Sunday, November 8, 2009

Blog 41_Swiss mosques open day tackles fears

Muslim organisations in many parts of Switzerland have opened the doors of mosques, three weeks before a vote on a ban of the construction of minarets is to take place in the country.

The open day was held on Saturday in 12 cantons, including Geneva, Vaud and Freiburg. Many Muslim organisations say they hope their open day will counter fears and prejudices.

"We hope these meetings will build a dialogue and better understanding," said Hisham Maizar, a senior Muslim representative in eastern Switzerland, to the BBC.

Switzerland is home to about 400 000 Muslims, of which many see this ban as an act of discrimination.

In addition to the controversial voting per se, disputes also arose over an equally controversial poster that is part of the campaign of the ban. The poster shows a woman, dressed in a burka in front of black minarets that, to some media, resemble missiles. The poster was allowed to be used in Switzerland's biggest city, Zurich and this has created concerns. The Zurich city council justified their decision as a protection of freedom of speech.

Opinion polls suggest that the ban should be rejected.

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