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You are here: Home News Community News UN blasts 'sinister' Swiss minaret posters
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14/10/2009UN blasts 'sinister' Swiss minaret posters

The UN Human Rights Committee on Tuesday criticised the Swiss People's Party poster campaign to ban minarets.

Geneva -- The UN Human Rights Committee on Tuesday criticised a "sinister" far-right Swiss poster campaign aimed at persuading voters to back a ban on minarets.

A committee member expressed concern over the "sinister posters" which were displayed ahead of a referendum on banning the construction of Islamic mosque towers to take place on 29 November, a UN statement said.

The campaign poster, for the far-right Swiss People's Party, depicts a woman wearing a burqa in front of a Swiss flag on which several minarets resembling missiles stand.

The posters faced criticism earlier in October from the Swiss Commission against Racism, who said they insulted the country's Muslim minority and could threaten public order.

The UN committee, which includes 18 independent experts, also questioned on Tuesday whether the referendum was compatible with a UN rights charter.

Swiss representatives at the meeting to assess whether the country was meeting the rights charter said they had urged voters to reject the minaret construction ban.

More than 310,000 of Switzerland's 7.5 million residents are Muslims, making Islam the second biggest religion in the country after Christianity.

AFP / Expatica



3 reactions to this article

Simone posted: 2009-10-27 22:13:03

Forget 'not speaking the language and smaller things' though they are important. The most important thing is this will encourage Muslims to gain power gradually and then have their way in just about any issue in future, and then go on to impose their will on others, and then finally get an upper hand. Well many will ask "is this really true?". Well look at several regions of the world like countries in Africa, Kashmir etc - first migrate, then multiply, then finally occupy. Its not a big problem if Muslims mix with people of other religions and if Muslim Girls are under Muslim law allowed to marry Non-Muslim men of their own free will, and so on - But thats not the case. Do Muslim countries permit building of churches?, leave alone elaborate church towers - No they dont and will not. Does the United Nations go about threatening Muslim countries to allow building of Churches and Church Towers? - No. This discrimanatory attitude should be pointed out to the United Nations. There should be a million signatures collected in switzerland forcing the United Nations to persuade the Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia and Gulf Countries to allow construction of churches, Synagogues, Buddhist and Hindu Temples - If they want to blame Switzerland on this issue. Equality should not be a discrimatory one way traffic. --- If Muslims change their law to permit mixed religious marriages, then automatically AT LEAST their children(who will study in local schools) will be sure to integrate, and thus the basic fundamental culture of Switzerland(free thinking, freedom in general which leads to healthy human development) will be preserved.

Lothar posted: 2010-01-17 18:02:43

Wow, that's really elaborate, "But they're doing it too!" non-argument. Just come out and say you're scared of the strange brown people with the funny language and religion. It's okay, we understand.

David posted: 2010-01-20 20:41:24

This is only a ban on minarets, not on mosques. There is outrage from the UN and Islamic groups. How shocking. Where is the outrage that Jews cannot even pray let alone rebuild on their holiest site, the Temple Mount, in their holy city of Jerusalem without muslims stoning them? Where is the outrage over the muslims blowing up the historical ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan? Where is the outrage over the muslims destroying the Sikh Golden Temple? Where is the outrage over Armenian churches being destroyed or converted to mosques? Where is the outrage over muslims destruction of Egyptian Coptic Christians home, business and churches? What about the conversion of the Tejo Mahalaya, a Hindu temple palace now known as the Taj Mahal, to an Islamic shrine, or the Hagia Sophia Church in Istanbul converted to a mosque? Interesting how in muslim countries, a minaret is not required of a mosque. Muslims are the last people who should be lecturing others about intolerance.

3 reactions to this article

Simone posted: 2009-10-27 22:13:03

Forget 'not speaking the language and smaller things' though they are important. The most important thing is this will encourage Muslims to gain power gradually and then have their way in just about any issue in future, and then go on to impose their will on others, and then finally get an upper hand. Well many will ask "is this really true?". Well look at several regions of the world like countries in Africa, Kashmir etc - first migrate, then multiply, then finally occupy. Its not a big problem if Muslims mix with people of other religions and if Muslim Girls are under Muslim law allowed to marry Non-Muslim men of their own free will, and so on - But thats not the case. Do Muslim countries permit building of churches?, leave alone elaborate church towers - No they dont and will not. Does the United Nations go about threatening Muslim countries to allow building of Churches and Church Towers? - No. This discrimanatory attitude should be pointed out to the United Nations. There should be a million signatures collected in switzerland forcing the United Nations to persuade the Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia and Gulf Countries to allow construction of churches, Synagogues, Buddhist and Hindu Temples - If they want to blame Switzerland on this issue. Equality should not be a discrimatory one way traffic. --- If Muslims change their law to permit mixed religious marriages, then automatically AT LEAST their children(who will study in local schools) will be sure to integrate, and thus the basic fundamental culture of Switzerland(free thinking, freedom in general which leads to healthy human development) will be preserved.

Lothar posted: 2010-01-17 18:02:43

Wow, that's really elaborate, "But they're doing it too!" non-argument. Just come out and say you're scared of the strange brown people with the funny language and religion. It's okay, we understand.

David posted: 2010-01-20 20:41:24

This is only a ban on minarets, not on mosques. There is outrage from the UN and Islamic groups. How shocking. Where is the outrage that Jews cannot even pray let alone rebuild on their holiest site, the Temple Mount, in their holy city of Jerusalem without muslims stoning them? Where is the outrage over the muslims blowing up the historical ancient Buddhist statues in Afghanistan? Where is the outrage over the muslims destroying the Sikh Golden Temple? Where is the outrage over Armenian churches being destroyed or converted to mosques? Where is the outrage over muslims destruction of Egyptian Coptic Christians home, business and churches? What about the conversion of the Tejo Mahalaya, a Hindu temple palace now known as the Taj Mahal, to an Islamic shrine, or the Hagia Sophia Church in Istanbul converted to a mosque? Interesting how in muslim countries, a minaret is not required of a mosque. Muslims are the last people who should be lecturing others about intolerance.

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