'Islamophobic policies show Europe losing values'

A notable religious authority in Bosnia has lashed out at the EU's recent discriminatory moves against the continent's Muslim community.

Bosnia's head of the Islamic Community, Dr. Mustafa Ceric said he hoped Europe would restore its values, citing the recent Swiss ban on the construction minarets and the European Union's exclusion of three overwhelmingly-Muslim Balkan countries from a visa-free regime, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

Bern on Saturday declared the construction of any new minaret on Swiss soil illegal. The same day saw the EU banning citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo from travelling visa free across Europe, while granting the privilege to the citizens of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, reported the English-language Turkish newspaper Today's Zaman.

The Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina said, "The message from Brussels told us we are worth less than our Serbian, Montenegrin, Macedonian and Croatian neighbors, and the one from Switzerland told us that our religious and cultural symbols are unwanted.''

"Bosnia's Muslims should be given assurances that they have the right to live in Europe,'' added Ceric, who is renowned for his peace efforts and contributions to interfaith understanding.

The Swiss move drew sharp criticism from Muslims around the world and European countries, as well as the UN and the Vatican. Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast branded the move as an "Islamophobic act."

A notable opposition came from Ankara with the Turkish State Minister Egemen Bagis saying Muslims have to respond to the move by withdrawing their money from their Swiss bank accounts.