Iraqi Abdul Rahman arrived in Switzerland in 2007 as a refugee. Today, the Imam preaches in the Dar Assalam (“House of Peace”) mosque in Kriens (LU). The man is well known to the authorities. In 2015, he was indicted by the Federal Prosecution with three other Iraqis. The latter were sentenced to several years in prison for terrorist activities. Abdul Rahman was acquitted. There was no evidence that he was supporting a criminal organization.

Banish them from the marriage bed and beat them

Today, the 38-year-old is once again worried about justice. The Lucerne public prosecutor opened an investigation against him on last Sunday. He is suspected of public provocation to crime or violence.

The imam would call for violence against women in his sermons. In one of his speeches on Friday, held in early August, the 38-year-old Iraqi would have advised the faithful of the mosque to beat their wife if she disobeys them.

Call to respect sharia

While quoting verses from the Koran, the religious would have recommended disciplining women with light blows if other measures such as discussion or removal of the marital bed failed. The man also called for respect for sharia, the Islamic canon law. He would like it to apply to the faithful of the mosque and the non-Muslim Swiss.

It is not forbidden to quote passages from the Koran or the Bible during a sermon, even if the text contains some violence. However, this becomes problematic when any religious authority imposes its own interpretation of Scripture and approves of criminal acts or incites its followers to do so.

A Special Reporting from Abantika Ghosh