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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Bombing of Pakistani Shiite Mosque |
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| lucid9 |
| 07/04/03 at 09:57:16 |
| [color=Red] Can those brothers and sisters who live in Pakistan tell us what really happened? People suicide bombing a [i] Shiite [/i] mosque? Is this possible? [/color] Pakistan Mosque Bombing Kills Up to 10 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 8:52 a.m. ET QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) -- An explosion shattered a Shiite Muslim mosque in an attack Friday that killed at least 10 worshippers during Muslim prayers, police and witnesses said. Angry Shiites rioted in the streets of this southwestern city, burning cars and tires. Some witnesses said the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers, while others said attackers threw grenades into the mosque, where an estimated 2,000 worshippers were gathered for Friday prayers. Advertisement The government-run news agency said the attack killed 15 people, but it didn't identify a source for the figure. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the latest in several against Pakistan's Shiite Muslim minority, usually blamed on radical groups from the country's Sunni Muslim majority. Gunfire could be heard as small mobs later gathered near the mosque and lit fires. Paramilitary rangers were deployed to restore order, police inspector Shaoib Suddle said. Police also imposed a curfew on Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province and a city of roughly 1.2 million people, about a third of whom are Shiites. There was no indication when the curfew would be lifted. One man was in police custody in connection with the attack, Suddle said. It wasn't immediately clear how the suspect was linked to the explosion. Ahmad Ali, who suffered shrapnel wounds in the explosion, told The Associated Press he saw two suicide bombers enter the mosque. ``One of them was placing something that I guess was the bomb when he was seen by a security guard at the mosque. The guard killed him and the other one blew himself up,'' Ali said. Other witnesses said grenades were thrown into the mosque. President Pervez Musharraf, in France on the final leg of an international tour, vowed to ``act very strongly'' against those responsible for the attack. ``It is unfortunate there are some elements in Pakistan who undermine what Pakistan stands for and for what the vast majority stands for,'' Musharraf told a news conference in Paris. Pakistan's Information Minister blamed terrorists, without identifying them. ``The purpose of this attack is to disrupt law and order, and nothing else,'' Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said. Most of Pakistan's 140 million people get along, but violent groups from both the Sunni and Shiite sects have sprung up in recent years. Shiites were targeted in two separate attacks last month in Quetta. On June 2, two gunmen riding motorcycles shot and killed a Shiite Muslim prayer leader, Syed Niaz Hussain. On June 8, two gunmen, also riding motorcycles, killed 11 policemen, most of whom were Shiite Muslims. The attackers sprayed a truck full of policemen with machine-gun fire. Musharraf has banned several militant Muslim groups in Pakistan, including extremist Sunni Muslim organizations that have been blamed for earlier attacks on their Shiite brethren. Despite the ban, many of the groups' leaders still operate freely. |
| Re: Bombing of Pakistani Shiite Mosque |
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| panjul |
| 07/04/03 at 15:50:37 |
| [slm] How do people justify such henious crimes? What goes through their head!? I can only imagine the pain that the mothers and sisters of the men murdered are going through now. :( >:( |
| Re: Bombing of Pakistani Shiite Mosque |
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| Nomi |
| 07/04/03 at 17:36:57 |
| [slm] Its a loss, a BIG loss but many a times "external" elements are involved just to portray it as Sunni-Shiite clash ! Whatever it was the loss is there and its the Ummah that bleeds. |
| Re: Bombing of Pakistani Shiite Mosque |
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| siddiqui |
| 07/04/03 at 23:36:20 |
| [slm] Inna lillahi wa inna illaihi rajioon May Allah swt give us the spirit of tolerance Ameen [wlm] |
| Re: Bombing of Pakistani Shiite Mosque |
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| timbuktu |
| 07/07/03 at 03:10:34 |
| [slm] latest toll: 53 dead pakistan is a nation of 140 million people. loyalties are divided into provincial, sectarian, liguistic, ethnic, tribal & clannish channels. politics is played by leaders by demostrating who can cause the most damage. one point of contention is gas royalties to the tribals in baluchistan. this could aalso be a reson to put pressure on the govt. even government agencies have played their part in this division in the past. the Afghan jihad led to a profusion of guns, then branched into sectarian & ethnic conflicts. This was encouraged by neighboring countries, or those that wanted instability in pakistan. the violence is in a small minority, but it is sufficient, considering the population. the latest reports point to india as responsible, but we will never get the full picture. Ummah is very divided. no wonder the vultures are gatheing in strength. but Allah's deen is here to stay. aameen |
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