THE Swiss government has done well to lift the ban on the construction of mosques and the preaching of Islam. With that, allowing the construction of the minarets is also under consideration. It is not just a sigh of relief for the Muslims in Switzerland but also a ray of hope for Muslim women in Europe struggling against the ban on headgear. There should be little doubt that the decision to do away with the construction ban is in good faith. Concurrently, it is quite clear that it is also an effort to repair the damage done to Switzerlands image owing to a grotesquely discriminatory step. In a highly racist move, the state, encouraged by the Swiss Peoples Party and other hawkish elements within the public, had imposed a ban on new minarets besides taking serious measures designed to curb the religious freedom enjoyed by the Muslims. More than just a gross breach of basic human rights, it was part of the nefarious scheme to drive a wedge between the Muslims and the Westerners, further denying the latter the space to co-exist peacefully with their Christian brethren. Sadly enough, various quarters in Switzerland had felt no qualms in spewing venom against the Muslims, portraying them as cavemen. Depiction of mosques and minarets as symbols of radical Islam is undoubtedly a slap in the face of the secularist character of the European states. There is no disputing the fact that in this point in time, the menace of Islamophobia has reached horrific proportions. The Muslim Diaspora in the West has come under an unprecedented level of scrutiny. While countless innocent Muslims have been mercilessly butchered in Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of war on terror, those living in the West are being humiliated and harassed just because they happen to be followers of Islam. Given the forces sowing hatred against this truly peaceful religion, a collective effort is required to change the mindset of the proverbial white man.