In a referendum vote on November 29, 2009, nearly 58% of Swiss voters approved a ban on the construction of minarets in a decision that puzzled many Swiss and much of the international community.  The referendum was passed by 22 of the 26 Swiss Cantons and was perhaps a reflection of the current economic and diplomatic environment in Switzerland and the world.

The “Minarett Verbot” referendum was the subject of much debate and head-scratching on Swiss public affairs discussion shows—the success of the initiative (and the breadth of the majority) having taken elites and pollsters by surprise.  The discussion was more thoughtful and less ideologically charged than some expected.  There was a recognition among some in government and the commentariat that perhaps the government had failed to hear public concerns that were both legitimate and simmering but had been expressed less starkly than in the form they ultimately took.  (Click here to see how one swiss man, angered by the decision, reacted.)

It is widely thought that the ongoing diplomatic spat between Switzerland and Libya may have provoked the strong sentiments in Swiss voters who passed the referendum, as suggested in a December Bloomberg News article .  The row began in July 2008 with the arrest of Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi's son in Geneva and the subsequent arrest of two Swiss businessmen in Libya, who have been refused exit from Libya since summer 2008.  Many believe this conflict may have sparked anti-Arab and anti-Islamic sentiment among Swiss voters.

Swiss print and broadcast media have closely followed the saga of the two Swiss business people held in Libya .  Not entirely coincidentally perhaps, Tagesschau (the daily news broadcast) carried a story on December 30—“Schlug Hannibal erneut zu?” (“Did Hannibal strike again?) Hannibal Qaddafi, whose arrest in Geneva triggered the taking of the two Swiss hostages, was reported to have attacked his wife at Claridges in London—this time, however, while under diplomatic status.