The Swiss referendum on minarets: background and aftermath. On 29 November 2009, Switzerland became the first country in Europe to vote to curb the religious practices of Muslims when a referendum, banning the construction of minarets on mosques, was backed by a strong majority. As a result, Article 72 of the Swiss Federal Constitution regulating relations between the state and religion was amended to include the statement: ‘the construction of minarets will be forbidden’. The result, which shocked the political establishment, which had confidently predicted its defeat, has resulted in much soul-searching about the Swiss system of direct democracy, with the federal government placed under increasing pressure to annul people’s initiatives that obviously contradict fundamental principles of international law or the Swiss Constitution.
