SWITZERLAND APPROVES BURQA BAN. “The proposal was put forward by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) which campaigned with slogans such as ‘Stop extremism’. A leading Swiss Islamic group said it was ‘a dark day’ for Muslims. . . . It is not the first time Islam has figured in a Swiss referendum. In 2009 citizens went against government advice and voted to ban the building of minarets – a proposal also put forward by the SVP which said minarets were a sign of Islamisation.”