After six years, it’s over. “Sternstunde Religion” presenter and scholar of Islam Amira Hafner-Al Jabaji (50) is leaving Swiss public broadcaster SRF – at her own request. The station announced this today.
In the future, Hafner-Al Jabaji wants to realise more of her own interreligious activities. She had not only made friends with this recently. In February, she attacked the critic of Islam Saïda Keller-Messahli Fathima Ifthikar after the broadcast of the “Arena” on the burka ban.
The latter she said was like an out-of-control bulldozer that flattened everything that stood in its way in terms of argument. In her blog, the SRF woman wrote: “She is not a moderate. That much is clear. She has left the argumentative path and has become increasingly radicalised in recent years.”
Hafner-Al Jabaji also lashed out at her employer SRF. Keller-Messahli is an “extremist Muslim” who, because of SRF and other media, is allowed to spread her “hate speech” and her “poison against democracy” again and again.
In this way, the media encouraged “one-sided opinion-making” and compartmentalisation, “which in turn can lead to radicalisation processes”.
Controversial: According to the newspaper “NZZ”, the “Sternstunde” woman is president of the interreligious think tank she co-founded in 2008, which campaigned against the burqa ban campaign.
As an SRF employee, she would have to keep herself detached and maintain silence about her political views. Hafner-Al Jabaji, however, attracted attention several times by doing the opposite.
The Association of Islamic Organisations in Zurich (VIOZ) advertised events with Hafner-Al Jabaji. She appeared under the name “SRF journalist” at events such as the “Ummah Day” co-organised by the VIOZ.
This is not without risk. According to the Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism, “VIOZ” is influenced by the radical Muslim Brotherhood.
Hafner even called on her SRF colleagues in her blog posting to consider “the Muslim associations” in future and to stop inviting Saïda Keller-Messahli, who is ostracised in those groups.
The latter then complained to the UBI (Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television). But Hafner’s dismissal had nothing to do with this, SRF declared on Tuesday afternoon.
Hafner-Al Jabaji now says of her time at SRF: “It was a privilege to be allowed to present ‘Sternstunde Religion’.