Minaret ban ‘conflicts with human rights’

Switzerland’s ban on building new minarets probably conflicts with the freedom of religion and therefore breaches international treaties on human rights, Dutch foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen said on Monday.


Verhagan, a member of the Christian Democratic party, said he had his doubts that the ban would stand up in court.
Earlier, home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst described the Swiss referendum outcome as ‘very regrettable’. ‘I hope this never happens in the Netherlands,’ she said.
Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders said he would press for a similar ban in Holland. ‘If the government is unwilling to hold a referendum, the PVV will present its own bill to parliament. What is possible in Switzerland should also be possible here,’ he was reported as saying.

Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation