The proposal to ban the construction of new minarets was approved by 57.5% of Swiss voters who participated in the Nov. 29 referendum. Only four of the 26 cantons opposed a ban, but there was a clear division between urban and French-speaking areas, where support was relatively low, and rural and German-speaking cantons, where two-thirds of voters supported the initiative.

At 53%, turnout was high by Swiss standards. All major parties, except the far-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP), businesses, religious groups and interest organizations were united in their opposition to the ban. They argued that it violates the constitutional right to freedom of religion and incites hostility toward Muslims. The outcome was met with surprise and condemnation both inside and outside Switzerland.

Although the Courts ultimately may overturn it, repercussions for Swiss-Muslim relations and, consequently, Swiss business interests are possible. Domestically, it boosts the radical anti-immigration agenda of the SVP and threatens Swiss consensus politics.

The minaret ballot was instigated by the SVP and ultraconservative groups, and it was triggered when almost 115,000 voters signed a people’s initiative handed to parliament last year in favor of the ban. One hundred thousand signatures are required to force a federal initiative in Switzerland.

Although the Swiss Federal Council is bound by the outcome, which has already come into effect, it may be overturned by the Swiss Supreme Court or the Council of Europe’s European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. A likely test case for the ban is the pending permission for building a minaret in Langenthal, a canton of Berne. The Muslim community in Langenthal intends to take their case to the Federal Supreme Court and possibly further to the Strasbourg Court.

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