[Reuters] Nidal al-Mughrabi - Radical Islamists in Gaza destroyed a cement statue for the Unknown Soldier, a memorial to Palestinian and Egyptian soldiers killed in the fight against Israel in 1948, because they see the depiction as a violation of strict religious laws. A Hamas security source said those who attacked the statue were members of the so-called radical Salaf group, which abides by strict religious edicts. Radical Muslims say statues are sacrilegious because "non-believers" who predate Islam used to worship them as idols. The presence of radical Islamist groups in Gaza has grown recently. Some say they follow the lead of al-Qaeda.
2007-06-18 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive