Fatih Akın boycotts Swiss over minarets

Prominent Turkish-German director Fatih Akın said Thursday he would not bring his new film to Switzerland in protest against the referendum vote that banned the construction of minarets in the country.

"This referendum conflicts with my understanding of humanism, tolerance and the belief that harmonious co-existence of peoples of differing backgrounds, races and religions must be possible," Akın said in an open letter.

"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 was to present his new comedy "Soul Kitchen," which won the Special Jury Prize in September at the Venice Film Festival on Dec.16 in Zurich. The film is a light-hearted look at the multicultural mix in Akın's hometown Hamburg.

Akın is one of 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."

The Swiss vote Sunday saw more than 57 percent back a proposition by a right-wing party for a constitutional ban on the construction of new minarets, overriding opposition from the government and most Swiss political parties.

The outcome inflamed tempers throughout the Muslim world.