Word: swiss
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...question over the construction of minarets first came up in 2007 when Muslims in several Swiss towns sought permission to build the towers, which are used primarily to call Muslims to pray. Residents responded by collecting signatures to block the building plans, claiming the minarets were a symbol of Islamic power and radicalism. The four mosques in the country that already had minarets have tried to minimize their presence - and the potential disruption to neighbors - by not using them for prayer calls. (See pictures of Muslims in America...
...taken the debate a step further, implying that minarets pose a danger to Swiss society by likening them to missiles in the posters. "Everybody understands the message expressed by these posters," SVP member Ulrich Schluehr told the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle in an interview last week. "That's why the opponents of a ban are against the poster and want to forbid it. They want to oppress free discussion - a strength of Switzerland." Ouardiri dismisses the SVP's arguments as "bold-faced lies." "How can an architectural feature like a minaret be perceived as a threat?" he asks...
...Many Swiss political parties, churches and human-rights groups are lining up against the referendum, insisting the constitutional freedom of religion must be upheld. A majority of Swiss people are also against the proposal, with 53% saying they would vote against it in a survey conducted by the gfs.berne Polling and Research Institute in late October...
...Some analysts say that while the deeper issue of Muslims' assimilation into Swiss society must be addressed, the SVP's confrontational tactics are not the answer. "The dialogue is important because it alleviates fears and suspicion," says Stephane Lathion, president of the Group of Researchers on Islam in Switzerland and author of a book on the minaret debate. "But is provocation the only way to raise this sensitive issue and bring about tangible solutions?" (Read "Identity Crisis for the Swiss...
...anything, the missile-shaped minarets have only made many Swiss Muslims feel more alienated in their adopted country, regardless of how the vote goes this month...