A politician from the left-leaning Green party posted a video on Instagram of himself using a painting of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus for pistol target practice, later claiming he was unaware of the painting's religious significance.
Saniya Amethi, 32, who until this week served as a city councillor in Zurich, Switzerland, has faced such intense criticism that she has been expelled from her party and lost her job at a public relations consulting firm. Left-wing activistWhile her recent promotional efforts have included distributing condoms to combat “xenophobia”, she also posted a video to Instagram of herself practicing pistol target shooting using a print of a 14th century painting of the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
The politician, who moved to Switzerland with his family as a child, has received threats since the incident and is now reportedly under police protection. Nevertheless, there are calls for forgiveness from many sectors of Swiss society, including Swiss Catholics and conservatives.
The Swiss Catholic Women's Association Amethi, the immigration politician and activist, said: “A media-savvy lawyer known for his provocative attitude… A Muslim family from Amethi fled Bosnia for Switzerland in 1995 with their daughter Saniya, then three years old and now describing herself as an agnostic,” the group said, reminding its members that “as Christians, we are called to forgive.”The group blamed the tabloids for their terse comments on the Amethi shooting.
Swiss conservative magazine World Week The reaction was also quite mild. While saying The paper noted that Amethi's actions were “unnecessary and vulgar” and “hurt the feelings of religious people,” but that in an open and free society “no one has a right not to be offended.” There must be room for disrespectful and stupid behavior, the paper said, and “this is true for anyone opposed to cancel culture, especially if they do not agree with Amethi's views or actions.”
Overall, her rudeness is far less dangerous to Switzerland than her political views, which would see the long-neutral country brought into the European Union, the paper said.
A moderate reaction from such segments of Swiss Christian society may be a good thing for the Swiss nation, especially in light of other European communities that have responded less understandingly to perceived disrespect for their prophets, Gods and idols.
Amety herself has apologized and written to the Swiss bishops asking for forgiveness, but, somewhat implausibly, she stuck to her claim that she had not understood the religious meaning of the painting of Mary and Jesus before attacking it, saying: “When I realised it had religious content, I removed it straight away. I didn't think about it.” She resigned from her position as leader of the Liberal Green party in Zurich.
