Raid on Baghdad mosque uncovers car bomb workshop
By Robert - Jihad Watch
What was that again about the sanctity of the mosque? But take note: this is not pure hypocrisy. From the Islamic perspective, the Americans, being (mostly) non-Muslims, violate the sanctity of the mosques by entering them. But for Muslims to hold car bomb workshops in the mosque doesn't violate their sanctity: it is part of the jihad, which is a sacred activity.
From Knight-Ridder, with thanks to Ruth King:
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A mosque raided by security forces in southern Baghdad contained a workshop to rig suicide car bombs, with seven vehicles ready for terror attacks, an Iraqi Defense Ministry official said Sunday.
Car bombings and remote-controlled roadside blasts have become routine in the Iraqi capital in recent weeks, including a blast Sunday that wounded two U.S. soldiers.
National Guard forces raided the Sunni Muslim Al-Yassen Mosque in the southern Baghdad area of Abu Dshir on Saturday, said Gen. Saleh Sarhan of the Defense Ministry. In addition to seven cars pre-rigged with explosives, the guardsmen found 30 rocket-propelled grenades, high-powered rifles, mortars and remote control detonators, Sarhan said.
"The National Guard arrested the imam (religious leader) of the mosque," Sarhan said, and detained an additional 18 people suspected of involvement in the car bombings.
Anti-U.S. insurgents used some 60 mosques in the city of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, to stockpile weapons and provide cover during a U.S.-led offensive against the city earlier this month, the U.S. military says. One of the mosques was described as a general arms depot capable of equipping insurgents across much of Iraq. |
