philburger1 Posted May 27, 2005 Share Posted May 27, 2005 An apparent suicide bomb detonated Friday as hundreds of Shiite Muslims recited verses from the Quran during a religious festival at a shrine near Pakistan's capital, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens, witnesses said. Sectarian attacks by Sunni and minority Shiites are common in this Islamic country. The schism between the two sects dates back to a 7th-century dispute over who was the true heir to the Prophet Mohammed. In February, gunmen opened fire on mourners returning from a funeral near the shrine, sparking a firefight that killed three people and injured several others. That violence, however, was believed linked to a feud between two families over control of the shrine. After the blast, hundreds of Shiite pilgrims, beating their chests in mourning, clashed with baton-wielding police, who charged the crowd to clear the way for ambulances. Some of the Shiite protesters chanted, "Down with America!" Hours after the bombing, thousands of supporters of hardline Islamic groups attended previously planned rallies in Islamabad and other cities to protest the alleged desecration of the Quran at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. YEAH, OKAY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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