A national referendum backing a ban on the construction of minarets in Switzerland on Sunday sparked a row, amid fears of a backlash across the Muslim world.

The government may have to ban the construction of minarets in Switzerland after majority of voters backed the move in a referendum supported by a right-wing initiative.

The move by the People's Party, the country's largest party in terms of popular support and membership in parliament, is part of a broader European backlash against a growing Muslim immigration.

"The initiative would appear to be accepted. There is a positive trend. Its a huge surprise," Swiss television reported after the referendum finished.

According to the respected gfs.bern polling institute an estimated 59 per cent of voters backed the ban. A majority of cantons were also in support of the initiative, meaning it will become a constitutional amendment, news report said.

"A majority have voted for a nationwide ban on the construction of minarets," the institutes director Claude Longchamp, was quoted as saying by the Sunday Telegraph on Swiss Radio DRS on Sunday.

Both the government and parliament had rejected the initiative as an earlier survey that showed 53 per cent against the move, the report said.

It has stirred fears of violent reactions in Muslim countries and an economically disastrous boycott by wealthy Muslims who bank, shop and vacation in Switzerland.