UNGA chief slams Swiss ban on minarets

UNITED NATIONS - UN General Assembly President Ali Treki Wednesday added his voice to a chorus of UN concern over the weekend referendum in Switzerland which outlawed the building of new minarets, his spokesman said.
Treki, a former foreign minister of Libya, hopes the Swiss government will take responsible steps to prevent any negative consequences emerging from the referendum, Jean-Victor Nkolo told journalists at the UN headquarters in New York.
The freedom to manifest ones religion in worship is a fundamental human right, he said. And any incitement to discrimination on the basis of religion should be prohibited by law. All efforts should be aimed at improving the relations between cultures and religions.
The comment of the General Assembly president followed earlier statements from Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, and Asma Jahangir, the special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, who have both expressed dismay at the results of Sundays vote and its impact on the Muslim community in Switzerland and the wider population.
According to the final results of the referendum, 57.5 percent of voters and a majority of cantons backed the ban on the construction of Muslim minarets, which was championed by rightwing and ultraconservative groups.
In an earlier statement, the Swiss government said it respected the decision made by voters, and consequently the construction of new minarets in Switzerland is no longer permitted.
It claimed that freedom of belief would not be affected in the country. Muslims in Switzerland are able to practice their religion alone or in community with others, and live according to their beliefs just as before.
There are an estimated 160 mosques and Muslim prayer rooms in Switzerland, mainly in disused factories and warehouses. Only four of them have a minaret, including the mosques in Geneva and Zurich.
Many international figures have warned that approval of the proposal would damage Switzerlands image abroad, particularly in the Muslim world.