Mosques throughout Egypt took advantage of Friday prayers to criticize Hamas over the killing of an Egyptian soldier by a sniper belonging to the Islamist group during riots that erupted earlier this week along the country's border with Gaza.
On Tuesday, clashes erupted between members of an aid convoy and Egyptian riot police in El-Arish after the convoy's entry to Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, was delayed due to the nature of some of the materials it was carrying. Dozens of protesters and police were injured.
Seven convoy members were ordered arrested when they return to Egypt.
A sympathy protest along the Gaza-side of the border Wednesday degenerated into stone-throwing scuffles and exchange of fire between Egyptian security and Palestinian gunmen, killing one Egyptian border guard.
London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported Saturday that most of the 140,000 mosques operating under the auspices of Egypt's Ministry of Awqaf took part in the verbal onslaught on the Palestinian Islamist group.
An imam at the Ibad el-Rahman Mosque in Cairo called the soldier's death a "tragedy", and, addressing the Palestinian sniper, said, "What will you tell your god tomorrow?"
A cleric said during a televised sermon that Egypt "has sacrificed thousands for the sake of Palestine," apparently referring to Egyptian casualties during its wars with Israel.
According to another imam, Hamas is to blame for the blockade imposed on the Palestinians in Gaza. "Its leaders want to stay in power, even at the cost of their own people's expulsion and starvation," the imam said during a sermon at Cairo's Al-Rahma Mosque. He called the Egyptian soldier a "shahid," adding that the sniper who had killed him would be "sent to hell" if he does not repent.http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3831785,00.html
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
