CAIRO: Arab League chief Amr Moussa on Tuesday denounced a vote in Switzerland that banned the construction of any further minarets, saying he hoped the referendum result would face a legal challenge.
Moussa, who heads the 22-member organization, told reporters that the ban, approved by almost 58 percent of Swiss voters on Sunday, was a violation of the rights of Muslims living in Switzerland.
He added that he hoped the issue will be treated by resorting to the authorities and human rights courts.
Muslim leaders and rights groups have condemned the ban, which will be included in Switzerland s constitution. The alpine country s four existing minarets will not be affected.
The Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa, described the vote as an insult to Muslims across the world.
Egypt s minister for religious endowments, Mahmud Zaqzouq, said he was worried there could be repercussions elsewhere in Europe, telling Egyptian television that he feared the worst was yet to come.
The Berne government had opposed the vote and there were fears in the Swiss business community that the outcome would harm lucrative economic ties with Muslim countries.
Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said on Tuesday the ban endangered security.
The reality of our societies, in Europe and in the world (is that) every blow to the co-existence of different cultures and religions also endangers our security, she said, according to a written transcript of her speech in Greece which was released by the ministry.
But the referendum result was welcomed by right wing parties across Europe, with some calling for similar votes in their countries. -AFP
