The Main Argument for a Ban on Minarets in Switzerland

The construction of a minaret has no religious characteristics. Neither in the Qur’an, nor in any other holy scripture of Islam is the minaret expressly mentioned at any rate. The minaret is far more a symbol of religious-political power, which claims civil rights (such as religious freedom) for its own, but denies those civil rights to others. This is the case, for instance, when it comes to the right to equality before the law for both genders. Thus, such power claim is in contradiction with the Constitution and legal system of Switzerland.
Anyone who puts religion above the State (as it is actually the case in Islam), or assigns more powers to religious principles than to the applicable, and democratically enforced legal system of Switzerland, is in contradiction with the Federal Constitution. This contradiction is unavoidable. The minaret is the external symbol of this religious-political power claim, which calls constitutionally protected civil rights into question. The popular initiative’s prohibition of minarets will achieve that constitutionally entrenched civil rights continue to enjoy unlimited protection in Switzerland. The intention of islamic communities to push through a sharia orientated legal system in Switzerland will thereby be repudiated.