5 December 2009 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
Fatih Akın, a renowned Turkish German filmmaker, has stated that he has canceled his visit to Switzerland, where he was to participate in a gala with his latest film, as a protest against the outcome of a referendum on whether or not to ban the construction of minarets in the country.
Swiss voters approved the ban in the referendum at the weekend, a result which has sparked severe criticism not only in Islamic countries but also in international bodies such as the UN and the Council of Europe.“This referendum conflicts with my understanding of humanism, tolerance and the belief that the harmonious coexistence of peoples of differing backgrounds, races and religions must be possible,” Akin said in an open letter on Thursday. He also lashed out at the main argument of the ban, which says minarets are symbols of “political Islam.” “As a child of Muslim parents who do not see minarets as symbols of political Islam but rather, simply, the complete architecture of their houses of worship, I feel personally affected by the referendum. That is why I refuse to travel to Switzerland.” Akın said this was the only way he could voice his criticism of the ban. Akin was to have presented his new comedy “Soul Kitchen” in the Swiss capital on Dec. 16. The film, which focuses on the multicultural mix in Akin’s hometown of Hamburg, won the Special Jury Prize in September at the Venice Film Festival. Akin is one of the German-speaking world’s hottest filmmakers, winning a screenwriting award for his drama “The Edge of Heaven” in 2007 at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Bear top prize in Berlin in 2004 for “Head-On.”
