CAIRO: Hundreds of Salafi protesters gathered after Friday prayers at Al-Nour mosque in Abbasiya, condemning the killing of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by US forces in Pakistan.
They then marched through Ramses, passed Tahrir Square and made their way to the American Embassy in Cairo, where army and police forces had cordoned off the block.
Around the mosque, which is located near Saint Mark’s Cathedral — also the headquarters of the Coptic Church — demonstrators were watched on by police as they gathered and unfurled a banner bearing a picture of bin Laden that declared that he "is a symbol of jihad."
"Obama is the terrorist, not Osama," and "Obama, Osama’s blood was not shed in vain," they chanted as around 100 police and military personnel stood nearby.
Growing in number, protesters eventually marched all the way to the US embassy, but were not allowed to get too close.
“We condemn the murder of Sheikh Osama bin Laden by Americans,” Osama Abdallah, one of the protesters, told Daily News Egypt. “Bin Laden was defending Muslims; we want Americans out of Egypt,” Abdallah added.
Salafis are a highly conservative current of Islam that believe Muslims should return to the practices of their first forbears.
Not all the protesters supported Al-Qaeda, some were there to denounce his burial at sea, which they view as un-Islamic.
Ashraf Mahmud, a 46-year-old English language teacher, told AFP, "I’m not a supporter of Al-Qaeda. I came here out of principle, because of the way he was buried. He shouldn’t have been dumped in the sea," he said.
At the embassy, chants repeated by protesters included “We are going to Palestine in millions,” “Remove the US flag” and “America is the enemy of God.”
“I am here to support my Muslim brothers,” Aly Saber, a writer, said. “By throwing away bin Laden’s body, the Americans are insulting Muslims. Any Arab country would gladly accept his body and perform the [burial] ritual and prayer for him,” Saber added.
Earlier at the mosque, protesters had performed the ganaza (or Islamic funeral) prayer for bin Laden.
Sayed Hamed, a member of the Revolution Front, condemned the murder of a Muslim among his children. “America is only defending Israel’s stake. We reject American policies and actions,” he told DNE, calling for the removal of the US and Israeli flags and the closure of their embassies.
“Next Friday, we are moving to the Palestinian borders to prove that these are Egyptian borders and Egyptians are the only ones who control them,” Hamed said.
In Tahrir
Separate protests took place in Tahrir Square on Friday, some to show solidarity with and to denounce government crackdowns on uprisings in Syria, Yemen and Libya.
Other protesters condemned the actions of the ruling army council and the military trials of civilians, calling on Defense Minister Mohamed Tantawi to step down.
Manal Mohamed told DNE that her 31-year-old husband was taken from his home by army officers who claimed that a white weapon was in his possession. He was reportedly sentenced to three years in prison.
“I am here to ask for my husband’s right. He was unfairly caught and tried,” she said. “We are not attacking the army but only the [ruling] military council,” she added.
Human rights groups have repeatedly called for an end to the military trials of civilians.
A small group demonstrated in front of the state television building Maspero, calling for the “respectful” treatment of ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
“We believe Mubarak to be a symbol of Egypt and should not be treated in this humiliating way,” Yassin Mahrous, a restaurant manager and former army soldier, said. -Additional reporting by AFP.
There was a heavy security presence around the nearby Cathedral. (Daily News Egypt Photo / Hassan Ibrahim)
