If confirmed, the result will be a huge embarrassment for the neutral Swiss government, which has warned that amending the constitution to ban construction of minarets may "serve the interests of extremist circles."

"The initiative would appear to be accepted. There is a positive trend. It's a huge surprise," French-language Swiss television said after polls closed.

A majority of voters as well as cantons appeared to have approved the initiative, it said, citing exit polls carried out by the Berne-based Institute Gfs.

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The projections, contracted by state- owned television DRS, say the Swiss swung massively in recent days from 37 percent support in pre-vote polls to 59 percent in the actual voting.

Both the Swiss government and parliament have rejected the initiative as violating the Swiss constitution, freedom of religion and a tradition of tolerance. The United Nations human rights watchdog has also voiced concerns.

A group of politicians from the right- wing Swiss People's Party, the country's biggest party, and Federal Democratic Union gathered enough signatures to force the vote on the initiative, which opposes the "Islamization of Switzerland."

"We just want to stop further Islamization, I mean political Islam. People may practice their religion, that is no problem," Walter Wobmann, who is president of a committee of initiative backers, said.

The Alpine country of nearly seven million is home to more than 300,000 Muslims, mainly from Bosnia, Kosovo and Turkey. Four mosques have minarets, including those in Geneva and Zurich. The call to prayer is banned.

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