The Muslim religious leader in Malta, Imam Mohammad ElSadi, has deplored a Swiss referendum, which banned the construction of minarets in the country.

He called the vote "racist and discriminative against Muslims" because it did not include any restrictions on the places of worship of other religions.

Also, he felt it would fuel "Islamophobia" in Europe, claiming it frustrated attempts by Muslim communities to integrate in European societies.

He feared it would set a precedent, which paved the way for similar referenda in other European countries and accused the people behind it of being racist.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.