…to go even further:

A ban on the construction of minarets would breach Switzerland’s obligations to uphold freedom of religion, Amnesty International said ahead of a referendum on Sunday 29 November on a constitutional amendment on the issue.

The proposal, which was initiated by members of two Swiss parties, will ask Swiss voters if they wish to add the sentence ‘The construction of minarets is forbidden’ to Article 72 of the Constitution.

The initiators of the referendum claim that the construction of minarets is not protected by the freedom of religion as they have ‘no religious significance’. They assert that minarets are ‘symbols of a religious-political claim to power and dominance which threatens – in the name of alleged freedom of religion – the constitutional rights of others.‘ [Source]

Doesn’t it just make you want to howl over your midday coffee?

Minarets are not only gorgeous, but of utmost religious significance.

Personally, I adore the call to prayer – but even if the call is not issued from its dizzying heights (as I think the case is in certain mosques, such as Edinburgh, above), they are utterly arresting structures to linger one’s eyes upon.

Tsk, tsk, Switzerland.

I expected so much more from you, oh country of neutrality and tolerance.