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| Europe |
| Three charged in France over mosque violence |
| 2008-02-20 |
| French authorities filed preliminary charges Tuesday against three men in connection with a weekend shooting and other violence in a mosque in southeast France, a prosecutor said. The Al-Rahma mosque in the town of Nimes was shuttered indefinitely after the scuffle Sunday, in which a worshipper was hospitalized with gunshot wounds to the legs, assistant prosecutor Gildas Pavy said by phone. The disturbance apparently stemmed from a swelling and increasingly violent disagreement over the last several weeks between "rival groups" over the way the mosque has been run by imam Driss Saoudi, the prosecutor said. A 64-year-man faced preliminary charges for armed violence and for bearing a weapon illegally, while two others aged in their 50s faced preliminary charges for violence, Pavy said, declining to further identify the men further.They were released either on bail or under judicial watch. "A mosque is a place of serenity and peace. I don't accept that some so-called Muslims take it hostage in acts of violence," said Abderrahim Berkaoui, head of a regional Muslim association, calling for calm. "France isn't the jungle," Berkaoui said. "This case has nothing to do with any settling of scores between Algerians and Moroccans. Some people just no longer want Driss Saoudi." Some government officials and many Muslim leaders say France is badly short of needed number of mosques. The country is home to western Europe's largest Muslim community, with more than 5 million people whose families came from former French colonies in north Africa. Many Muslims often hold religious observances in housing projects or on pavements outside cramped mosques. President Nicolas Sarkozy, while interior minister before his election last year, once called for state support for mosques _ only to back away from the proposal after critics said it would violate a century-old law separating religion and state. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #11 The disturbance apparently stemmed from a swelling and increasingly violent disagreement over the last several weeks between "rival groups" over the way the mosque has been run by imam Driss Saoudi... Turban on turban violence. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-02-20 17:47 |
| #10 The first rule of Muslim Club is that no one talks about Muslim Club... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-20 14:39 |
| #9 Rminds me of the old Joke about the bar in Naw'leens that's so bad they check everyone at the door for knives or guns, if you don't have one, they'll loan you one. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-02-20 14:01 |
| #8 Even better, neither faction leaves. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-02-20 13:53 |
| #7 Give them all machetes and lock them in. Two factions enter. One faction leaves. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2008-02-20 13:45 |
| #6 "This case has nothing to do with any settling of scores between Algerians and Moroccans." Certainly not! |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2008-02-20 11:14 |
| #5 I call bullshit. France has very strict laws about the possesion and use of firearms. It must be a zionnistikkk story plant to defame the religion of peas. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2008-02-20 11:02 |
| #4 Well! Muzz on Muzz violence. Let's settle this peacefully by soaking it with gasoline and lighting it off. The resulting heat and warmth should provide enough comity to both factions so that they could sit down and settle the issue peacefully with only a little seething and spittle flying. |
| Posted by: Woozle Elmeter 2907 2008-02-20 10:38 |
| #3 Well, we had our "rival groups" too. The Fish on Friday crowd vs. the Anything You Wanted on Friday crowd. You can still see the bullet and shell holes in the church wall. Well...not really. I made it up. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-20 09:14 |
| #2 I don't accept that some so-called Muslims take it hostage in acts of violence," said Abderrahim Berkaoui Of course not. A real pious muslim would have explodulated in the middle of Friday prayers. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-02-20 06:58 |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2008-02-20 05:36 |