Excerpt:
Switzerland's economy minister said on Wednesday that the Swiss government is concerned with a possible boycott of Swiss products overseas because xenophobic tendencies have found more ground in the wealthy European country.
Answering Today's Zaman's question in a written interview before boarding a plane to Ankara for an official visit on Thursday, Johann Schneider-Ammann, the Swiss head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, said: "This is a big concern for my government. The key to solving this issue is dialogue; dialogue with Muslim communities in Switzerland and, on the international level, dialogue with Muslim countries."
Switzerland received criticism for its approval of a ban against the construction of new minarets in a plebiscite three years ago. Earlier this month, the country's National Council rejected a motion to ban wearing burqas by the anti-minaret camp, the so-called Egerkinger Committee, who believe that the rejection ignores the majority of Swiss who are openly against the "Islamization" of Switzerland.