Excerpt:
Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz on Tuesday told voters that the call of the muezzin, or Muslim imam who calls people to prayer, would not sound in Switzerland, as he campaigned against a referendum motion seeking to ban the building of minarets.
"Muslims should be able to practice their religion and have access to minarets in Switzerland too. But the call of the muezzin will not sound here," said Merz in a video broadcast to the nation.
The Swiss are due to vote on Nov. 29 on the motion launched by right wing groups to ban the construction of minarets, which is backed by the country's biggest political party, the hard right Swiss People's Party (SVP).