss swung massively in recent days from 37 percent support in pre-vote polls to 59 percent in the actual voting.
Claude Longchamp, leader of the widely respected gfs.bern polling institute, says the projection also forecasts approval by more than half the country's 26 cantons, meaning it will become a constitutional amendment.
The initiative was led by the nationalist Swiss People's Party, the country's largest.
Projections were based on actual voting returns.

The Associated Press: Projection: Swiss vote to ban new minarets



I'm quite undecided on the issue. On the one hand I believe it's a good initiative to preserve the culture of Switzerland/Europe. On the other.. this does seem like a breach on the individual freedom of expression.

It may be an indicator of coming reforms in other countries too.

I thought a hallmark of European "culture" (if there is such a thing for all of Europe) was adherance to the ideals of liberal democracy, including freedom of religion and equality for all?

I guess cultural diversity is not in Swiss tradition.

My first reaction is to call them xenophobes however I dont feel the problem here is with them being against muslims or mosques in general but the problem lay with the cultural identy of Switzerland itself. Perhaps they feel it is erroding and needs enforcing.

Unlike the EU where diversity stands for unity, the Swiss are kind of on their own and would consider diversity as an imposter to their very Swissness.

Seems absurd to me. Xenophobic panic and nothing more.

citizens poll in what should and shouldnt be built all the time here in the States. Take for instance my local town; Wal*mart wants to buy some land and build a store on it. The members of the community all showed up and swayed the vote to not allow Wal*mart to purchase a business license for our town. Thus preventing the construction. Surrounding towns called us insane conservatives for not allowing the Wal*Mart growth....

I dont feel thats any different than what went on here. The Swiss Citizens spoke up, they dont want an Eyesore of a monument built simple as that. Build it somewhere else, I'm sure there are many different areas of Europe that wouldnt mind a "New Minarets"

Personally I find it disappointing that the Race / Religion -aphobia card gets pulled immediately. Starts to feel almost to a certain extent that we nations must have to bend over backwards for the Muslims in fear of being called Xenophobes or Racists. That if we dont allow the Muslim influence in then we're the bad guys. And personally I'm sick of that.

This is the kind of statement that if I were in Bill Gates shoes or some other Multi-Billionaire... I'd start the construction of some sort of Statue in Honor of Western Culture right smack dab in the Middle East. Then lets see how long before the Muslim Citizens put the Kibosh on my construction. *Gasp* is that Xenophobia I smell?!?!?!

Eh, maybe before you make such a judgement you might want to make yourself familiar with the background of this in Switzerland. This intiative was launched by the right-populist SVP, and it openly states it wants to forbid minarets as they are, according to them, a "symbol of political islamic dominance". And at election station polls, the majority of yes voters indicated islamophobic sentiments.

And your last paragraph is simply stupid groupthink. It shouldnt matter what dictatroships in the Middle East do. Its not only that of course we wouldnt want to descant to their level, its as said mostly groupthink - THE muslims vs THE westerners. And thats just completly besides reality.

Nonsense. We are talking about minarets. They are not being banned because they are considered ugly, but because of their connection with Islam. The reasoning behind banning them is absurd in this case. As for other buildings that are banned, we can discuss those on their own terms, but the justification here is pretty much non-existent beyond "**** Muslims those ****ers". As for many Muslims being xenophobic, that hardly justifies our acting in concert with them. We lose all justification in condemning them for stepping on cultural diversity and freedom of religious expression, etc; if we should join them in it.

And a portion of "No" voters during the US '08 Election voted strictly so simply because Obama was Black. Wherever you are in the world, People are people. Its unfortunate that we allow a statistic to become the rule.

I disagree. If European Nations must be held accountable for their actions, why shouldn't the Middle Eastern ones be held to? They dont deserve a free pass, so it does matter what they do.

I'm not sure I follow.
------
My opinion still stays that if the people dont want it there and they speak their mind enough about it no matter what their reasoning or reasoning people think they have for it... what they decide is what they decide. Nothing more Nothing less. It seriously bothers me that it becomes this big deal that Nations are labeled like this just because they decide to put their foot down.

The point wasnt to say that Muslims are Xenophobic.... The point there was to show no matter what happens everyone wants to point fingers and fall back on this Xenophobia Card.

It disgusts me personally.

Xenophobia disgusts me. Nobody should ban crosses on churches, and nobody should ban minarets by mosques. Freedom of expression, and freedom of religion are foundational American values, that I would have hoped my countrymen shared; as they are given a prominent place in the Bill of Rights. The Swiss are not Americans, but you surely are, and I am sure you would invoke such principles as it suites you: if a video-game were being banned, say. It seems like you think this is justified in particular, because it involves sticking it to Muslims, as opposed to your thinking all bans are justified just because with no further justification needed insofar as there is a popular vote behind them.

Its their country, they are free to do whatever they wan't.

Switzerland used to be a great country, before all the damn immigration started flooding in.

there are rights, and there are privileges, living in a country that is not your's by right means you gotta follow their rules, and if they say you're out...then you're out.