Anbat's shiites worry about religious backlash
AP Phezzan
Members Anbat's small community of Shia Muslims are increasingly worried about the possibility of reprisals from Anbat's dominant Christian and Sunni communities as political and sectarian unrest continues in the Shia-dominated Islamic Republic of Wazistan. In Anbat, where Sunni Islam has historically been the dominant sect of Islamic practice, Shia Islam is typically associated with Wazistan and Kediri, two countries that have poor relations with Anbat's Christian-dominated government.
With the pace of clashes between the Wazi government and various opposition groups increasing, numerous incidents of violence have been publicized in the international media, including the recent deaths of hundreds of civilians in Bijan and Al-Zaatar. The latter, an incident which occured in a Christian-majority town and has been described by Anbati President Dawud Zureiq as the "Al-Zaatar massacre", has become a rallying cry for Christian groups protesting against the Wazi government.
Over the recent days, demonstrations have been seen in Anbat outside the Wazi embassy and other representations, and occasionally these have escalated into molotov cocktails and other objects being thrown. The Wazi embassy in Phezzan has been under blockade by a group of demonstrators for several days. Opposition commentators have claimed that the most vocal of these demonstrators originate from government-sponsored groups - including the youth wing of the ruling National Progress Party - or have been paid by the Anbati security services to take part in the demonstrations.
Now the 100000 Shia muslims in Anbat are worried about reprisals against their community, in a country where many associate Shia Islam with the Islamist regimes of Kediri and Wazistan. Already threats have been made against Shia mosques and community centers in Anbat: Last week Sheikh Mukhtar abd-al-Rashid Madari, the clerical leader of Sunni terrorist group Martyrs' Brigade of the Islamic Brotherhood, issued a decree sanctioning attacks against locations affiliated with the Wazi government by "true Islamic believers", and several Christian and Arab nationalist radicals have also made threats to attack Wazi targets.
AP Phezzan
Members Anbat's small community of Shia Muslims are increasingly worried about the possibility of reprisals from Anbat's dominant Christian and Sunni communities as political and sectarian unrest continues in the Shia-dominated Islamic Republic of Wazistan. In Anbat, where Sunni Islam has historically been the dominant sect of Islamic practice, Shia Islam is typically associated with Wazistan and Kediri, two countries that have poor relations with Anbat's Christian-dominated government.
With the pace of clashes between the Wazi government and various opposition groups increasing, numerous incidents of violence have been publicized in the international media, including the recent deaths of hundreds of civilians in Bijan and Al-Zaatar. The latter, an incident which occured in a Christian-majority town and has been described by Anbati President Dawud Zureiq as the "Al-Zaatar massacre", has become a rallying cry for Christian groups protesting against the Wazi government.
Over the recent days, demonstrations have been seen in Anbat outside the Wazi embassy and other representations, and occasionally these have escalated into molotov cocktails and other objects being thrown. The Wazi embassy in Phezzan has been under blockade by a group of demonstrators for several days. Opposition commentators have claimed that the most vocal of these demonstrators originate from government-sponsored groups - including the youth wing of the ruling National Progress Party - or have been paid by the Anbati security services to take part in the demonstrations.
Now the 100000 Shia muslims in Anbat are worried about reprisals against their community, in a country where many associate Shia Islam with the Islamist regimes of Kediri and Wazistan. Already threats have been made against Shia mosques and community centers in Anbat: Last week Sheikh Mukhtar abd-al-Rashid Madari, the clerical leader of Sunni terrorist group Martyrs' Brigade of the Islamic Brotherhood, issued a decree sanctioning attacks against locations affiliated with the Wazi government by "true Islamic believers", and several Christian and Arab nationalist radicals have also made threats to attack Wazi targets.