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.
Muslim Extremist Theological Hot-heads... or as I like to call them METH heads.
A Danish newspaper (not a state sponsored paper or even one operating with governmental support) allegedly ran some cartoons that we would find offensive if we were permitted to see them.....Let's burn some churches.
I guess banging your forehead on the ground five times a day does have some adverse affects on the frontal lobe where cognitive thought originates.
Or worse.
After the victim is bitten by an imam, the disease bides its time, and propegates through the nerves.
Upon affecting the salivary glands, the muslim begins to froth at the mouth. Shortly after this phase, the well-known uncontrollable frenzied rage sets in, and it begins attacking anything in reach.
This is so unbelievably horrible. This has got to be engineered.
Barbarians, they haven't changed in over a thousand years.
They will never offed the effendis of TROP...
It is engineered. The premise that being more "acommodating" to Muslim thought will reduce tensions is absurd. The more accomodating we become, the more bold they become. The pattern continues.
The Arabs manufacture an affront to Islam. The useful idiots riot. When citizens in the countries where they're rioting stand up to them, they are subdued by their own government, which then institutes new laws to keep people from offending Islam (check the new anti-blasphemy laws being considered in Europe). The Islamists manufacture another affront to Islam. The useful idiots riot. Repeat until Islam dominates the government. Another government adopts Islamic law.
We're in World War III, and I don't think one side will ever even realize that it's being fought.
For anyone who lives in NYC, did you read the NY Post today? Can you believe these freggin` psychotic mutts were in the city yesterday holding up the "death signs" in front of the Danish embassy? This is unbelieveable, after 911 and here these psychos are allowed to still roam around, threatening terror attacks no less! For anyone who wants to read about it, here it is..
http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/60120.htm
They have no pics, but in the paper they did. Holding up the signs "Death is on it`s way" all the usual death threats. But does that matter to the liberals and the big RINO who runs this city? Obviously not! Let me see what would happen to me if I held up a sign that said "I want to kill people", I`d be taken downtown so fast my head would spin, but being that psychotic Muslims are loved by liberals, it`s all OK for them! Unreal!
Thanks.
Hatred doesn't alway need logic, sometimes it just takes on a life of its own and ....hates. But your example above does tell me one thing; hating Christians is a basic part of the islamic mentality, and they are always on the edge of bringing harm to them, no matter what the source of irritation may be.
If a fly landed on dog poop in Venice and later touched a mosque with its feet, that would suffice to incite them to kill Christians.
Thank you, Cindy. I'll check them out.
What boggles my mind is the response of our gov. It can only be one of three things:
1. Cretinism.
2. Traitorism.
3. Some kind of strategy so the enemy doesn't know what's coming.
I hope it's 3 but I doubt it. Maybe some in the gov get it but if so, they're hiding it real well. I'd feel a lot better about Bush if he'd stop saying such gooey things about Islam.
I'm sure that Billy Jeff Clinton, our first black president, who has been condemning the Dane's freedom of the press, will be out with a statement condemning the slaughter of Nigerian Christians any day now.....
religion of peace murders 15 people, burns Christian churches...yea and so what's new? Just wait til they have 50% of the population in America and see what happens...
Solution: Close our borders to muslims. Send muslims home.
Ask muslims with citizenship if they want to stay, and urge them to leave because things aren't going to be good for them here...
Do nothing: kiss america good bye.
Sadly, only a few will get it...and I'm afraid there are simply not enough of us to save America.
Love your tagline!
Wow, what a stinging condemnation... sorta.
Oh, that falls into your category #2, they're traitors.
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