[Tripoli Post] While Libya celebrates the success of its historic even on Saturday with the first free elections in the country for 60 years, and is eagerly awaiting the outcome of the people's vote, early Monday morning somebody placed a bomb on the tomb of Zuhayr Ibn Qais Al-Balawi at the Sahaba Mosque in Derna causing what could be irreparable damage to the monument to the seventh century commander who helped bring Islam to the region. No casualites have been reported.Zuhayr Ibn Qais Al-Balawi is revered in Libya as he was one of the leaders who helped bring Islam to North Africa. He succeeded Uqbah bin Nafi who was martyred in 63 as he fought in North Africa.
Al Balawi managed to defeat and killed the king of the Berbers, Kaseelah.
Salafists
...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them...
have been blamed by angry locals for the bombing which happened about 7 a.m. The bomb destroyed the building over Balawi's grae but the actual grave is reported not to have been damaged.
Nobody has taken responsibility for the kaboom, but fingers of blame are being pointed at a small group of Safalists who are known to be very active in Derba. They refused to pray in the mosque because of Zuhayr Ibn Qais Al-Balawi tomb.
Salafists are also blamed for previous other activity since the end of the Qadaffy regime, that has been of great concern to the Libyan authoritis and people. Since a few months they also attacked a number of Sufi shrines in the country, including that hat of Sidi Abdul-Salam Al-Asmar Al-Fituri in Zliten.