BENGHAZI, Libya: Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi
called on Thursday for a "jihad" or armed struggle against Switzerland,
saying it was an infidel state that was destroying mosques.
"Any Muslim in any part of the world who works with Switzerland is an
apostate, is against (the Prophet) Mohammad, God and the Koran,"
Gaddafi said during a meeting in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi to
mark the [ false ] Prophet's birthday.
"The masses of Muslims must go to all airports in the Islamic world and
prevent any Swiss plane landing, to all harbours and prevent any Swiss
ships docking, inspect all shops and markets to stop any Swiss goods
being sold," Gaddafi said.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry said it had no comment on Gaddafi's remarks.
Libya's relations with Switzerland broke down in 2008 when a son of
Gaddafi was arrested in a Geneva hotel and charged with abusing
domestic servants.
He was released shortly afterwards and the charges were dropped, but
Libya cut oil supplies to Switzerland, withdrew billions of dollars
from Swiss bank accounts and arrested two Swiss businessmen working in
the North African country.
One has been released but the other was forced this week to leave the
Swiss embassy in Tripoli where he had been sheltering and move to a
prison to serve a four-month sentence, apparently avoiding a major
confrontation.
Libya says the Geneva arrest and the case of the two businessmen are
not linked. "Let us fight against Switzerland, Zionism and foreign
aggression," said Gaddafi, adding that "this is not terrorism", in
contrast with the work of al Qaeda which he called a "kind of crime and
a psychological disease". "There is a big difference between terrorism
and jihad which is a right to armed struggle," he said.
Gaddafi accused Switzerland of being an "infidel, obscene state which
is destroying mosques", in reference to a Swiss referendum verdict
barring construction of minarets. He called for a "jihad against it
with all means".
Gaddafi was speaking before leading prayers in a Benghazi square in the
presence of envoys from dozens of Muslim countries. Swiss nationals
voted 57.5 percent in favour of the minaret ban in the
Nov. 29 referendum backed by the right-wing Swiss
People's Party.
