VARIOUS: Thousands of protesters across the Muslim world demonstrate against Israeli aggression in Palestine and Lebanon

Thousands of protesters across the Muslim world demonstrated on Friday (July 21) in support of Lebanon. In Egypt thousands of people rallied inside the courtyard of the 10th century al-Azhar mosque in the capital, Cairo, in protest against Israeli attacks on Lebanon and the Palestinians. After prayers, demonstrators waved Lebanese and Palestinian flags and chanted in support of the guerrilla group Hizbollah, Israel's main target in south Lebanon. At the rally, organised by the opposition Muslim Brotherhood and the Labour Party, a small Islamist group, speakers from a range of opposition groups denounced Israel, the United States and the Arab governments which have criticised Hizbollah. Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Mahdi Akef told Reuters, "Today we are supporting the Palestinian, Lebanese and Iraqi resistance and every resistance against Zionist, American and European arrogance." "Al-Azhar's message to the world is Death to the Zionist entity" read one of the large banners strung across an archway in the marble courtyard of the mosque. "Nasrallah, our friend, hit and destroy Tel Aviv," the protesters chanted - a reference to Hizbollah leader Sayed Hassan Nasrallah. The demonstration was the largest in Cairo in the past 10 days of violence between Israel and Lebanon. As demonstrators left the mosque later, police officers confiscated all their flags and banners. In Amman, the Jordanian capital, thousands marched after Friday prayers in a demonstration organised by the powerful Moslem Brotherhood, the countrys largest opposition movement, to condemn Israel's military offensive in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank. The demonstrators carried banners condemning Israeli actions and chanted pro Hamas and Hizbollah slogans. Deputies and leaders of the mainstream Islamist movement participated in the march through a main street in downtown Amman. The head of the Moslem Brotherhood urged Arab governments to stand by the Lebanese and Palestinian people, criticising their inaction . "The Arab position unfortunately is submissive with a few exceptions and words here and there. We demand of the Arab regimes to take a real stance to end the aggression against them." Falahat said. And in Damascus hundreds of Syrians gathered outside Abo al-Nour mosque after Friday prayers (July 21) in a demonstration supporting Lebanese people against the Israeli attacks. The demonstrators carried pictures of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and burned an Israeli flag. In Dhaka, thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims took the streets on Friday (July 21) in protest against the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon. Organised by various Islamic Groups the protesters burned U.S. and Israeli flags outside the mosque after Friday noon prayers. The protesters also chanted slogans against the U.S. for vetoing a U.N. Security Council resolution and supporting Israel. The demonstrators expressed their anger marching the streets chanting anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans. "Stop the aggression, stop the persecution", "Down with Bush, down with Olmert", the protesters chanted. And hundreds of Malaysian protesters demonstrated against Israel's current battles in Palestine and Lebanon in an anti-war rally outside the United States embassy in capital Kuala Lumpur on Friday (July 21). The mainly Muslim protesters gathered outside the embassy after Friday prayers under the watchful eyes of dozens of armed riot police. The police had earlier thrown a tight security cordon around the embassy. The protesters, from the youth wing of the dominant United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), of which Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is president, chanted and held up posters criticising U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair for their inaction. "We demand the immediate cessation of attacks by Israel on Lebanon and on the Gaza Strip. We would like the UN Security Council and we demand that the United Nations Security Council immediately pass a resolution to stop the Israeli atrocities. This is nothing short of murder, this is nothing short of genocide," said Khairy Jamaluddin, who is deputy chief of the UMNO Youth. Israeli air raids have struck at Hizbollah-controlled areas of Lebanon for nine days in attacks that have killed more than 300 people, mainly civilians, and displaced half a million. Its aircraft struck mostly at Shi'ite strongholds in the eastern towns of Baalbek and Hermel, the southern Beirut area of Bir al-Abed and Khiam in southern Lebanon. Hizbollah has fired more than 900 missiles into Israel, killing 15 Israeli civilians. Nineteen Israeli soldiers have also been killed. Israel launched its offensive after Hizbollah captured two soldiers and killed eight in a cross-border raid on July 12. It has rejected the guerrilla group's proposal for a prisoner swap. Israel's strikes in Lebanon have coincided with a major push into the Gaza Strip to retrieve another soldier, seized by Palestinian gunmen on June 25 and stop cross-border rocket fire. Israel warned Lebanese civilians to leave border villages on Friday and called up thousands of reserves in a possible prelude to a ground offensive that would expand its 10-day campaign against Hizbollah.

ITN Source | July 21, 2006

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