Daniel Streich

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Daniel Streich
Personal details
Born Bulle, Switzerland
Nationality Swiss
Political party SVP (2003-2009)
Conservative Democratic Party
Residence Bulle, Switzerland
Profession Politician
Religion Islam
Military service
Service/branch Swiss Army
Rank Military Instructor

Daniel Streich (born in Bulle, Canton of Fribourg) is a Swiss military instructor, community council member and a former member of Swiss People’s Party. A Protestant that converted to Catholicism and then to Islam, Daniel Streich, left the Swiss People's Party over the campaign for the national ban on the construction of new minarets.[1]

Biography

Streich was founding member and president of the Gruyères section of the party from 2003 to 2007. His followed conversion to Islam in 2005, before which he was a devout Catholic, with one of his given explanations on this conversion is that this newly discovered religion offered him "logical answers to important life questions". He then resigned from his presidency in June 2007 citing his discomfort with certain "extremist" positions of the party, especially the campaign to ban nationwide the construction of new minarets.[2][3] While Streich in 2007 stated that he had "many Muslim friends" he did not make public his personal conversion to Islam until early November 2009, when he left the Swiss People's Party in protest against their campaign for the impending referendum of 29 November 2009. He then participated in setting up the Conservative Democratic Party cantonal section.[4]

Streich's case was reported by the most read daily newspaper in Switzerland - 20 Minuten on 23 November, during the week preceding the referendum and the story was picked up by the tabloid newspaper Blick on the following day.[1][4]

Media manipulations

The story first appeared in English in Tikkun Daily on 4 December 2009, as part of the international coverage on the referendum outcome. Over the following weeks, it started to circulate on Muslim blogs and news aggregation sites, until a heavily embellished version of the story appeared on the website of Pakistani newspaper The Nation on 30 January 2010. Here, Streich was depicted as a major Swiss politician who had been actively involved anti-Muslim propaganda, who had suddenly seen the error of his "evil ways" and converted to Islam. The report even made Streich "the first man who had launched a drive for imposition of ban on mosques minarets", claiming that "Streich's conversion to Islam has created furore in Swiss politics, besides causing a tremor for those who supported ban on construction of mosques minarets" and that he "is ashamed of his doings now and desires to construct the most beautiful mosque of Europe in Switzerland".[5][6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Von Michael Scharenberg (November 11, 2009). "Muslime in Uniform: Sicherheits-Risiko für unsere Armee? - Schweiz - News - Blick.ch" (in German). Blicko. Retrieved December 23, 2010. 
  2. ↑ Thierry Jacolet (June 11, 2007). "UDC Gruyère - Daniel Streich abandonne la présidence". udc-fr.ch. Retrieved December 23, 2010. 
  3. ↑ Patrick Pugin (June 9, 2007). "Le président démissionne". lagruyere.ch. Retrieved December 23, 2010. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "20 Minuten Online - Ex-SVPler: "Schweiz braucht mehr Moscheen" - Schweiz" (in German). 20 Minuten. November 23, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2010. 
  5. ↑ "Swiss antagonist of minarets embraces Islam". The Nation (newspaper). January 30, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2010. 
  6. ↑ "Инициатор референдума по запрету минаретов в Швейцарии принял ислам" (in russian). Newsru independent news-agency. 2010-01-09. Retrieved July 9, 2010. 

See also

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