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| Afghanistan |
| Afghan mullahs push peaceful protest in wake of Quran-burning violence |
| 2011-04-17 |
| [Christian Science Monitor] - As the dust settles in Afghanistan after sustained protest over a Florida pastor's Quran burning, many residents in Kandahar are facing an unpleasant truth: More Qurans were burned in the course of their protests than by Terry Jones. The demonstrations, which started peacefully, quickly turned violent, killing at least nine people and injuring scores in Kandahar City alone. On Wednesday, the province's top spiritual leaders moved to address the irony -- and promote restraint at a time when passions are running high over the US war effort. They called a shura, or meeting, and told the crowd of several hundred people that gathered in a tent at Kandahar University how to protest in an Islamic manner. Inside the tent, many looked down and thumbed prayer beads as various speakers shouted into microphones, delivering their passionate pleas for order at future demonstrations. Seek elders' advice, said the mullahs. "They know the Islamic law for when to protest," said Haji Rahmudeen, head of the Kandahar Business Association, in his address to the crowd. There was much speculation that Wednesday's event could end in yet another protest. Indeed, all the ingredients were there to stoke the ever-present well of anger over the ongoing foreign presence. During Mr. Omar's speech, he reminded the crowd that America was still the enemy and its soldiers are "killing our 2-year-old children in our homes." At an Afghan demonstration, such remarks would normally be met with shouts from the crowd and calls for "Death to America." But on Wednesday, the crowd just quietly listened. When the event ended, few people stayed even to socialize as the crowd shuffled out of the tent, returning to their cars or bicycles. "We are serious about it. We don't want these kinds of demonstrations in our province. If people want to react to something, they must do it in a peaceful way," said Maulavi Enayatullah, a member of the religious scholar's union in Kandahar city after attending Wednesday's gathering. |
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| #1 “If they burn a shop, there is a Quran in every shop, so this is a big problem, So when do the good Muslim Afghans start executing the perpetrators? Foreign jihadis are just as foreign as Americans in Afghanistan, and they have proven far more dangerous. Maybe some day the Afghans will learn. But today isn't that day. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-04-17 15:09 |