Lib Dem candidate slams Swiss minaret ban

A PARLIAMENTARY hopeful has condemned Switzerland s vote to ban the building of minarets, branding the announcement a sad day for Europe . Ajmal Masroor, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow spoke out after Swiss voters

A PARLIAMENTARY hopeful has condemned Switzerland's vote to ban the building of minarets, branding the announcement a "sad day for Europe".

Ajmal Masroor, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Bethnal Green and Bow spoke out after Swiss voters agreed to support the referendum proposal which said the iconic mosque towers were a sign of Islamisation.

He told the Advertiser: "Swiss people have let us all down, they should have rejected the call for a minaret ban. This is a step in the wrong direction.

"If lack of integration of the Muslim communities in Europe is causing the right wing parties to become popular and successful by exploiting fear amongst people, banning Muslim communities' religious symbols and practices is not going to send a welcoming signal."

More than 57 per cent of Swiss voters and 22 out of 26 cantons - or provinces - voted in favour of the proposal which was put forward by the country's biggest political party, the Swiss People's Party.