Scores of politicians and men of religion in Austria have opposed the statements of a right-wing candidate, in which she fiercely attacked Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.
A candidate campaigning for the Graz city council, in Steiermark, Dr. Susanne Winter, member of the Austrian Freedom Party [FPO, see: www.fpoe.at], has described the prophet as a child abuser who wrote the Qur’ān whilst having epileptic fits. She added that Islam is an authoritarian religion that came to Austria from beyond the Mediterranean Sea, and called on Muslim communities in Austria to return to where they came from.
Numerous Austrian political and religious figures have condemned the statement, saying that it promotes racial hatred for political benefits.
The head of the socialist party in Steiermark Karl Heinz has denounced the rightist party’s campaign and affirmed that Graz will always be recognized as a city for racial coexistence and religious tolerance.
The head of the Protestant church in the city [no name given] has strongly rejected the statement, believing that it violates the basis of Christianity.
العربية