The Minaret Ban in Switzerland: An exception to the rule?

Abstract

The Swiss voters recently decided to prohibit the building of minarets in their country in a national popular vote. Many political observers regarded this event as clear evidence for the negative effects of direct democracy on minority rights. This book chapter investigates whether there are similar effects observable in Switzerland before the minaret ban, by reviewing recent literatore in this research area. The results are ambivalent. On the one hand, Muslims torn out to be exceptionally prone to negative effects of direct democracy in general. On the other hand, the minaret initiative is an exception, since for the first time certain rights of Muslims were restricted. Previously, negative effects only occurred because direct democracy inhibited the expansion of religious rights.