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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Indonesian pilgrims clash with police |
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| Abu_Atheek |
| 03/16/02 at 23:52:50 |
| [slm] [url]http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=13555[/url] Indonesian pilgrims clash with police [i]By a Staff Writer[/i] RIYADH, 17 March — Seven policemen were injured in clashes with rioting Indonesian pilgrims in the holy city of Madinah on Friday, Al-Watan daily reported yesterday. The Indonesians became violent when one of their female pilgrims was allegedly harassed by an Egyptian worker. Special security forces were deployed to contain the riot. The Egyptian man was arrested and flogged before the rioters in a bid to defuse the tension. Informed sources said that the riot involved vandalism and stone throwing, and at one point rioters even threatened to burn the Egyptian’s residence. The trouble started when the pilgrims attacked the Egyptian with knives and other sharp weapons and held him captive in their compound, accusing him of trying to rape the female Indonesian pilgrim, the paper said. They initially refused to hand over the Egyptian to the police. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in front of an apartment rented for the pilgrims east of the Prophet’s Mosque. Seven members of the security forces were injured and four of their vehicles damaged when they tried to disperse the protesters, the Arabic daily said. Seven pilgrims were arrested for allegedly instigating the rioting, which started at about 1 p.m. after report of the rape attempt began to circulate. The Egyptian was flogged before the rioters upon the orders of Madinah Governor Prince Muqrin, and then forwarded to the local court for questioning. The man, who had bruises all over his body, was taken away in an ambulance for treatment. Angry pilgrims threw stones at the departing ambulance, the Al-Watan said. The paper added that the Egyptian had a Saudi accomplice, who managed to flee. Both were among people employed to serve the pilgrims. More than 200,000 Indonesians performed Haj last month, in which more than two million pilgrims from over 160 countries took part. Some of the pilgrims are still in the Kingdom, however, mostly in Madinah — where they are praying at the Prophet’s Mosque and visiting historic monuments. |
Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board |