Everlyne Kwamboka And Ali Abdi
11 February 2006
Nairobi — A demonstration by Muslims in Nairobi turned tragic when a vehicle the protestors hijacked overturned, killing one.
Several others were injured when the driver of the overloaded pick-up lost control of the vehicle that overturned on Waiyaki Way, yesterday afternoon.
The demonstrators had hijacked two pick-ups to take one of their colleagues to hospital after anti-riot police shot him on the leg.
The rioters had attempted to storm the Danish Embassy when anti-riot police stopped them near the Waiyaki Way flyover.
Anti-riot police fired nine rounds of ammunition and several teargas canisters to disperse the peaceful demonstrators, chanting 'Takbri Alah Wakbar'.
Local Muslims were joining their colleagues worldwide in demonstration over cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed, as a terrorist.
The controversial cartoons were published in a Danish newspaper and were later re-produced by others in Europe, sparking off outrage from Muslim faithful.
The accident caused traffic jam along Waiyaki Way as Good Samaritans helped ferry the injured to hospital.
Those in the other hijacked pick-up ordered the driver to stop and rushed to the scene to assist. One of them took a cloth he was carrying and covered the dead man with it.
Earlier, they had demonstrated peacefully from Jamia Mosque after the Friday afternoon prayers, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where they handed over a protest memorandum.
At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gates were locked as police officers watched from a distance.
Only three Muslim representatives were allowed to enter and handover the memorandum.
They were carrying placards reading, 'Islam is Coming to Europe Be Prepared!' 'Muslims Do Not Worship Creation but the Creator!' and 'Denmark Prepare Islam is on its Way!'.
An administrator, Anthony Ngare who received the memorandum, said the minister Raphael Tuju was away.
In the memorandum, they demanded the closure of the Danish Embassy and the recalling of the ambassador over the cartoons.
They also asked Muslims to boycott Danish products to show solidarity with Muslims worldwide.
Their spokesman, Yahya Mohammed, said it was against humanity to abuse any prophet of God.
"Their apology is not enough and it is not right for people to burn or destroy property when demonstrating over the issue," he said.
A representative from Mandera, Mohammed Maalim Noor said there was need for the Government to cut links with Denmark over the offending cartoons.
Muslims also demonstrated in Isiolo town yesterday against Denmark.
The local chairman of National Muslim Forum Hussein Gulet asked the Government to cut diplomatic ties with the Scandinavian country if it failed to apologise to Muslims within a week.
In Samburu over 2,500 Muslims protested over the cartoons, saying an apology was not enough.
In Mombasa, thousands of Muslims took to the streets to protest against the caricatures.
They carried placards condemning Denmark for allegedly showing disrespect to Islam.
Meanwhile, the world famous Middle East based Al Jazeera International television station goes on air in Nairobi in three months.
Kenyans will now have an opportunity to watch programmes aired by the station when it starts its transmission in the English language from May.
Officials of the station are in Nairobi to negotiate partnership deals with local TV stations that would air their programmes.
The revelations were made Al Jazeera's Africa Bureau chief Andrew Simmons and the station's commercial director Lindsey Oliver visited the Standard Group yesterday.
Simmons said Al Jazeera that transmits its programmes in the Arabic language from its base in Qatar is branching into the English language.
He said the station hopes to reach the over one billion English speakers.
Simmons said the station plans to open four bureaux in Africa, based in Johannesburg, Harare, Nairobi and Lagos.
He said the South African bureau is already functional and the others would be set up soon.
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