Maybe because I was busy with my all daily stuff, I missed it, but in classes and in corridor talks Swiss minaret referendum was not in the agenda at all. Students made fun of Switzerland mostly in passing. It is portrayed as a parochial country (!) in the middle of Europe. Many columnists added the case as another case of growing intolerance in Europe; Erdoğan gave the expected reaction and Egemen Bağış, our chief EU negotiator made my day: He used the issue for pragmatic purposes. “Rich Muslims should transfer their money from Swiss banks to Turkish banks who are ready for investment.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the lawmakers of his Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009. Erdogan criticized a ban on the building of new minarets in Switzerland. A Swiss ban on minarets could violate fundamental liberties, Europe’s top human-rights watchdog said Monday in an indication that the heavily criticized vote could be overturned. The referendum was approved by 57.5 percent of the population Sunday, forcing the government to declare illegal the building of any new minarets in Switzerland.(AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Muslim Reactions to Swiss Vote: Turkey’s Erdogan Says Minaret Ban is Sign of Fascism – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – International
by ORHAN KEMAL CENGİZ
This last referendum in Switzerland on the banning of minarets was inherently racist, and its result is quite humiliating for both the Swiss people and Muslims living there.
As of the date of the vote, there were four minarets in Switzerland, attached to mosques in ….. Swiss voters back ban on minarets in referendum Reuters, …
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