Gaddafi by Agência Brasil . Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi has called for Muslims to declare jihad against Switzerland, citing the recent Swiss ban on the construction of new minarets at mosques. Libya and Switzerland have been in a diplomatic dispute since the Swiss arrested one of Gaddafi's sons in 2008. Gaddafi now states he would invade if the two shared a common border. Yesterday, the Colonel addressed a gathering in Benghazi to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed . During the speech, which The New York Times described as 'rambling,' he said that "[t]hose who destroy God's mosques deserve to be attacked through Jihad, and if Switzerland was on our borders, we would fight it." He called on Muslim nations to reject entry from Swiss ships and aircraft, and asked Muslims to boycott goods from Switzerland. Libya has already recalled its diplomats and withdrawn its money from Switzerland. Oil shipments were disrupted, and two Swiss nationals were prevented from leaving Libya. One was released earlier this week after being detained for nineteen months, and the other remains in a Libyan jail, serving a four-month 'reduced' sentence. All these measures followed the arrest of Hannibal Gaddafi and his wife under suspicion of assaulting their servants. Gaddafi, who has a harem of young female bodyguards and a reputation for outlandish eccentricity, has been met with negative reactions from Muslims in Switzerland. "In my opinion, this is a purely political matter between Libya and Switzerland, and has nothing to do with Islam or with Muslims," said the head of the mosque in Geneva . Yasar Ozdemir of the Swiss Federation of Muslim Associations said he was unsurprised by Gaddafi's "nonsense."
Gaddafi by . Libyan leader Colonel has called for Muslims to declare against Switzerland, citing the recent Swiss ban on the construction of new minarets at mosques. Libya and Switzerland have been in a diplomatic dispute since the Swiss arrested one of Gaddafi's sons in 2008. Gaddafi now states he would invade if the two shared a common border. Yesterday, the Colonel addressed a gathering in to mark the birthday of the . During the speech, which described as 'rambling,' he said that "[t]hose who destroy God's mosques deserve to be attacked through Jihad, and if Switzerland was on our borders, we would fight it." He called on Muslim nations to reject entry from Swiss ships and aircraft, and asked Muslims to boycott goods from Switzerland. Libya has already recalled its diplomats and withdrawn its money from Switzerland. Oil shipments were disrupted, and two Swiss nationals were prevented from leaving Libya. One was released earlier this week after being detained for nineteen months, and the other remains in a Libyan jail, serving a four-month 'reduced' sentence. All these measures followed the arrest of and his wife under suspicion of assaulting their servants. Gaddafi, who has a harem of young female bodyguards and a reputation for outlandish eccentricity, has been met with negative reactions from Muslims in Switzerland. "In my opinion, this is a purely political matter between Libya and Switzerland, and has nothing to do with Islam or with Muslims," said the head of the mosque in . Yasar Ozdemir of the Swiss Federation of Muslim Associations said he was unsurprised by Gaddafi's "nonsense."
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Agência Brasil
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Muammar Gaddafi
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jihad
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Benghazi
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Prophet Mohammed
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The New York Times
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Hannibal Gaddafi
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Geneva