Of course the Swiss have made a terrible, for both the Swiss Muslims and also themselves in the eyes of the Muslim world.

However this is not a question of the Swiss as an isolated case of a singular right-wing reaction but of a greater perception within Europe. The Swiss simply were first to make such a drastic move thanks to their unique model of direct democracy. You can be quite assure that the same sentiments are carried throughout Europe.

The Turkish prime ministers widely quoted remark that minarets are Islams missiles surely could not have helped the issue.

On one hand, as an American, anything you do to disfavor one religion against more favored alternatives is bad. Period, end of story.

But Europeans are feeling threatened by muslim encroachment into their countries. Europeans have been getting less and less religious over the last 60+ years, and to see what is, in essence, a “foreign” religion come in and grow in what are alarming numbers is frightening. If enough of them get together in small democracies like Switzerland, it is feared that they could take over from the traditional populations and enforce their “foreign” religious values.

Since Europeans have just, in the last 60 years, gotten away from that monster, they don’t want to go back.

Perfectly understandable. Flawed, but understandable.