CAIRO: Egypt s top diplomat said on Thursday that a Swiss vote to ban the construction of minarets was a grave mistake and Europe could no longer lecture his country on human rights.

The Swiss people will some day come to realize what a grave mistake they have made, Ahmed Aboul Gheit told Egyptian television in comments carried by the official MENA news agency.

The human rights situation in Egypt is good… Europe cannot talk to Egypt about its human rights record at a time when Switzerland is supporting a ban on minaret building, Aboul Gheit said.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones, the minister said in the interview which focused on Egyptian-European relations.

On Sunday, more than 57 percent of Swiss voters approved a right-wing motion to ban minarets on mosques, a decision that was met with an international backlash and charges of intolerance.

Aboul Gheit expressed regret that there is an increasing fear of Muslims in (European) societies as a result of the acts of some groups, in allusion to attacks committed in the name of Islam. -AFP