Ramadan, a Libyan national, was given a 14-month suspended jail sentence and faces expulsion from Switzerland for six years.
The court on Tuesday found that the preacher had illegally received social assistance amounting to almost CHF45,000 ($46,500), despite having an income from organising pilgrimages for Muslims. It also believed the prosecution’s case that the accused called for hatred against other religions during a preaching session in a Biel mosque.
According to the indictment, Abu Ramadan called on 7 July 2017 in the Ar’Rahman mosque in Biel/Bienne, as a secular preacher, for hatred against people because of their religion or ethnicity . He allegedly targeted Jews, Christians, Hindus, Russians and Shiites.
Ramadan denied any wrongdoing, saying his sermons were misinterpreted. He also claims that he wouldn’t be safe in Libya as an opponent of the former Gaddafi regime.
Ramadan’s lawyer announced that his client will appeal against the court verdict.
It took cantonal prosecutors nearly four years to conclude their preliminary investigation, including translations of his sermons from Arabic into German.
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