Christians defend attacks on Muslims in Nigeria
By Craig Timberg
The Washington Post
Friday, February 24, 2006

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002825506_cartoons24.html

ONITSHA, Nigeria — Mobs stopped killing and looting in
this battered Nigerian city on Thursday and turned to
disposing of the evidence in the crudest of ways.

With smoldering bonfires fueled by pieces of wood and
old tires, men burned the remains of their Muslim
victims on downtown streets, leaving charred remains
that motorists swerved to avoid.

As the city's thousands of surviving Muslims struggled
to return to their northern homes or huddled at police
stations, Christian residents expressed little remorse
for their role in five days of religious violence
sparked by anger over cartoons depicting the Prophet
Muhammad.

At Onitsha's ruined central mosque, one of two
reportedly destroyed Tuesday, Ifeanyi Eze, 34, picked
up a piece of charred wood and scrawled on a wall:
"Muhammad is a man but Jesus is from above."

On the blackened walls of the abandoned mosque itself,
others had written "No Muhammad, Jesus Christ is
Lord."

Eze expressed anger at Muslims for last year's
terrorist attack in London and other troubles. "We
don't want all this mosque any more," he said. "These
are the people who cause problems all over the world
... because they don't fear God. We don't want
Muhammad anymore."

Nigerian authorities have not announced a definitive
death count, but witness accounts made clear the dead
in Onitsha numbered at least 42 and perhaps far
higher. The Civil Liberties Organization, a respected
independent group in Nigeria, meanwhile, said its
volunteers had counted more than 70 bodies over two
days in Onitsha. They also witnessed police gathering
bodies for disposal.

Deaths in other Nigerian cities totaled 50 from five
days of religious rioting, according to news reports,
and many Nigerians were bracing for what they feared
would be more retaliatory attacks.

The violence has revealed yet again the deep ethnic,
regional and religious differences in Africa's most
populous nation, split nearly evenly between a Muslim
north and a Christian and animist south. In the past
decade, Nigeria has seen at least 20,000 deaths from
political, ethnic and religious violence.

Nigeria is home to more than 200 distinct ethnic
groups drawn together in a volatile mix by European
colonial mapmakers in the 19th century.

The recent rioting began Sunday in the northeastern
city of Maiduguri, where Muslim mobs attacked churches
and Christians. The violence spread to a second
northern city, and then to the mostly Christian,
southern cities of Onitsha and Enugu.

The violence was most intense and widespread here in
Onitsha, alongside the historic trading route of the
Niger River. It has has long been a commercial center.

Though the city is considered part of the homeland of
the heavily Catholic Ibo ethnic group, thousands of
northern Muslims, mostly members of the Hausa ethnic
group, have moved here in search of work.

Muslim refugees, mostly from the Hausa ethnic group of
northern Nigeria, described how mobs of Christian men
wielding guns and machetes burst into shops, looted
goods and money, then began attacking.

The Muslims fled on foot, mostly across the bridge
over the wide Niger River. Some were caught, cut to
death and burned. Others, said survivors, were thrown
into the river.

Government health crews began collecting the bodies
near the bridge Wednesday afternoon. Police removed
many others in the city, according to witnesses.

Yet some bodies remained. A few yards from the corpse
of a charred man, lying naked on his back in the
middle of the road, a group of Onitsha traders said
they had no choice but to attack the Muslims living
here.

"We have to retaliate," said Justin Ifeanyi, 24. "It
is a shame to us if we don't kill them."

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Muslims discuss cartoon flap
Thursday, February 23, 2006
BY MARY WARNER
Of The Patriot-News

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/114069033461240.xm\
l&coll=1

Expressing the same outrage that has sparked violence
overseas, but in a peaceful public forum, midstate
Muslims last night explained why they object to
cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

About 50 people, including about 20 non-Muslims,
attended a presentation on Muhammad, whom they called
a man of peace, compassion and tolerance.

The local chapter of the Council on American Islamic
Relations sponsored the event at the Islamic Society
of Greater Harrisburg in Steelton, one of seven
mosques in the Harrisburg area.

Muhammad's depiction is generally forbidden in Islam,
and Muslims say cartoons published recently in a
Danish newspaper go beyond that offense by making fun
of Muhammad and portraying him as a terrorist.

In some Muslim countries, protests turned violent and
Danish embassies were burned.

"Turbulent times are also windows of opportunity,"
Umar Farooq, a co-founder of the Steelton mosque, said
in opening the forum. "It is important to speak out in
measured voices. ... We should not allow the worst
among us to drive the agenda.

"No doubt that Muslims around the globe were very much
offended by these cartoons, but their reacting
hysterically by rioting and burning buildings is also
reprehensible," he said.

"We all are for free speech and freedom of press, but
we believe responsibility should be a part of this
right," he added.

Panelists told stories of Muhammad's respect for all
people and his instruction to Muslims to be in
"service to every living thing."

Several panelists said most of the protests against
the cartoons in the Muslim world have been peaceful.

The audience included three students from a Messiah
College class on Islam and members of churches that
have held interfaith sessions with Muslims. People
mingled over cake and fresh strawberries before the
discussion began.

Some in the audience seemed eager to challenge the
panelists, but the atmosphere remained polite.

One man said it was "sickening to see what
representatives of Islam" did yesterday in Nigeria,
where 30 churches were razed.

"My confusion is, there's outrage over a comic
strip," said a woman. "Where's the outrage over the
mistreatment of women?"

Panelist Samia Malik of Hampden Twp. said she grew up
in India and knows there is "atrocious behavior" there
toward women. As a volunteer at a local women's
shelter, she noted there are also battered women here.

"It is not a problem of Islam. It's a problem of human
beings," she said.

The cartoons have recently been reprinted in other
European newspapers. Few U.S. papers have printed
them.

MARY WARNER: 255-8267 or mwarner@...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Protest over cartoon sparks lively debate
By ABHI RAGHUNATHAN
Published February 23, 2006

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/02/23/Tampabay/Protest_over_cartoon_.shtml

ST. PETERSBURG - Thomas Wadley is passionate about
free speech. It offends him that most American
newspapers have refused to publish the cartoons of the
prophet Mohammed that ignited riots and violence
across the Middle East.

So the attorney painted two 3-foot by 4-foot plywood
boards and put them up outside his home. One is the
flag of Denmark, where the cartoons were first
published. The other is one of the cartoons, a drawing
of Mohammed's head adorned with a green crescent and
star, along with captions such as: "Since when is it
o.k. to mock religion? Since always."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia
Lessons From History

By Alexander Gainem**
Freelance Journalist – Canada
Feb. 23, 2006

http://www.islamonline.net/English/Views/2006/02/article09.shtml


Alexander Gainem traces the origins of anti-Semitism
and Islamophobia in European history, drawing an
analogy between the two concepts and foreseeing more
violence if Islamophobia is not taken more seriously.

Do you think that Islamophobia can be compared to
anti-Semitism? Do you think it can lead to similar
consequences? Join us with your comments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Why the Western urge to ridicule the Prophet?
2/25/2006 - Religious Education Political - Article
Ref: IC0602-2928
Number of comments: 3
Opinion Summary: Agree:0 Disagree:2 Neutral:1
By: Karen Armstrong
IslamiCity* -

http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Articles.asp?ref=IC0602-2928

The recent distasteful incident of the Danish cartoons
will not be the last time people will try to disparage
the character of Prophet Muhammad .

In light of this it is important to understand the
history of the Western bigotry against Prophet
Muhammad .

In the following article excerpted from "Muhammad - A
Biography of the Prophet", Karen Armstrong reflects on
a similar incident a few years ago when the book
"Satanic Verses" caused a crises in Muslim-Western
relations. Ms. Armstrong traces the bitter history of
Muslim-Western relations which began with Christian
attacks on the character of Prophet Muhammad in
Muslim Spain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Five days of violence by Nigerian Christians and
Muslims kill 150
By Christian Allen Purefoy in Lagos
Published: 24 February 2006

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/africa/article347374.ece

Clashes between Nigeria's Muslim and Christian
communities have left nearly 150 people dead and
thousands displaced after five days of violence
sparked originally by the publication of cartoons
depicting the Prophet Mohamed.

In the southern city of Onitsha, where the worst of
the killing took place, Christians yesterday burnt the
corpses of their victims and defaced mosques in
revenge for attacks on Christians in the north of the
country earlier this week.

As several bodies burnt on pyres of flaming tyres and
the stench of charred flesh filled the air, police
began to clear away the dead lying at the sides of
Onitsha's dirt roads.

"Security forces were collecting dead bodies of those
killed in the two days of mayhem," said Emeka Umeh,
head of the Civil Liberties Organisation in the city.

Last Saturday, violence broke out in Maiduguri,
northern Nigeria, leaving at least 15 Christians dead
and 11 churches in flames. The riots were led by
Muslims furious at the cartoons, published in Danish
and other European newspapers. More than 100 people
were arrested and the army was called in to help the
police. In revenge, on Tuesday morning, riots broke
out against the Muslim population in the Christian
city of Onitsha.

"The rioters were armed with machetes, daggers, clubs,
knives and other metal objects," Mr Umeh added.

With their mosques and businesses burnt, more than
3,000 Muslim men, women and children have overwhelmed
the local barracks, police stations and mosques
seeking protection. The Red Cross reports more than
100 people dead in Onitsha "so far", and says it has
treated about 70 injured. "They were attacked by mobs
... some have bruises, some have dislocations," said
Anne Asiegbu, the organisation's area officer.

The Anambra state governor, Chris Ngige, has deployed
2,000 policemen on the streets and appealed for calm.

Nigerian analysts believe much of the violence is
fuelled by political tensions concerning national
elections in 2007. "This type of protest has a
political undertone," said Mr Umeh.

The country is rife with rumour that President
Olusegun Obasanjo may try to change the constitution
and seek a third term, while others seek to use
violence to further their political influence and
position in the forthcoming elections. "Speculation
that President Obasanjo will try to change the
constitution so he can seek a third term is raising
political tension and if proven true, threatens to
unleash major turmoil and conflict," John Negroponte,
the US intelligence chief, said this month.

"Such chaos in Nigeria could lead to disruption of oil
supply, secessionist moves by regional governments and
instability elsewhere in Africa," he added.

Nigeria's population of 120 million is split roughly
in half - the northern Hausa are predominantly Muslim,
and the southern Yoruba and Ibgo ethnic groups are
mostly Christian. In 1999, Sharia law was introduced
in many of the northern states, aggravating tensions
between Muslims and Christians.

In September 2001, 915 people died in Jos after news
of al-Qa'ida's attacks on America. More than 200
people were killed in 2002, following outrage when
Nigeria tried to host the Miss World beauty contest.

Some in Onitsha have set deadlines for the Hausa
community to leave. The city's deputy police
commissioner, Haz Iwendi, said: "The various state
governors are meeting to ensure that this does not
snowball."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Complete news coverage on he Danish Cartoons
controversy at:
http://www.islamawareness.net/Europe/Denmark/Cartoons/