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ISLAM

Muslims in Spain rally against terrorism after attacks

Two hundred Muslims rallied in the streets of Granada, southern Spain, on Wednesday in protest against a surge in anti-Islamic hate crimes following last week's deadly attacks in the country.

Muslims in Spain rally against terrorism after attacks
Photos: AFP

 

The protest was called after the city's main mosque was attacked with flares on Saturday by a handful of members from a far-right group, Hogar Social, who also unfurled a Spanish flag outside building, according to images on Spanish TV.

Muslim groups have reported a jump in anti-Islamic hate incidents since the twin vehicle attacks in Barcelona and the nearby seaside resort of Cambrils that killed 15 people last Thursday. Those attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group.

“It is very important for us to affirm our values as Muslims which are the same as those of all other human beings on this planet,” said Nizar Liemlahi, the director the Dar Loughat Muslim cultural association, one of the co-organisers of the rally.

Only 0.1 percent of the world's Muslims commit attacks and these people “do not represent our values or our principles,” added Liemlahi, a psychologist who moved to Spain from Morocco in 2010.

The protesters brandished banners with slogans such as “I am Muslim and I want to live in peace” and “We also are victims” as they gathered outside Granada city hall.

Mounir Benjell, head of the Spanish Federation of Islamic Religious Entities (FEERI), said the increase in anti-Islamic incidents since the attacks was “unbearable”.

“Unfortunately, after what happened, there is an avalanche of cases. In my 25 years in Spain I have not seen anything like it,”    

Vandals have defaced mosques with racist graffiti and some people have posted videos on social media sites calling for the expulsion of all Muslims, he said.

About 1,000 Muslims marched in Barcelona on Monday against terrorism.

READ MORE: Muslims fear anti-Islam backlash in tolerant Barcelona

TERRORISM

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

Police in Milan said on Thursday they had arrested a 37-year-old Algerian man in the subway, later discovering he was wanted for alleged ties to Islamic State.

Italian police arrest Algerian wanted for alleged IS ties

When stopped by police officers for a routine check, the man became “particularly aggressive”, said police in Milan, who added the arrest took place “in recent days”.

He was “repeatedly shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ while attempting to grab from his backpack an object that turned out to be a knife with a blade more than 12cm (nearly five inches) long,” they said in a statement.

The man was later found to be wanted by authorities in Algeria, suspected since 2015 of belonging to “Islamic State militias and employed in the Syrian-Iraqi theatre of war,” police said.

Police said the suspect was unknown to Italian authorities.

The man is currently in Milan’s San Vittore prison and awaiting extradition, they added.

Jihadist group IS proclaimed a “caliphate” in 2014 across swathes of Syria and Iraq, launching a reign of terror that continues with hit-and-run attacks and ambushes.

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