MUI CONDEMNS BAN ON MOSQUE MINARETS IN SWITZERLAND

Jakarta, Dec 2 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has condemned the Swiss referendum supporting a ban on construction of minarets on mosques in the country last November 29.

The referendum itself was called for by the largest party in Switzerland's coalition government, the Swiss People's Party (SVP). In the exercise, more than 100.000 signatures of eligible voters had been collected over the past 18 months.

"The referendum is a reflection of fear towards Islam and Muslims because of hatred and a racist spirit while the decision to issue the ban to build new minarets proves that Switzerland has no tolerance for a minority religion," MUI Secretary Wellya Safitri said here on Wednesday.

In response to the new development in Switzerland, the MUI would urge the Indonesian government to meet with the Swiss authorities to discuss the issue. It was hoped the Swiss government would still fulfill its commitment to guaranteeing people's freedom of worship and not make the result of recent referendum its national policy.

"But if Switzerland implements the referendum result, the Indonesian government must adopt a firm stance and consider reducing our diplomatic relations with them," she said.

The chief of MUI's Commission for Inter-Religious Harmony, Slamet Effendy Yusuf, added the result of recent referendum in Switzerland was shocking and MUI along with other religious organizations in Indonesia would issue a joint petition suggesting to the Swiss government not to obey the result of the recent referendum.

Earlier, the Indonesian government had also stated its disappointment over the result of the Swiss referendum which bans the construction of new mosque minarets in the country.

"We are very disappointed about the Swiss referendum's result. I think Indonesia needs to hold more dialogs with related authorities in Switzerland about this issue," Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said.
Natalegawa said the Swiss government itself was opposed to the idea contained in the referendum.

According to the minister, the referendum's result was a stark contrast with Switzerland's image as a country having an open-minded people and very tolerant toward differences.

"The condition reminds us of the importance of interfaith dialogue to give a better understanding about each religious belief and its concepts. We must not let controversial policies in a country being taken only on the basis of lack of information among its citizens," said the minister.

Marty also suggested that the Indonesian people refrain from demonstrating their negative reaction to the issue in Swiss.

"Our job now is to find ways to counter the negative stereotyping of Muslims in some countries," he said.

The Indonesian people, the minister added, was expected to conduct smarter and constructive reactions toward the recent issue in Switzerland.

"We must let the Swiss people know that the ban is unacceptable. But I expect we will realize it through a smart and well-managed dialogue with all related parties," he said.

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