What makes this bad situation even more worrisome is the fact that such an overtly xenophobic and racist attitude finds so much support in an otherwise neutral country. If this vote had occurred in, say, Denmark, one would not be surprised, after the Danish cartoon controversies and the reaction in the Muslim world, to find a majority of Danes voting for such a referendum. But, of all places, Switzerland? Muslims worriedly and rightly ask: If these negative attitudes are so popular in Switzerland, what does that augur for other European countries?

I don’t agree with this at all. In fact, I think he has it the wrong way around. Swiss neutrality has nothing to do with their being ‘culturally’ neutral. And the Danes are actually fairly worldly-wise.