SPIEGEL ONLINE
- March 26, 2010
Delegates from right-wing populist parties from across Europe are descending on Germany this weekend for a conference looking into the possibility of an EU-wide minaret ban. The hosts, an anti-Muslim German group, hope to use the gathering as a springboard to success in local elections. By Charles Hawley in Berlin more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- February 05, 2010
A small Muslim community in a western German town would like to build a minaret on its mosque. But the plan has triggered passionate opposition from locals, many of whom rely on rhetoric from the extreme right in railing against the "symbol of Islam's quest for power." more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- December 15, 2009
Just weeks after Swiss voters banned minarets in the country, a German right-wing group is hoping to use a new European Union law to hold a minaret referendum across the 27 member bloc. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- December 11, 2009
Switzerland's recent vote to ban the construction of new minarets has shocked and angered Muslims around the world. But the controversial move also reflects a growing sense of unease among other Europeans who have trouble coming to terms with Islam's increased visibility. By SPIEGEL Staff more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- December 04, 2009
Leading Turkish-German director Fatih Akin has said he will boycott the Swiss premiere of his new film as a protest against Sunday's referendum vote to ban the construction of minarets in the country. He complained that the Swiss ban contradicted his belief in the "harmonious co-existence of peoples." more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- December 03, 2009
Us against them. That is how Europe's right wing sees the Swiss ban on minarets. After all, so goes the logic, Christians in the Muslim world aren't doing any better. But the argument is the height of intellectual laziness. The two groups simply cannot be compared. By Yassin Musharbash more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- December 01, 2009
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has joined a chorus of international criticism of Switzerland's ban on minarets, saying it reflects an increasingly racist and fascist stance in Europe. The Swiss foreign minister said the vote may pose a threat to the country's security. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- November 30, 2009
Switzerland's vote to ban minarets is a disaster for its image, write German commentators. The vote doesn't just reflect a fear of "Islamization" but also shows that setbacks in recent years have shaken its national self-confidence. But Germans would probably vote the same way, warn some observers. more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- November 30, 2009
The Swiss have voted in favor of a complete ban on the construction of minarets. But the decision is not a reaction to problems with Muslims in the country. Instead, it reveals a deep-seated fear of Islam. By Mathieu von Rohr more...
SPIEGEL ONLINE
- October 13, 2009
A poster featuring a Muslim woman in a chador surrounded by minaret towers that resemble missiles is causing outrage in Switzerland ahead of a referendum next month on whether to ban mosques from having minarets. The campaign is proving so controversial that even some die-hard members of the country's far right are uncomfortable with it. By Michael Soukup more...
