Posted on 02/18/2006 12:49:35 PM PST by Eurotwit
NIGERIAN rioters killed at least 15 people today after a Muslim protest against the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed descended into violence, a police spokesman said.
Witnesses said that protesters turned on the Christian minority in the northern city of Maiduguri, burning shops and churches, after police dispersed a rally called to condemn European newspapers that printed the caricatures. A police spokesman, Deputy Commissioner Haz Iwendi said that army troops and police reinforcements had been deployed to the city and that a curfew had been imposed to bring about a return to order.
"We've arrested 115 people. Some 15 persons were killed by rioters, and 11 churches burnt," he said.
The victims were the first to die in Nigeria as anger over the drawings of Islam's prophet mounts among its 60 million Muslims, roughly half the population.
Mohammed Auwal, a civil servant said by telephone: "When the protesters gathered for the protest at Ramat square they were ordered by a police detachment to disperse but the crowd insisted on holding the protest."
"The policemen then fired canisters of teargas to disperse the crowd. "When news went into town about what happened at the square, a mob attacked motor spare-parts shops of Christian Igbo traders at Monday market in the city, looting and burning them," Auwalu said.
A local reporter, Abdullahi Bego said from the scene that at least 20 shops had been looted and vandalised and churches had been burned to the ground.
"There are a lot of anti-riot police squad all over the city and their presence has helped quell the rampage," Mr Bego said.
Ibrahim Bukar, a student, said: "I have been indoors since the riots broke out but a friend told me he saw two dead bodies at the scene of the looting."
In recent weeks there have been protests around the world - some peaceful, some violent - by Muslims angry over the publication in European newspapers of cartoons satirising Islam's holiest figure, the Prophet Mohammed.
In a radio broadcast following the violence, Governor Ali Modu Sheriff said: "The Borno State government is shocked and disgusted."
Sheriff, a Muslim like the vast majority of Borno State residents, said that while he sympathised with the feelings of Muslims offended by the cartoons, Nigerian Christians should in no way be blamed for them.
He promised that the perpetrators of the violence would be punished.
In Abuja, Information Minister Frank Nweke called on religious leaders to rein in their angry followers.
"The federal government, while it does not begrudge any group the right to defend their faith and religion, also believes that certain actions - such as burning of churches - are not the best way," he told reporters.
Northern Nigeria is overwhelmingly Muslim, but major cities have significant Christian minorities, mainly members of the Igbo ethnic group who operate successful small businesses, trading especially in car parts and alcohol.
Since 1999 a dozen northern states, including Borno, have attempted to reintroduce Islamic Sharia law, exacerbating latent tensions between the communities and triggering several bloody riots.
Sometimes external factors such as the cartoon controversy trigger the fighting. In September 2001 news of the attack by al-Qaeda hijackers on New York and Washington.
nuts
Church burnings, by moose, gets little MSM coverage.
Brought to you by the followers of TROP!
Ping and a question. Since you make maps of things, do you have one for all of the violent "demonstrations"?
Anyplace they haven't covered with cartoon riots yet? Cuba? China? Siberia?
Peaceful? Religion?
Neither.
This is pathetic no wonder people have no respect for them!They are driving home the final nail in their coffin here!
Is this the first report of non Muslims being killed in these "Cartoon Riots"? If so, I suspect it will not be the last.
man i would love to see someone set a herd of hogs loose on a bunch of these peaceful people. THAT would be fun to see...
Sounds like they like to loot.
It looks as if Africa wishes to remain in the dark ages
Oh, but the Muslims are the victims. They are always the victims -- in Nigeria, in Sudan, in Chechnya, in Kosovo...
The critical thinking of Moose:
The Danes published cartoons of MooHamid, lets kill Christians and burn churches in Nigeria!
The title of this long-running post?
Story was probably trumped by coverage of a hunting accident out on the Serengeti.
11 churches burnt
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