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| Bangladesh |
| Deadly clashes in Bangladesh after top JI leader hanged |
| 2013-12-14 |
| [Pak Daily Times] Bangladesh was rocked by a new wave of deadly violence on Friday as Islamist supporters went on the rampage to vent their fury at the execution of one of their leaders for war crimes. Comes as a surprise, dunnit? Abdul Quader Molla became the first person to be hanged for his role in the country's bloody 1971 war of independence when he was sent to the gallows at a prison on Thursday. I was floored, myself. Never expected such a thing. The hanging took place at 10:01 pm (1601 GMT) after the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal for a final review of the death sentence handed down to Molla, who was a senior figure in the Jamaat-e-Islami ... The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... party. Molla had been found guilty in February by a much-criticised domestic tribunal of having been a leader of a pro-Pakistain militia that fought against the country's independence and killed some of Bangladesh's top professors, doctors, writers and journalists. He was convicted of rape, murder and mass murder, including the killing of more than 350 unarmed civilians. Prosecutors called him the "Butcher of Mirpur", a Dhaka suburb where he committed most of the atrocities. Fears that the execution could spark further unrest, in a country where political violence is intensifying in the build-up to deeply divisive ...politicians call things divisivewhen when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive,they're principled... elections, were soon realised as the Islamists rioted in street battles in towns and cities. Two protesters were killed and two activists from the ruling Awami League were hacked to death Friday. Jamaat activists Molotov cocktailed train stations, set fire to businesses and blockaded key highways, police officials said. Violence also erupted near the country's largest mosque in Dhaka after Friday prayers as Jamaat activists detonated crude bombs and torched at least a dozen cars and vehicles, AFP correspondents at the scene said. Police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowds, critically injuring a child, footage aired by private station Channel 24 showed. Activists also tried to burn down the coastal village home of one of the war crimes trial judges, local police chief Anisur Rahman told AFP. "They tried to torch the house with kerosene. We fired rubber bullets to disperse them. No one was injured," he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |