[An Nahar] A rally in support of runaway Salafist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir is took place on Friday as scheduled after the main weekly Mohammedan prayers.The rally went ahead in spite of a decision taken by by-security council of the South on Wednesday to thwart such demonstrations outside of Sidon's Bilal bin Rabah Mosque.
Al-Asir was the imam of the mosque and the rally is being staged to demand the release of Sheikh Assem al-Arefi and 46 other supporters of the runaway holy man.
Contacts intensified on Thursday to thwart the rally, but one of the holy mans at the mosque told An Nahar published on Friday on condition of anonymity that the demonstration will be held.
He confirmed that the by-security council had informed the organizers of the rally that it would be thwarted "even if the security forces had to resort to opening fire."
He responded however that the demonstration will be staged.
"Sidon MPs and its religious and political authorities, as well as Hizbullah, will be responsible for any drop of blood shed in the demonstration," he warned.
Media reports said earlier this week that two of al-Asir's supporters Sheikhs Otham Hnaineh and Iyyad al-Saleh were released from custody after being given a stern warning against calling for a rally in support of the holy man.
The third holy man, al-Arefi, remains in jug.
He was locked away
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
for taking part in the June Sidon festivities and for leading a campaign to garner al-Asir's supporters to rally in support of the runaway.
Al-Asir's supporters were involved in armed festivities with the army in Sidon and nearby Abra region in June.
The festivities broke out when the gunnies shot up an army checkpoint.
Al-Asir's supporters and eye-witnesses have repeatedly accused Hizbullah fighters of being involved in the unrest.
Al-Asir, a 45-year-old holy man who supports the overwhelmingly Sunni rebels fighting to topple Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir
Pencilneckal-Assad
Scourge of Qusayr...
, has been on the run since June.