Swiss set to vote in referendum on minaret ban

Berne - Swiss voters were set to vote Sunday in a referendum brought by a right-wing party seeking a ban on any further construction of minarets in the Alpine country. Latest public opinion polls indicated that the referendum, brought by the Swiss Peoples Party SVP, would be voted down, albeit by a narrow margin.

Switzerland has some 400,000 Muslims who pray in otherwise unassuming-appearing mosques. There are only four minarets in the country.

The Swiss Federal Council, the collective executive branch of government, has come out strongly against the referendum, expressing concern about the possible adverse effects on Switzerland's relationship with the Arab world. Berne also points to the country's image of religious tolerance.

Switzerland's system of "direct democracy" allows groups or individuals to put forward laws that are then voted on through popular referendums, bypassing parliament.

The referendum has become controversial after the SVP once ran a poster campaign showing a completely veiled woman standing next to a Swiss flag pierced with menacing minarets.

The poster was banned in several key cantons in Switzerland, with the local governments saying it was racist. Others allowed it in the name of freedom of expression.