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Libya: Gaddafi against Bern, holy war over minarets

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Friday, 26 February 2010

ROME - The diplomatic dispute between Libya and Switzerland has unexpectedly been rekindled after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi yesterday called for a "holy war" (jihad) against Switzerland due to the November referendum which resulted in a halt to the building of new minarets in the country.

The tension between the two countries has been running high for the past two years, ever since Gaddafìs son Hannibal was arrested in 2008 in Geneva after one of his maids reported maltreatment.

The latter was only the first incident in a long-standing dispute, which was rekindled a few weeks ago by the Libyan decision to deny visas to citizens of Schengen-area countries in response to a 'black list' drawn up by Switzerland with the names of 188 Libyans (including Gaddafi himself) on it.

The chancelleries of several Western countries have been working to resolve the dispute over the past few days, with undivided support from the European Union "Jihad must be declared against the infidel and apostate Switzerland, which is destroying the houses of Allah," Colonel Gaddafi said yesterday, speaking at Benghazi for the commemoration of the birth of the prophet Muhammad.

According to the Libyan leader, "the jihad against Switzerland, against Zionism and against foreign aggression is not terrorism." "Every Muslim in the world who has anything to do with Switzerland is an infidel, is against Islam, against the prophet Muhammad, against the Koran," added the Libyan leader before a thousand-strong crowd.

Gaddafi then urged "the Muslim masses to go to airports in the Muslim world and prevent Swiss flights from landing, to go to the ports to prevent Swiss ships from docking, to inspect every shop and market to stop the sale of goods produced in Switzerland."

On November 29, the referendum proposed by the populist right which requested that the building of new minarets be banned in Switzerland gained 57.7% of votes, triggering protest in the Islamic world. (ANSAmed).