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A Bosnian Muslim politician, Sanija Ameti, who is known for her provocative acts, has sparked outrage with a tasteless post on Instagram after publishing photos of a shooting exercise in which she aimed at an image of Mary and Jesus,
Remix reports that Sanija, a local councilor of the Green Liberal Party in Zurich and president of Operation Libero, wrote, “Switch off.” The perforated heads of Mary and the baby Jesus could be seen.
Her action elicited fierce reactions. The Russian propaganda channel RT took up the matter, and Romanian nationalists and Catholics from the United States also spread the screenshots on social media.
The president of the Mass-Voll movement, Nicolas Rimoldi, announced on Monday that he would file a criminal complaint against Ameti, accusing her of interfering with religious freedom. Anyone who publicly insults or mocks the religious beliefs of others or “dishonors” objects of religious worship can be fined.
Rimoldi believes it is also incitement to violence. “Imagine if I had shot a picture of Alain Berset in 2021, Federal police would have been at my door. We must not tolerate violence and hatred,” he said.
Known for her provocations, Ameti makes headlines for her outrageous remarks and irritates the right-wing group. She was criticized previously when she commented during an SRF program two years ago that the two candidates for the Federal Council at the time, Albert Rosti and Hans-Ueli Vogt, would not even appeal to her if she were drunk.
Ameti now claimed she did not seek to provoke anyone deliberately. “As a template for the 10-meter shooting, I needed motifs that were visible enough.” She only had an art catalogue and allegedly paid no attention to the motif. She apologized for the action and deleted the posts immediately.
She said, “That was absolutely stupid of me. I didn’t think anything of it. I’m incredibly sorry. I ask for forgiveness from the people who were hurt by this.”
However, the president of GLP Switzerland, Jurg Grossen, is unconvinced. “This behavior by Sanjja Ameti is unacceptable. It was a deliberate provocation.” The GLP Switzerland is also seeking to talk with her. “We are not ruling out consequences.”
Sanija Ameti is a Bosnian Muslim whose family went to Switzerland as refugees in 1995.
