GENEVA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations' top human rights official on Tuesday criticized a Swiss ban on building Muslim minarets, saying the measure was "clearly discriminatory."

    Such a ban is "discriminatory, deeply divisive and a thoroughly unfortunate step for Switzerland to take, and risks putting the country on a collision course with its international human rights obligations," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

    In a referendum held on Sunday, Swiss voters approved an initiative launched by right-wing and ultra-conservative groups to ban the construction of new minarets. The Swiss government was strongly opposed to the initiative but it had to respect the result of the vote.

    "I hesitate to condemn a democratic vote, but I have no hesitation at all in condemning the anti-foreigner scare-mongering that has characterized political campaigns in a number of countries, including Switzerland, which helps produce results likethis," Pillay said.

    She noted that politics based on xenophobia or intolerance "is extremely disquieting, wherever it occurs."

    "It is corrosive, and -- beyond a certain point -- can become socially disruptive and even dangerous," she added.

Swiss voters approve ban on construction of minarets

    GENEVA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- The majority of Swiss voters on Sunday said yes to a ban on the construction of Muslim minarets, the official Swissinfo.ch news website reported.

    According to the final results of a referendum, 57.5 percent of voters and a majority of cantons backed the initiative, which was championed by rightwing and ultra-conservative groups, but strongly opposed by the government as well as churches and the business community. Full story

Iran condemns Swiss minaret ban as "Islamophobic act"

    TEHRAN, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Tuesday condemned a Swiss referendum banning the construction of minarets in the country, local English language satellite Press TV reported.

    Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast described the Swiss minaret ban as an "Islamophobic act" and a blow to the religious freedom declared in the West, the report said. Full story

Turkish president criticizes minaret vote in Switzerland

    ANKARA, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Tuesday that Switzerland's vote on Nov. 29 to ban minarets in the country is contrary to fundamental rights and freedoms, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

    "This is a shame for the Swiss," Gul was quoted as saying at the Esenboga airport in the Turkish capital of Ankara prior to his departure for a formal visit to Jordan. Full story