13 Die In Blast At Historic Indian Mosque
A bomb ripped through a historic south India mosque Friday, and 13 people were killed — 11 in the blast and two in subsequent clashes between angry Muslim worshippers and security forces, police said.
Minutes after the blast at the 17th-century Mecca Masjid, worshippers who were angered by what they said was a lack of police protection began chanting "God is great!" Some hurled stones at police, who dispersed them with baton charges and tear gas.
While the situation at the mosque was quickly brought under control, Muslims later clashed with security forces in at least three parts of Hyderabad, said Mohammed Abdul Basit, police chief of Andhra Pradesh state, where Hyderabad is located. Police fired live ammunition and tear gas to quell the riots, killing two people, he said.
The bombing, which killed 11 people and wounded 35, and clashes raised fears of wider Hindu-Muslim violence in the city, which has long been plagued by communal tensions and occasional spasms of inter-religious bloodletting.
Many of those injured in the explosion at the Mecca Masjid were severely wounded, and the city's police chief, Balwinder Singh, warned the death toll could rise.
Soon after the blast, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state, where Hyderabad is located, appealed for calm between Hindus and Muslims.
"This is an intentional sabotage on the peace and tranquility of the state," Reddy said of the bombing. "Every sane person has to unequivocally condemn this sort of incident. ... I take this opportunity to appeal to everyone concerned to show restraint."
Reddy told reporters in New Delhi, where he was meeting with federal officials on unrelated business, that one bomb went off around 1:30 p.m. local time and that police soon after found and defused two other bombs in the area of the mosque.
The bomb, made of a stick-grenade packed into a metal pipe, was detonated by a mobile phone attached to the device, said the state's police chief, Mohammed Abdul Basit.
Neither he nor any other officials gave any indication of who they suspected in the attack.
About 10,000 people usually attend Friday prayers at the mosque, located in a Muslim neighborhood of Hyderabad. The explosion sparked a panic.
"I was very close to the spot of the blast," said Abdul Quader, a 30-year-old who sustained light injuries to his legs.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Minutes after the blast at the 17th-century Mecca Masjid, worshippers who were angered by what they said was a lack of police protection began chanting "God is great!" Some hurled stones at police, who dispersed them with baton charges and tear gas.
While the situation at the mosque was quickly brought under control, Muslims later clashed with security forces in at least three parts of Hyderabad, said Mohammed Abdul Basit, police chief of Andhra Pradesh state, where Hyderabad is located. Police fired live ammunition and tear gas to quell the riots, killing two people, he said.
The bombing, which killed 11 people and wounded 35, and clashes raised fears of wider Hindu-Muslim violence in the city, which has long been plagued by communal tensions and occasional spasms of inter-religious bloodletting.
Many of those injured in the explosion at the Mecca Masjid were severely wounded, and the city's police chief, Balwinder Singh, warned the death toll could rise.
Soon after the blast, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh state, where Hyderabad is located, appealed for calm between Hindus and Muslims.
"This is an intentional sabotage on the peace and tranquility of the state," Reddy said of the bombing. "Every sane person has to unequivocally condemn this sort of incident. ... I take this opportunity to appeal to everyone concerned to show restraint."
Reddy told reporters in New Delhi, where he was meeting with federal officials on unrelated business, that one bomb went off around 1:30 p.m. local time and that police soon after found and defused two other bombs in the area of the mosque.
The bomb, made of a stick-grenade packed into a metal pipe, was detonated by a mobile phone attached to the device, said the state's police chief, Mohammed Abdul Basit.
Neither he nor any other officials gave any indication of who they suspected in the attack.
About 10,000 people usually attend Friday prayers at the mosque, located in a Muslim neighborhood of Hyderabad. The explosion sparked a panic.
"I was very close to the spot of the blast," said Abdul Quader, a 30-year-old who sustained light injuries to his legs.
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Posted by singinrick
-Happens to be one of the 70some % Americans who believe now that all the 911-trick has been an internal business... If Walking-Liar were not a liasr, we would have seen what CIA report concerning the 911 events and the WMD in Iraq looked like long time ago...
-I maintain my claim against GWalking-Liar Bush and still consider you're so childish and fairytales-believer that you'd believe that Spiderman exist.
This is just another sad story as to why when God really does come no one is going to like it because God has his own agenda.
He spoke of the bombing of the mosque in Malegaon, and complained bitterly that authorities have blamed Muslim extremists for that attack but provided only limited evidence.
Two conflicting views as to what group of people are responsible. The extremist are responsible regardless of what faith they profess they are not religious and have no faith.This is a tragedy for all of humankind.
No we do not care wht others think of us either.
you know what realy boters me is the always one side or the other has to do something to stir things up again.
Why is it the we hindu's read the Gita and still cannot see the truth?
God Krishna would not want that we simple, sense bound sould take judgment of others in to our feable hands.
Is understanding so hard?
Sometimes it is realy best to live and let live.
If everyone would just stop and thnk for a moment about the values we teach our families maybe one day we can avoid all of this.
My husbands family fleed India duing the seperation because they did not feel safe.
In a country as poor and as rich as India I think there is room for everyone.
Ever notice Hindu Temples are NOT blown up in Pakistan?
Is there a real problem?
Yes!
Can we solve it?
With out a doubt.
Who's to blame?
Everyone!
Muslim extreamist teach hate.
Hindu Fundamentalist teach hate.
he who hates breeds nothing but hate.
Its a cycle that we all have to work to change.
As for the families of those who have been lost over the yrs of unrest.
My and my husbands prayers are with you always.
May god(s) bless you and keep you safe.
and may god show us the way to live in peace.
Posted by ndjam at 08:30 PM : May 18, 2007
AMEN to that!
Posted by singinrick at 07:55 PM : May 18, 2007
Why would I post how sorry I feel for innocent victims of Muslim violence, on a story about innocent victims of Hindu violence? That doesn't even make sense.
Look, you made a mistake because on this story you saw Jihadists where there were actually Hindu Fundamentalists. I wanted to clarify that this story was about Muslims being targeted. That should have ended it. But you keep bringing the comments back to how bad radical Muslims are, which is why I keep pointing out that's NOT what THIS story is about. Sure they're despicable, but that doesn't have anything to do with this story.
What I always hope for on these stories, when reading the comments, is to see some sympathy for innocent victims of religious violence (and add a comment on that), not negative comments about the faith of the very people who have been killed today.
Posted by singinrick at 07:44 PM : May 18, 2007
As the man said, have a better one....