Swiss politician Sanija Ameti of the center-left Green Party has stepped down as the party’s local leader in Zurich amid outrage over images of her posted on Instagram showing her firing a gun at an image of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.
Sanija Ameti is Muslim and was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, from where she came to Switzerland with her parents as a refugee in 1995, when she was three years old.
According to information from the Swissinfo website, the youth directorate of the Swiss People’s Party filed a criminal complaint against Ameti on Monday (9) for violating freedom of religion and worship.
She deleted the images from Instagram and claimed that during a shooting practice, she had an art catalog and had chosen an Orthodox icon with the Virgin Mary and the Baby Jesus at random, without paying attention to the religious content. Ameti apologized and said her action was “stupid.”
The Liberal Green Party said the political resignation of the party’s regional leadership was not enough and that procedures for expulsion from the party would be opened “immediately”.
In a statement, the Swiss Bishops’ Conference said it found Ameti’s behavior “unacceptable” and that she had sent a letter of apology, for which the bishops thanked her.
“Nevertheless, the bishops are obliged to publicly express their profound disapproval. In our society, it remains crucial that culture and education actively contribute to respect for the human person and his or her religious beliefs,” the conference said in the statement.
#Swiss #Muslim #politician #quits #party #leadership #shooting #image #Jesus #Mary
