The leaning minaret of Mossul
Andrew Bostom points out that minarets have traditionally been more about projecting power, including military power, than they are about religion. Indeed, even the conservative Saudis think so. The current Turkish prime minister did indeed say, way back in February 1998 when he was a mayor: "The mosques are our barracks, the domes are our helmets, the minarets are our swords, and the faithful are our army."This is quoted in the venerable and left-of-centre New York Times , so it must be true...
