A ban on minarets in Switzerland: Bad News!

I was very surprised to learn that the Swiss had voted to ban the construction of minarets in their country. I was just as surprised, and dismayed, to see the bloggers at Rorate Caeli rejoicing at the news.

Isn't it very probable that the very impetus behind banning minarets drives initiatives in Italy to ban crucifixes from classrooms? Maybe the next target will be church spires, or church bells, or Eucharistic processions.

When the freedom of one religion to worship and express their rites and beliefs in a legitimate manner is curtailed, it is (especially in today's rabidly secular climate) an attack on all religion. Haven't they learnt this from America's own history of sometimes official anti-Catholicism? Do they have such short memories? Or have they so lost the ability to step into the other's shoes?

And please, let's not point to Saudi Arabia and say "Oh they're not giving Christians the right to worship freely in their lands. So why should we tolerate Muslims in Europe?"
You can do that the next time a Saudi, or a fundamentalist Muslim, complains about Islam's position in Europe. They have no right to say anything, given their own horrific approach to religious freedom. But please let's not use Saudi Arabia as our benchmark and standard of freedom, civility and democracy.

This is an attack on religious freedom. Whatever your views on Islam are, it's naive, and un-Christian to rejoice at this latest development in the dismal history of secularism in Europe.