Swiss Muslim campaigner faces defamation complaint

Complaint against Saïda Keller-Messahli and Le Matin Dimanche Keystone-SDA

The Vaudois Union of Muslim Associations (UVAM) is continuing with its defamation complaint against Saïda Keller-Messahli, president of The Forum for Progressive Islam, claiming she made defamatory remarks in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Le Matin Dimanche and is also filing a complaint against the journalist involved.

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In an interview last April, Keller-Messahli accused the UVAM and the umbrella association of Islamic organisations in Zurich (VIOZ) of being infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood, a group partly considered to be a terrorist organisation.

Admissible only if also filed against the media

Last summer, the two organisations filed a complaint against Keller-Messahli. The Office of the Attorney General charged her with defamation, but the Zurich District Court dismissed the case. The court ruled that the complaint is only valid if it also includes the journalist and their employer, the Tamedia Group.

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The trial, set for Tuesday, was postponed to give the plaintiffs time to amend their complaint. The UVAM has announced it will file a complaint against Keller-Messahli, the journalist who interviewed her and the employer. The UVAM denies the accusations made by Keller-Messahli.

Damage to reputation

The organisation, based in canton Vaud, stated in a press release that the offending remarks “damage the reputation of the UVAM members,” “call the association into question,” and “cast doubt on the ability of its committee and management to meet the conditions for state recognition as a religious community.” They added that falsehoods and misinformation are harmful to society.

The Zurich-based VIOZ association has decided not to extend its complaint to the media outlet that interviewed Keller-Messahli and published the interview. “We have concluded that it is problematic to hold the journalist co-responsible,” said VIOZ director Muris Begovic during an online press conference.

Muslim community to be recognised

Christoph Sigrist, President of the Society for Minorities in Switzerland, praised the VIOZ’s “commitment to combatting religious and political radicalisation.” He criticised the practice of attacking minorities to further one’s own agenda.

Speaking to the media, the UVAM vice-president Merve Gün-Demirkan emphasised the organisation’s determination to keep the case open. “We are not prepared to accept such remarks,” she said. For the past five years, the UVAM has been working towards gaining official recognition for Muslims as a religious community in the canton.

Translated from French with DeepL/sp

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