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| Africa North |
| Egypt: Cleric blames Israeli and US intelligence for Church bombing |
| 2011-01-04 |
| I think we all knew this was coming... [ADN Kronos] US and Israeli intelligence were behind the deadly bombing of a church in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria early on Saturday, an Egyptian holy man kidnapped by CIA and Italian secret service agents in the northern Italian city of Milan in 2003, told Adnkronos International (AKI). "Israel's Mossad and the CIA are behind the attack in Alexandria," Osama Hasan Mustafa Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, told AKI. Hey, Frank. Let's go to Abu's house and move the furniture around again. Heh heh heh. Sounds good, Avi. Maybe do the Saran Wrap on the toilet thing too... No one has grabbed credit for the suicide kaboom which killed 21 people and injured dozens outside a Coptic church in Alexandria, but suspicion is likely to fall on Al-Qaeda linked or inspired Islamist radicals, according to analysts. "After the (31 October) attack against the church in Storied Baghdad, it is Egypt's turn," Nasr said, referring to the terrorist assault on a Catholic church in which 58 people including two priests died and a further 80 were maimed. The Egyptian government earlier boosted security outside churches after the Islamic State of Iraq issued a threat in late October against Copts, who form 10 percent of Egypt's population. US and Israeli secret services have spent millions of dollars sowing deep divisions between Mohammedans and Christians in Egypt to destabilise the country, according to Nasr. "That is why I and others think that the US and Israel are behind the attack in Alexandria," he said, adding that he condemned the attack. "No Mohammedan can condone such an act," he stated. "It has nothing to do with the Egyptian people and Mohammedans." Nope. We can't do that...stuff. It sez so in the Koran. Egyptian authorities are reported to have stepped up security around all minority Christian churches since Saturday's attack, but hundreds of Copts have demonstrated in Alexandria - Egypt's second city - and clashed with police for the past two days to protest the bombing. In a landmark ruling in 2009, an Italian court jugged 23 CIA agents in absentia and two Italian agents over Nasr's abduction in broad daylight from a Milan street in February 2003. Nasr alleges he was flown to Egypt and tortured in prison there. He was released in 2007 and now lives in Alessandria. He is suspected of recruiting Mohammedan fighters to train in Afghanistan and said he will set up an Islamist party with any legal damages he is awarded. Nasr and his wife are seeking 15 million euros in compensation for his ordeal. He could still face arrest if he returns to Italy. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #9 tw: The Copts literally had the short end of the stick even then, as back in the Byzantine empire they had to pay large amounts of jizya-like taxes for being the wrong sect. This, along with the rigid caste structure, was a big factor in the collapse and contraction of the Byzantine Empire during the first years of Islam. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2011-01-04 12:13 |
| #8 The way I understand it Christians and Jews are 'People of the book' and as such they can practice their religion under very heavy restrictions. Can't build a church without permission (which is seldom if ever granted - see Indonesia), no crosses or other visible symbols, no singing audible outside the church, etc.... Oh and they have practically no legal rights whatsoever. In fact I seem to recall a few years ago that some Christian parents were almost given the death penalty for simply for inviting their chidren's muslim friends to an Easter party in 'moderate' Indonesia. Or at least the 'moderate muslims' demanded it and the government seriously considered it. The Copts probably have it much worse. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-01-04 12:10 |
| #7 Copts = Joooos by proxy? Christians were always persecuted -- to a greater or lesser extant -- as well as Jews under Muslim rule, also as a tax source and also to encourage conversion. The Christians may have done it first, but that hasn't meant they got preference later. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-01-04 11:48 |
| #6 Copts = Joooos by proxy? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2011-01-04 09:40 |
| #5 Good idea. I may add it in today. |
| Posted by: Fred 2011-01-04 08:57 |
| #4 Some of these belligerent Islamic "clergy" need a euphemism comparing them to pagan high priests and tribal shaman. "Molochite high priest" might be fitting. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-01-04 08:41 |
| #3 Obama's suck up speechs to the Moslem world and the anti Israel rhetoric was supposed to catalyze love and peace. It has had the opposite effect. Virulent Islamics figuring Obama was too weak to support Israel figured he'd be too weak to worry about Christians. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2011-01-04 08:08 |
| #2 Well, there is something to it. They'd rather kill Jews. But Jews not being available... |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-01-04 06:39 |
| #1 "Israel's Mossad and the CIA are behind the attack in Alexandria," Osama Hasan Mustafa Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, told AKI. It's the Joooooooooooooooooooooooooooos. Couldn't be an innocent, misunderstood follower of mohamhead. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2011-01-04 01:27 |