Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain

Top Menu

  • About US
  • Join US
  • Videos
  • Infographics
  • Comment
  • Question and Answer
  • Watch us Live

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Viewpoint
  • Islamic Culture
  • Da’wah
  • Media
  • People
    • Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabahani (Founder)
    • Sheikh Abdul Qadeem Zallum (Successor)
    • Sheikh Ata Abu Rashta (Ameer)
    • Abdul Wahid
    • Abu Yusuf
    • Jamal Harwood
    • Taji Mustafa
  • Books
  • Youth
  • Covid-19
  • About US
  • Join US
  • Videos
  • Infographics
  • Comment
  • Question and Answer
  • Watch us Live

logo

Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain

  • Home
  • Viewpoint
    • America is the New Sick Man

      January 7, 2021
      0
    • Islam, Covid, Vaccination & Khilafah

      January 4, 2021
      0
    • Erdogan - Palestine Was Never a Red Line for You

      December 30, 2020
      0
    • The New European Inquisition

      December 8, 2020
      0
    • The Struggles of Living in France

      November 6, 2020
      0
    • Government Refuses to Provide Free Meals to Children

      October 28, 2020
      0
    • Palestine: The Betrayal of the Rulers

      October 5, 2020
      0
    • 10 Significant Facts About Palestine

      September 18, 2020
      0
    • The Khilafah Will Effectively Provide Security for Our Mothers and Daughters, When ...

      September 14, 2020
      0
  • Islamic Culture
    • The Dawah to Allah (swt)

      December 29, 2020
      0
    • Miracle of the Quran

      Q & A - Compilation of The Holy Quran During the Reign ...

      December 27, 2020
      0
    • Imam Bukhari: A Role Model for the ‘Ulema and Da’wah Carriers to ...

      November 17, 2020
      0
    • Rabi ul-Awwal’s Greatest Gift: The Mercy to All Humankind, Muhammad ﷺ

      October 25, 2020
      0
    • The Life of Bilal (RA)

      September 3, 2020
      0
    • The Greatness of the 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah

      July 25, 2020
      0
    • Surah Tawbah: Masjid Ad-Dirar and the Disease of Disunity

      May 22, 2020
      0
    • Taqwa and the Digital Footprint

      May 16, 2020
      0
    • Spirituality- Man’s Emotional Quest to Find God

      November 28, 2019
      0
  • Da’wah
    • Video: Establishing Islam’s Leadership on the Earth and Our Responsibility

      October 27, 2020
      0
    • Establishing Islam’s Leadership on the Earth and Our Responsibility

      October 27, 2020
      0
    • Islam is based on an Enlightened Thought and We Should Accept Nothing ...

      October 26, 2020
      0
    • Video : The Return of the Islamic World Order - Invitation to ...

      October 25, 2020
      0
    • Video : The Islamic Ruling System

      October 22, 2020
      0
    • The Khilafah System: Taking Care of the People

      October 19, 2020
      0
    • Secularism Has Failed Where Islam Will Succeed

      October 18, 2020
      0
    • Video : From Pandemic to BLM - Invitation to - Jaleel Abdul-Adil ...

      October 16, 2020
      0
    • From Pandemic to BLM: Humanity Desperately Seeking an Alternative

      October 12, 2020
      0
  • Media
  • People
    • Sheikh Taqiuddin an-Nabahani (Founder)
    • Sheikh Abdul Qadeem Zallum (Successor)
    • Sheikh Ata Abu Rashta (Ameer)
    • Abdul Wahid
    • Abu Yusuf
    • Jamal Harwood
    • Taji Mustafa
  • Books
  • Youth
  • Covid-19
News Watch
Home›News Watch›Afghanistan: Deadly Kandahar protest at Koran burning

Afghanistan: Deadly Kandahar protest at Koran burning

By Press Editor
April 2, 2011
527
0
Share:

Ten people have been killed in the Afghan city of Kandahar during a demonstration against the burning of a Koran in the US, officials say.

Hundreds of people took part in the protest. Gunfire was heard and cars were set on fire.

On Friday, seven UN workers were killed after a protest over the same issue in in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif.

It was the worst attack on the UN mission in Afghanistan since the international invasion in 2001.

Further violence

 A large and angry crowd surged through the streets of Kandahar, chanting “They have insulted our Koran” and “Death to America”, the BBC’s Paul Wood reports from Kabul.

The authorities in both Kandahar and Mazar-e Sharif blamed the Taliban for the attacks. However, the Taliban has rejected the accusation.

The investigation now begins into the circumstances surrounding the worst attack on the United Nations in Afghanistan since the invasion in 2001.

Some have blamed Taliban infiltrators in the crowd which attacked the UN headquarters in Mazar-e Sharif. It is certainly true that armed men were seen in the crowd, but that may have been because the protesters managed to disarm the UN’s own guards.

The killings – including, perhaps, two beheadings – underline the international community’s sometimes precarious position in Afghanistan.

They also raise questions about the timetable to Afghan security control. Mazar-e Sharif is due to be one of the first places transferred from Nato security control in the summer, but on this occasion the Afghan police were unable to protect the UN.

“The Taliban had nothing to do with this, it was a pure act of responsible Muslims,” spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told the Reuters news agency by phone from an undisclosed location.

“The foreigners brought the wrath of the Afghans on themselves by burning the Koran,” he said.

UN staff remain on maximum security alert and under lockdown, our correspondent says. However, there is no move yet to evacuate them from Afghanistan, as happened in 2009 after an attack on a UN guesthouse.

Separately, three insurgents were killed when they attacked a Nato base.

They were stopped before they could enter the compound, Nato and Afghan police said.

At least one was wearing a burka, news agencies reported on Saturday, quoting police sources.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the violence in Mazar-e Sharif as “outrageous and cowardly”. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said it was inhumane and against Islamic and Afghan values.

In all, 14 people were killed.

Local police told the BBC that 27 people had been arrested following the demonstration in Mazar-e Sharif.

‘Overwhelming’

The demonstrators were angered by the actions of US Pastor Wayne Sapp, who set light to a copy of the Koran at a church in Florida on 20 March.

The burning took place under the supervision of Pastor Jones, who last year drew condemnation over his aborted plan to burn copies of the Koran on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Pastor Jones has denied responsibility for the lethal protests in Afghanistan.

Witnesses said the protest – which began outside the central Blue Mosque after Friday prayers – began peacefully but suddenly turned violent.

The crowds moved to outside the UN compound, where a small group broke away.

Several demonstrators were killed by guards at the compound, who were then overpowered by the mob.

Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the group seized weapons from the guards and opened fire before storming the building.

A state of emergency has now been declared in the city, Afghan intelligence sources told the BBC. All roads in and out of Mazar have been blocked and cars are being checked, says the BBC’s Bilal Sarwary.

Dan McNorton, spokesman for the UN mission in Afghanistan, said: “Three international Unama (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) staff members were killed, and four international armed security guards were killed.”

One of the dead was a Swedish national, while another came from Norway. The other foreign victims are believed to be a Romanian and four Nepalese guards.

US President Barack Obama condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms”, saying the work of the UN “is essential to building a stronger Afghanistan”.

The top UN representative in Afghanistan, Staffan De Mistura, has flown to the area to handle the matter.

Cars were set alight during the protest in Kandahar Local police spokesman Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai told reporters that two of the UN staff had been beheaded.

However, police Gen Abdul Rafu Taj said that “according to the initial reports… none were beheaded”. He said they were shot in the head.

Kieran Dwyer, director of communications for the UN mission in Afghanistan, said the UN workers had been trapped inside the compound and “hunted down” in what was an “overwhelming situation”.

Mr Dwyer said it was too early to tell how the attack happened or why the UN was targeted, but that the organisation would now take extra security measures.

But he added: “The UN is here to stay. We’re here to work with the people to help them achieve peace, and this sort of thing just highlights how important that is.”

Protests were held in several other Afghan cities on Friday which demonstrators in Herat had called a “day of anger”, Afghanistan’s Noor TV channel reports

BBC

Previous Article

Libya: The Muslim armies have moved, but…

Next Article

Yes to AV says No to black ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • News Watch

    Israeli Soldiers Sexually Abuse Palestinian Children

    September 16, 2010
    By Editor
  • News Watch

    “No God” film angers Tunisian Islamists

    July 14, 2011
    By Press Editor
  • News Watch

    Image of Egyptian army men stripping, kicking veiled female protester creates social media buzz

    December 18, 2011
    By Press Editor
  • News Watch

    Libyan crisis: Britain and allies now risk over-reaction

    March 1, 2011
    By Press Editor
  • News Watch

    Hizb ut-Tahrir Tunisia Spokesman: “Our Appeal for a License has Been Accepted”

    July 18, 2012
    By Press Editor
  • News Watch

    Hertz Fires 26 Muslim Drivers For Not Clocking Out For Prayer Breaks

    October 22, 2011
    By Press Editor

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Podcast

Latest Posts

Viewpoint

America is the New Sick Man

The scenes of mobs occupying the US senate and protestors demanding the US electoral result be overturned are extraordinary in America’s history. Many across the world watched in shock as ...
  • Islam, Covid, Vaccination & Khilafah

    By Editor
    January 4, 2021
  • Erdogan – Palestine Was Never a Red Line for You

    By Editor
    December 30, 2020
  • The Dawah to Allah (swt)

    By Editor
    December 29, 2020
  • Miracle of the Quran

    Q & A – Compilation of The Holy Quran During the Reign of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (r.a)

    By Editor
    December 27, 2020
  • The New European Inquisition

    By Editor
    December 8, 2020
  • The Repercussions of the US Presidential Election

    By Editor
    November 25, 2020
  • Imam Bukhari: A Role Model for the ‘Ulema and Da’wah Carriers to Follow

    By Editor
    November 17, 2020
  • 3.5K+
    Subscribers
  • Likes
  • 20.4K+
    Followers
  • Press Centre