A satirical website has inspired a boycott against teen superstar Justin Bieber… Beliebers, Be Still! A boycott of all things Justin Bieber is in full swing after a website published an article that seemed to feature the heartthrob endorsing the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero in Manhattan. If only that were really what [...]
Posts Tagged ‘mosque’
Justin Bieber Boycott Sparked By Joke Article – Fake Ground Zero Mosque Remarks Get Bieber Banned
December 31st, 2010 |
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Israeli police demolish Bedouin mosque
November 7th, 2010 |
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Upset Bedouins pelted Israeli police with rocks Sunday, angry about the demolition of an illegally built mosque. Israeli officials said hundreds of officers descended on the southern Bedouin city of Rahat early Sunday, acting on an earlier court ruling that said the mosque’s builders never got the required permits.
Bloodbath at mosques
November 6th, 2010 |
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PESHAWAR – At least 76 people including children were martyred and around 132 others got injured in two different attacks on mosques at Akhurwal village of Darra Adam Khel and Badhaber area of Peshawar on Friday.
According to details, as many as 71 people including children were martyred and around 100 others got injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up during the Friday prayers in a mosque at Akhurwal village of Darra Adam Khel.
Sources said that a 17-year-old suicide bomber entered the crowded Wali Muhammad Khan mosque situated at Akhurwal village and detonated his explosives-filled jacket when most of the worshippers were busy offering Friday prayer. The blast badly damaged one portion of the mosque. The intensity of the blast was so severe that it jolted the surrounding areas.
The blast caused severe fear and panic among the masses. The vehicle of 1122 and Edhi ambulances arrived too late, as it takes at least 45 minuets for a vehicle to reach the spot from Peshawar.
The local rescuers on self-help basis retrieved the dead bodies from the rubble of the mosque and shifted them to District Headquarter Hospital Kohat and Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar. Sources in Lady Reading Hospital informed that around 57 injured persons and 24 bodies were shifted to the hospital. Some 24 dead bodies were also shifted to Darra Adam Khel Hospital. Personnel of the Frontier Corps and security forces rushed towards the site soon after the blast. They cordoned off the area and collected evidence. They also launched search operation in the area, as there were reports that three more suicide bomber had entered the area.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.
This semi-tribal area of Frontier Region Kohat is considered sensitive in connection with terrorist activities, as three major terrorist attacks have already been occurred in Darra Adam Khel.
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ameer Haider Khan Hoti visited Lady Reading Hospital and inquired about the health of the injured. He strongly condemned the attack and termed it a barbaric act of terrorism. He said that terrorists were now bent upon killing innocent worshipers inside the mosques after their defeat.
Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain and Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour strongly condemned the attack. They said that terrorists were targeting innocent people to exert pressure on the Government but they would fail in their evil designs.
Reuters adds: “Now the death toll is 66. It may rise further because several injured are in critical condition,” Shahid Ullah, a senior provincial government official, told Reuters. He said 80 people were wounded. About 300 people had gathered just after prayers when the bomber walked into the Wali Mosque’s main hall and detonated himself, according to witnesses.
“I had just finished the prayers when there was a big explosion. It was very terrifying. I don’t know what happened later. I just fell down,” 15-year-old Mohib Ullah said. He said guards at the mosque gates tried to stop the bomber but he managed to get in.
Officials at the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar said two children were among the dead. Video from outside the hospital showed screaming women, white-bearded old men in blood-stained clothes and a child being wheeled into the emergency room.
Officials said the mosque was owned by a pro-government tribal elder who could be the target of the attack but it was not clear whether he was hit.
In the second incident, at least five worshippers were killed and 32 others injured when terrorists hurled three hands grenades in Suleman Khail Mosque of Badhaber in the outskirt of Peshawar on Friday evening.
Police sources and eyewitnesses said that three militants first entered the mosque and then hurled three hand grenades on the worshipers who were performing ‘Isha Prayer’ at 7:00 pm. Local people said that more than 60 persons were offering prayer in Suleman Khail Mosque, when terrorist entered the mosque and threw hand grenades.
A portion of the mosque was badly damaged as a result of the blasts, while bloodstains and body parts lying in scattered condition were visible after the attack. The windowpanes of the mosque and nearby house were smashed to ground due the intensity of the consecutive hand grenade blasts. The latest series of terrorism especially attacks on mosques have triggered a new wave of fear and panic among the already scared victim of terrorism.
The attacks resulted martyrdom of five persons including prayer leader. Soon after the attack rescue teams and Edhi ambulances rushed toward the site and contributed in the rescue activities. The injured persons were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital where emergency was imposed soon after the tragic incident.
Police and personnel of bomb disposal squad also rushed toward the blast site and cordoned off the areas. Talking to media persons Senior Superintendent of Police Peshawar Ijaz Khan said that three hand grenades have been hurled to a mosque when the worshipper were at the concluding stage of the ‘Isha Prayer’.
Talking to journalists Senior Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bashir Ahmad Bilour strongly condemned the brutal act of terrorism and said that terrorists came on inhuman acts as they are now targeting secret places and innocent people. He said peace could not be restored when there is no peace in Afghanistan.
Quran burning would have “strengthened radicalsâ€: Ground Zero mosque imam
September 13th, 2010 |
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Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam behind the proposed mosque near Ground Zero in New York, has said that Florida Pastor Terry Jones’ plans to burn copies of the Quran would have sparked “a disasterâ€. Rauf said that the event, which was called off, would have “strengthened radicalsâ€. “It would have strengthened the radicals. It would [...]
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf speaks
September 7th, 2010 |
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The saga of the proposed Islamic center near New York’s Ground Zero has sparked a lot of passionate conversation about traditionally touchy subjects including religion, race and politics.
CNN secured a rare and exclusive interview with Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind the proposed center. Now we want to hear what you think. Did you learn anything new from the interview and did it change your mind about the Islamic center? Or did it reinforce your opinion on the debate?
We are looking forward to an open, honest, civil discussion about this talked-about issue in the news. So put yourself on camera and share your thoughts.
Update: Watch the video of an iReporter’s question being answered, plus the reaction she gave.
The True Meaning of the Ground Zero Mosque Controversy
August 18th, 2010 |
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The Founding Fathers believed in freedom of religion, and tolerance of all religions. The Constitution enshrines freedom of religion.As such, anyone who tries to ban Islam as evil is anti-American.As Greg Palast argues, if we ban mosques because some M…
Islamic center near Ground Zero
August 16th, 2010 |
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Controversy is swirling around a proposed Islamic center and mosque near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. A Florida church pastor made plans to burn copies of the Quran in protest.
Religion, politics and race are at the heart of all the discussion taking place. We’d like to hear what you have to say about the Islamic center and the response it’s gotten. Should the mosque be built, and if so, where? Is it OK to burn religious texts to make a statement?
Put yourself on video and let us know your thoughts, whether you approve of the mosque or not.
Note: Some of your views we’re published on CNN.com and we received numerous questions for Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. See how an iReporter reacted to the response she got.
Death toll rises to 54 in Baghdad mosque blasts
April 23rd, 2010 |
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At least 54 people were killed, most of them Shiite Muslims, on Friday in a series of bomb blasts in Baghdad. The attacks mainly targeted Shiite mosques, according to security sources.
Blast in Tirah mosque kills 30
February 18th, 2010 |
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PESHAWAR – At least 30 worshippers were killed and over 100 others got injured when a powerful bomb exploded inside a mosque in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency on Thursday.
Sources informed that some 150 worshippers were offering Zohr prayers inside the mosque at the time of the explosion. The intensity of the blast was so severe that it damaged a major portion of the mosque.
The injured were shifted to Moshti and other nearby hospitals of Hango and Kohat. The mosque was under the control of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI).
Soon after the blast, residents of the area rushed towards the site, helped in the rescue activities and retrieved the injured and the dead from the debris. The death toll is feared to rise as most of the injured were stated to be in critical condition.
Security forces cordoned off the area and started collecting evidence from the blast site. The dead included an LI militant, however it was not confirmed as the blast occurred in a far-off area.
It is worth mentioning here that two militant organisations Ansar-ul-Islam and Lashkar-e-Islam have been engaged in armed clashes since long which have so far claimed thousands of lives. A few months back, a mosque that was under the control of Ansar-ul-Islam was also attacked in the same way.
Agencies add: The explosion damaged a mosque and a few shops, killing a militant commander in Dars village of upper Tirah Valley, in what security officials said could be a feud between rival factions.
“We have confirmed reports that militant commander Azam Khan (of Lashkar-e-Islam) was also killed in the blast,” an intelligence officer said.
“We are still not sure about the nature of the blast,” another intelligence officer in Peshawar told AFP by telephone.
One regional official said the bomb exploded as about 80 people were gathered around the mosque, a cattle market and bazaar – which local residents said also sold hashish – and near a base of the Lashkar-e-Islam militia.
“There is a possibility that the rival group attacked the Lashkar-e-Islam base,” one intelligence official said.
There were conflicting reports from militant sources and local officials over whether it was a suicide blast or planted bomb, but they all agreed that Khan – a village-level commander – was the target.
“The death toll could rise as many people are still trapped under the rubble,” one of the officials in the region told Reuters by telephone.
Death toll from Pakistan Shiite mosque attack rises to 7
December 28th, 2009 |
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The death toll from a suicide attack outside a Shiite Muslim mosque in Pakistani-administered Kashmir rose to seven on Monday after two people died overnight, officials said. The attack in Muzaffarabad came as Pakistan put tens of thousands of security forces on alert, fearing sectarian
Taliban commander killed in mosque shootout
December 26th, 2009 |
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NATO officials in Afghanistan say a heavily armed Taliban commander sought refuge in a mosque before starting a shootout that led to his death. NATO says international and Afghan forces tracked down the militant commander to a compound, just outside the town of Pirdad, in Wardak Saturday.
Gunmen attack Rawalpindi mosque in Pakistan
December 5th, 2009 |
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Police say gunmen attacked a mosque Friday near the country’s army headquarters, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 40 others. Police in Pakistan say gunmen attacked a mosque Friday near the country’s army headquarters, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 40 others. Pakistani state television say authorities still are searching for the attackers.
Killing spree as suicide squad hits mosque
December 4th, 2009 |
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RAWALPINDI – At least 40 people including officers of Pak Army and children were martyred and 83 others sustained injuries when at least six terrorists targeted Parade Lane Mosque here after Friday prayers.
However, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed that 36 people including 17 children, 10 civilians, 9 Army personnel embraced martyrdom. According to ISPR, four terrorists approached a mosque inside Officers Residential Colony in Parade Lane and hurled grenades followed by indiscriminate firing. Two of the terrorists blew themselves up in two different halls. Security forces personnel in the area responded immediately and two other terrorists were killed in exchange of fire.
Former vice chief of army staff General (Retd) Muhammad Yousuf was also among the injured. The deceased included Director General Armoured Corps, Major General Umar Bilal Khan, Brigadier Abdul Rauf, Lt Col Fakhar, Lt Col Manzoor Saeed, Major Saeed and Major (Retd) Shoaib.
According to details, the terrorists targeted the mosque located in a very sensitive area, as many senior army officers reside there. It has also been learnt that most of the victims of this attack are serving or retired military officials and their children.
Officials and some eyewitnesses informed TheNation that two out of six terrorists, who came there in a car, entered the mosque and blew themselves up in two different halls. The eyewitnesses informed that the attackers sprayed bullets in and around the mosque and also hurled many hand grenades. As a result of attack, a portion of the mosque also caved in.
Army soldiers rushed to take position near the site of the attack and fought back in an hour-long gunfight and killed four attackers. Police and law enforcing agencies also reached the scene and cordoned off the area soon after the firing. Snipers were deputed on the high-rise buildings in the area, while helicopters hovered overhead throughout the operation.
According to details, the incident took place when at least six to seven gunmen entered the Parade Lane Mosque located near Qasim Market. They hurled hand grenades followed by indiscriminate firing. The security forces stationed there opened retaliatory fire and killed four terrorists.
A large number of people were present inside the mosque when the terrorists targeted the mosque. Ambulances of Rescue 1122 and Army shifted the injured to Military Hospital, Combined Military Hospital and other nearby hospitals of the City.
Soon after the attack, security forces and bomb disposal squad started collecting evidence from the site while rescue teams began their operation to shift the injured and the dead to various hospitals.
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Muhammad Aslam Tareen confirmed that 40 people were killed and 83 others got injured in the attack. He further said that initial information suggested that there were two to three attackers who entered the mosque.
Entire area was sealed after the blast and all the roads leading to the spot were blocked, while traffic from Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi, was diverted to other roads.
Capt (Retd) Ameerud Din Sheikh, an eyewitness, told this scribe that soon after the attack, he rushed towards the mosque to save his son and saw dead bodies and injured persons everywhere there. He said that it seemed that the attack was very well organised and the terrorists used very sophisticated weapons.
Another eyewitness Nasir Ali Sheikh told that he saw two attackers wearing white Shalwar Qameez (traditional Pakistani dress). He added that one of the attackers hurled three hand grenades into the mosque while the other one was spraying bullet from his gun.
Search operation continued in the residential area around the mosque till night where all the buildings were combed by security forces. The security forces also seized a car at the site of the incident, which was supposed to have been used for carrying the terrorists to their target point.
The sources informed that preliminary investigations revealed that the car was bearing a fake numberplate of Islamabad and was taken on lease from a bank in 2004.
Urumqi officials back down on mosque closures
July 10th, 2009 |
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• Police break up small protest after Friday prayers
• DNA tests begin on victims of ethnic violence
Riot police broke up a small group of Uighur protesters outside a mosque in the troubled capital of Xinjiang after officials relented on an earlier decision to cancel Friday prayers.
Earlier, hundreds of Uighur men had gathered at the gates of mosques in Urumqi despite notices saying services were suspended. Officials cited “safety” reasons after brutal inter-ethnic attacks which began on Sunday.
Police had begun DNA testing to identify 156 people killed that day, thought to be primarily Han Chinese targeted by Uighur rioters, state media reported. The official news agency Xinhua said authorities would pay the families of “innocent” victims 200,000 yuan (about £18,000) compensation.
More than 1,000 people were injured in the riots. Subsequent days saw revenge attacks on Uighurs by Han Chinese, but no details of resulting fatalities or other casualties have been offered. Several Uighurs told the Guardian they believed at least four people had died.
The mood in the city appeared to have calmed but a heavy security presence remained, with armoured personnel carriers parked at the Grand Bazaar – where the violence began – and trucks full of troops touring the streets. Loudspeaker vans drove around the city urging people not to be swayed by “criminal elements”.
The attempt to close the mosques appeared to be prompted by the authorities’ anxieties about large crowds. At the Yang Hang mosque, Uighurs applauded and up to 400 worshippers carrying prayer mats flooded in as the doors were unlocked. A notice cancelling the day’s service disappeared from the front gate.
About 100 men won the day at the popular White mosque after demanding that guards allow them in for prayers. A Uighur policeman guarding the building, who declined to give his name, told the Associated Press: “We decided to open the mosque because so many people had gathered. We did not want an incident.”
At the Dong Kuruk Bridge mosque, one of several to remain closed, a young man told Reuters: “We feel we are being insulted. This is our mosque. But we are not allowed in, while they let in non-believers.”
He said Chinese security forces had been stationed inside and even in the minarets.
At another mosque, used primarily by Hui Muslims, Uighurs were among those allowed to enter but there was no formal service. “It’s a shame they don’t allow us to practise our religion,” said a passer-by.
Many people prayed at home instead, residents of Uighur neighbourhoods said.
The secretary-general of the Urumqi Islamic Association, who gave his name as Ma, denied the authorities had ordered the closures. But an official at the Urumqi Administration for Religious Affairs said only mosques in areas not affected by the violence were allowed to remain open.
Barry Sautman, an expert on China’s ethnic policies at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said the 23,000 mosques in Xinjiang gave it the highest mosque-to-Muslim ratio in the world. “It’s impossible to control such an extensive number of religious personnel,” he told AP.
About 30 or 40 Uighurs launched an impromptu march near the White mosque this afternoon, crying and pumping their fists in the air and demanding the release of men detained this week. One begged foreign reporters to stay with them as they walked.
“Every Uighur people are afraid,” Madina Ahtam told AP. “We are afraid … The problem? Police.”
Security forces initially stood back, but when the demonstration continued they surrounded and detained protesters. Footage shot by the BBC showed riot officers kicking one demonstrator and punching another in the face. They detained journalists filming events.
In Kashgar, a mainly Uighur city in southern Xinjiang, officials ordered foreign media to leave, escorting some journalists to the airport. They had earlier prevented them from leaving their rooms.
“There are no conditions for interviews in Kashgar, so we hope the foreign reporters will leave for their own safety,” said Chen Li, a media officer with the city government.
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Afternoon Muslim prayers a test for China’s Xinjiang
July 10th, 2009 |
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Hundreds of Uighur Muslims crowded into at least one mosque in riot-stricken Urumqi on Friday. It came after authorities relented on a decision to close mosques for the main day of prayer to minimize ethnic tension.