The people of Switzerland are voting today in a national referendum, to decide on whether to ban future construction of mosque minarets in the country.

The Muslim population of the country is estimated at 400 000, or 5% - 6% of the 7,5 M population of Switzerland. This compares with some 60 000, back in the 1960s. The Swiss government claims that fewer than 13% of these practice their religion.

Currently, there are some 160 mosques and cultural centers serving the Swiss Muslim minority. To date, there are a total of four minarets in the country.

Switzerland’s right-wing political parties have provoked the referendum, after having presented a petition with over 150 000 signatures supporting the proposed ban.

Surveys made in the run-up to Sunday’s referendum indicate that 53% of voters oppose the initiative. However, support for the ban has grown in the past weeks.

Whereas this has been seen as primarily a political move, there is concern that women’s groups have been successful in getting the support of female voters, by emphasizing what they perceive as the way Muslims treat women.

“If we give them a minaret, they’ll have us all wearing burqas,” said one Swiss housewife. “Before you know it, we’ll have sharia law and women being stoned to death in our streets. We won’t be Swiss any more.”

Feminist involvement has boosted the campaign, according to a poll, 39% of women support the ban on minarets, compared to 31% of men.

The Muslim community condemns the referendum as “a dirty campaign”. A local Muslim leader said. “They’re trying to provoke us.”

Reactions among the business community are pointed. There are fears of a reaction against Swiss products similar to the one suffered by Denmark over the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad in 2005.

“The brand ‘Swiss’ must continue to represent values such as openness, pluralism and freedom of religion,” said Hanspeter Rentsch, a member of the board of Swatch, the watchmaker.

The Swiss government is worried about reprisals plunging Switzerland into the front line of the war against terror. Micheline Calmy-Rey, the foreign minister, said a yes vote “could make Switzerland a target for Islamic terrorism”.

Whatever the result of Sunday’s referendum, the arguments seem likely to continue.

“In Switzerland,” said Hisham Maizer, president of the Swiss Federation of Islamic Organizations. “The debate about Islam is only just beginning.”

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