We posted earlier about the surprise, and surprisingly strong, Swiss vote to establish a constitutional ban on the construction of new minarets, the towers that are one of the distinguishing features of mosque architecture.

Now comes word, via the BBC, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and others, that populist leaders in Belgium, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands want referenda on the issue in their countries, too. From the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty story:

Geert Wilders, head of the Dutch Freedom Party, told the Dutch daily "Volkskrant" that his party "will call upon the government to make a similar referendum possible in the Netherlands."

And in Denmark, Danish People's Party head Pia Kjaersgaard welcomed the Swiss ban and said her party would also seek a similar vote.

Martin Henriksen, a deputy for the Danish People's Party, acknowledged that Denmark currently had no mosques with minarets. But he told RFE/RL that Muslim immigrants have to adapt to Danish society, not the other way around.

"There are plans in Copenhagen and other Danish cities to build grand mosques, and we oppose it in every way possible. And this could be another way to oppose it," Henriksen says.

The Swiss vote has drawn international condemnation from the United Nations, the European Union, the Vatican and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, among others.