A Turkish minister wants Muslims to take their money out of Switzerland after a controversial vote to ban minarets.

State Minister Egemen Bagis said Muslims who were shocked by the referendum vote last Sunday should think about moving Swiss bank deposits to Turkey.

"I am certain this vote will prompt our brothers from Muslim countries who keep their money and investments in Swiss banks to review their decision," said Bagis. "The doors of the Turkish banking sector are always open to them."

He also called on the Swiss to correct their "flawed decision."

Bagis, who is his country's chief negotiator in talks over accession to the EU, made his remarks in the popular Turkish daily newspaper Hurriyet.

His comments follow criticism from around the world after 57.5 percent of Swiss voters backed the ban.

Right-wing proposal

The referendum was proposed by the right-wing Swiss People's Party, which said that minarets were not merely architectural features but symbols of a "political-religious claim to power."

Bagis's call was echoed by the joint leader of the Green Party group in the European parliament, Daniel Cohn-Bendit. He said that rich Muslims should empty their Swiss bank accounts in protest.

European leaders reacted with disappointment to the vote on Sunday. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said that it was "an expression of intolerance."

However, right wing parties such as Holland's Freedom Party have called for similar bans in their own countries.

Last month, the cornerstone was laid in Cologne for one of Europe's largest mosques after years of controversy. It will feature a minaret.

rc/AFP/dpa
Editor: Michael Lawton