Muslims burn effigies of Bush, Blair in east

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 October 2001, 17:39 GMT]
Thousands of Muslims burnt the effigies of US President George Bush and the British Prime Minister Tony Blair after Jummah prayers in six towns in the Batticaloa and Ampara districts Friday. The largest protest was held in Kattankudy, the large bustling Muslim town, eight kilometres south of Batticaloa town. More than seven thousand protestors carrying photos of Osama Bin Laden marched through Kattankudy Friday afternoon. The protestors in the eastern towns of Oddamavadi, Kattankudy, Kalmunai, Saainthamaruthu, Sammanthurai and Akkaraipattu burn the national flags of the US, Britain and Israel. The organisers of the protests called on Muslim youth in the east to join the 'holy war' (Jihad) against the Americans in Afghanistan.

The protestors carried posters of Osama Bin Laden and chanted slogans against the US, UK and Muslim countries that are supporting the war on Afghanistan. "Death to Bush", "Long live Osama", the protestors shouted.

"We have called on all the Muslims in Sri Lanka to boycott US, British and Israeli goods," said Roohul Haq, one of the chief organisers of the demonstrations. He said that the opposition to US and British military action against the Taliban will continue in the Muslim towns of the east.