The Huffington Post
The U.S. State Department has been drawn into an international dispute between Libya and Switzerland after Muammar Gaddafi demanded an apology for disparaging remarks by a U.S. official.
The disagreement between Libya and Switzerland began in 2008, when Gaddafi's playboy son, Hannibal, was arrested in Geneva on charges of beating two domestic employees.
While charges were eventually dropped, Gaddafi responded promptly and furiously, cutting oil supplies to Switzerland, withdrawing several billion dollars from Swiss banks, and arresting Swiss citizen's staying in Libya. In retaliation, Switzerland prompted a Europe-wide ban of Gaddafi and 187 other Libyans, despite protests from Italy.
The situation again escalated in 2010, with Gaddafi calling for a jihad against Switzerland after the central European state voted to ban minarets.
"Any Muslim in any part of the world who works with Switzerland is an apostate, is against (the Prophet) Muhammad, God and the Koran," the Libyan leader, said in a televised speech, calling the country an "infidel and obscene state which destroys mosque."
While the phrase 'jihad' has come to be associated with armed struggle, Gaddafi's advisors assured Western diplomats that the phrase was intended to suggest an economic boycott.
In February, confusion over the term, and the dispute itself, prompted U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley to say Gaddafi's comments reminded him of Gaddafi's imfamous 2009 speech to the United Nations, which involved "lots of words and lots of papers flying all over the place, not necessarily a lot of sense."
Libya responded furiously, with a top official indicating priority for oil rights may now be given to China and Russia. Crowley was forced to make a public apology.
"I understand that my personal comments were perceived as a personal attack," he told reporters this week. "These comments do not reflect U.S. policy and were not intended to offend. I apologize if they were taken that way."
While Libya today confirmed they had accepted the apology, the wider situation now appears to be in a state of deadlock, with both Libya and Switzerland refusing to back down.and, please note:
the US State Department has also issued the following today:
Check out the US State Departments annual report on Human Rights (below). It describes growing European discrimination against Muslims as an increasing concern. THAT'S GOOD NEWS! Europe is making progress, while the UNITED STATES apologizes to terrorists, like Gaddafi! Does anyone wonder which way our country is leaning...? Falling?? !! We have become our own worst enemy and the Muslim world is laughing at America; while our true allies are shaking their heads in disgust, over America's defense of Islam. Bee Sting
Switzerland has come under criticism in a key United States human rights report in a as an example of anti-Muslim discrimination in Europe.
The US State Departments annual report on Human Rights released in Washington on Thursday cites in its introduction last Novembers popular vote in Switzerland to ban the building of minarets. It describes growing European discrimination against Muslims as an increasing concern.
Elsewhere the report mentions bans and restrictions on Muslim head scarves and burkas in France, Germany, and the Netherlands. It says that Muslims in the Netherlands are the victims of frequent minor acts of discrimination, including intimidation, brawls and abusive graffiti.
In its section on Switzerland the report says that the police at times used excessive force occasionally with impunity.
Other human rights problems were lengthy pretrial detention, instances of societal discrimination against Muslims, anti-Semitic incidents, violence against women, trafficking in persons, and discrimination against minorities, it adds.
The report examines the state of human rights in 194 countries. It levels its strongest criticisms at Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Sudan, Syria and Zimbabwe.
