GENEVA — Switzerland says the country's new ban on the building of minarets is not aimed at Muslims but at Islamic fundamentalism.
Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf says her country supports religious freedoms.
She says Sunday's referendum, during which voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on minarets, was not "a referendum against Islam ... but a vote directed against fundamentalist developments."
Widmer-Schlumpf spoke on arrival Monday at a meeting with EU justice ministers. Switzerland is not an EU member but has close and regular contacts with the EU.
LIVESHOTS: Swiss Minarets a Tolerance Test for Europe?
Swiss voters support barring construction of the iconic mosque towers in a surprise vote that put Switzerland at the forefront of a European backlash against a growing Muslim population.
Muslim groups in Switzerland and abroad condemned the vote as biased and anti-Islamic. Business groups said the decision hurt Switzerland's international standing and could damage relations with Muslim nations and wealthy investors who bank, travel and shop there.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,577668,00.html?test=latestnewsWell Since they are not in E.U. Empire they can do this.Plus the people spoke. GTO
