Sarkozy rises in defense of Swiss minaret ban

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday warned believers to be thankful for the religious freedom they enjoy in France, amid national debates over faith following a Swiss ban on minarets.

In an opinion piece published in the French daily Le Monde, the president defended the Swiss referendum against widespread international condemnation of the ban.

"Instead of condemning the Swiss out of hand, we should try to understand what they meant to express and what so many people in Europe feel, including people in France," he wrote.

Sarkozy linked the ban to the Alpine country's concerns over a potential loss of identity that should not be overlooked, and showed the importance of holding extended debates on national identity.

The government's recently launched "grand débat,” calling nationalists to describe what it is that makes them feel French, has been criticized as a ploy to appeal to the right-wing section of the population ahead of regional elections next March.

France, home to Europe's largest Muslim minority, passed a law in 2004, banning headscarves or any other "conspicuous" religious symbols in state schools in defense of secularism.

"Christian, Jew or Muslim... each one must guard against all ostentation and all provocation and, aware of the good fortune to be able to live in a free land, practice his religion with humble discretion," the president added.

Sarkozy went on to directly reassure French Muslims that he would dedicate himself to the battle against discrimination, maintaining that no one in Europe was seeking to deny Muslims their basic right to freedom of religion.

A poll published last week, however, exposed French hostility towards the building of not only the minaret — distinct architectural features built on top of mosques — but the Islamic prayer houses over all.

Nearly half the population (46 percent) were against building of mosques, while 41 percent favored a ban on the minarets.

"The peoples of Europe are welcoming and tolerant…But they do not want their surroundings, their way of thinking and their social relationships to be distorted," he argued.

France, with six million Muslims, has fewer than 2,500 prayers houses and mosques, many of which are housed in modest halls, according to AFP.