Jihad declared on Switzerland

Last Updated on Monday, 01 March 2010 01:26 Saturday, 27 February 2010 00:38

You arrest my Son and I'll go Jihad on your country's ass. So said Colonel Gaddafi of Libya. Okay, maybe not in so many words but it seems a pretty good description of his latest outburst.

Gaddafi has actually declared Jihad on Switzerland in what is being seen as the latest round of tit for tat after police in Switzerland arrested Gaddafi's son and his wife at a luxury hotel in 2008. They were arrested on suspicion of attacking two servants but charges were later dropped.

In a long (very long) speech in the Libyan city of Benghazi, Gaddafi said "Any Muslim in any part of the world who works with Switzerland is an apostate, is against [the prophet] Mohammad, and God and the Koran,"

"The masses of Muslims must go to all airports in the Islamic world and prevent any Swiss plane landing, to all harbors and prevent any Swiss ships docking, inspect all shops and markets to stop any Swiss goods being sold."

Switzerland - Prepare for Jihad!

On a normal day it might be funny. But European leaders are worried. Switzerland banned minarets, or spires on Moslem mosques used for the call to prayer, last November. That might be seen by some Muslims as an assault on their religion leading to support for Gaddafi's call to Jihad.

The two countries have been trading blows since the arrest of Gadaffi's son in 2008. Libya withdrew billions from Swiss banks, stopped oil supplies to the tiny country, recalled it's diplomats and refused entry into Libya to Swiss citizens. It also detained some Swiss businessmen in Libya.

Switzerland for it's part banned 188 high level Libyans in response. It has not been confirmed but is suspected that Gaddafi himself is amongst that 188. That alone led to Libya halting visas for several European nations.

It's all Switzerland's fault according to Libya. They've dragged Europe into the mess by banning the 188 Libyans. European countries are jointly involved in a passport scheme, the Schengen scheme. By being banned from Switzerland, they are also prevented from taking out Schengen passports that would allow them into other European countries.

As serious as a call to Jihad is, it's hard to take the situation seriously. Switzerland? Probably the most neutral country on earth. A nation of just under 8m people, no war going back to 1815, just three mobilisations since then, where a third of the population believe an army is not required, where Swiss cheese and cuckoo clocks are made. Jihad what? If it were the school yard, Gadaffi would be laughed out of the place for picking on the smallest kid in school.