Tariq Ramadan in the Guardian's Comment is Free reflects on the outcome of the Swiss referendum to ban the building of new minarets.

'For the first time since 1893 an initiative that singles out one community, with a clear discriminatory essence, has been approved in Switzerland.

'The minarets are but a pretext – the UDC (Union Démocratique du Centre) wanted first to launch a campaign against the traditional Islamic methods of slaughtering animals but were afraid of testing the sensitivity of Swiss Jews, and instead turned their sights on the minaret as a suitable symbol.'

Read the article here.