The ban met with strong criticism outside of Switzerland. The Vatican, the UN high commissioner for human rights, and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference condemned the ban, as did many political leaders. Far right parties throughout Europe, by contrast, welcomed the ban and expressed hope that similar bans in the future would take effect in their countries. Their optimism was not misplaced. Polling in the weeks following the ban indicated that support for similar bans across Europe was gaining traction. Approximately 59 percent of those polled in Belgium favored a minaret ban, as did 46 percent in France and 37 percent in Britain. The Swiss ban galvanized far right politicians throughout Europe, providing them with a possible blueprint for minimizing Islam's presence in the public sphere.

XREF: Connects to broader literature on Islamophobia in Europe and the diffusion of restrictive policy models across national borders. SEED: Potential essay angle: how a single national referendum becomes a policy blueprint exported across a continent.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 640