The Office of the Attorney General of Lucerne has opened an investigation into an Iraqi imam at the Dar Asalam mosque in the town of Kriens. The man is alleged to have advised followers to beat their wives if they disobey them.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/sb
The procedure was opened following an article recounting the incident in the SonntagsZeitung newspaperExternal link on October 6, the prosecutor’s office told the Keystone-SDA news agency on Monday.
According to the newspaper, the 38-year-old Iraqi made the remarks during a speech at a Friday prayer session at the Kriens mosque, near Lucerne, at the beginning of August.
The man, who is presumed innocent until a final decision is made, purportedly suggested disciplining women with physical violence if other methods such as discussion or taking separate beds fail. He also reportedly called for respect for sharia law.
SonntagsZeitung reported that the imam arrived in Switzerland in 2007, where he filed an asylum request that was rejected. He was reported to have received an F residence permit which allows foreigners to be provisionally admitted to the country in cases where it is impossible to send them back home for specific reasons.
He was one of four Iraqis tried by a Swiss court in 2016 for alleged support to the Islamic State militant group. The other three people tried were all found guilty, while he was acquitted.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
Ecological status of Swiss streams insufficient according to study
This content was published on
Pesticide use and obstructions of waterways have a particularly negative impact on sensitive organisms, completely absent in 70% of streams analysed.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Court finds three Iraqis guilty of Islamic State support
This content was published on
It was the first time a guilty verdict had been pronounced in Switzerland related to Islamic State activities. The three individuals found guilty were all sentenced to prison terms, the longest of which will last four years and eight months. The judges ruled that the three guilty Iraqis had been trying to bring information,…
This content was published on
Judges at the Swiss Federal Court have thrown out an appeal by an Imam convicted of inciting hate and violence, who worked at a Winterthur mosque.
This content was published on
Switzerland’s largest mosque, which has been embroiled in various controversies, has a new director, reports Swiss public radio, RTS.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.