The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Shias protest against attack on shrine in Iraq

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 24, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Shias protest against attack on shrine in Iraq

Staff Reporter

Procession stopped near Saifabad, as Assembly is in session

AGITATED: A protestor weeps at a rally taken out by Shias in Hyderabad on Thursday.- Photo: Sivakumar P.V

HYDERABAD: Shia Muslims in the city took to the streets on Thursday, protesting against the bomb attack on the 1,000-year-old Al-Askari shrine in Samarra, Iraq on Wednesday.

Clad in black, the Shias gathered at Mandi Mir Alam in the morning before proceeding to Darulshifa and from there, to Raj Bhavan. However, police stopped the procession near Saifabad since the Assembly was in session, after which the procession was resumed at 3 p.m. and went around Darulshifa to Dabeerpura.

Bush reproached

Beating their chests, weeping and holding placards and banners, the Shias shouted slogans reproaching US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the damage to their holy shrine.

Muslim business establishments in the city too remained closed for most of the day as a mark of protest.

Later, Andhra Pradesh Shia Youth Conference president Syed Hamed Hussain Jaffery said the conference dashed off a memorandum to the President of India, with copies to the Andhra Pradesh Governor and the Chief Minister, asking them to respect the community's sentiments and stop the visit of Mr. Bush to India.

He accused America and Israel of being behind the attack.

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