Some Muslims *really* care about art

[owheelj]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-1...unisia/4067776

Thousands of Salafi Islamists have rampaged through parts of Tunis, angered by an art exhibition they say insults Muslims.

Protesters hurled rocks and petrol bombs at police stations, a court house and the offices of secular parties in some of the worst clashes since last year's revolt ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and launched uprisings across the Arab world.

Salafis, who follow a puritanical interpretation of Islam, blocked streets and set tyres alight in the working class Ettadamen and Sidi Hussein districts of the capital overnight.

By morning, protests had spread to a number of residential districts in the capital and to other cities, posing one of the biggest threats yet to Tunisia's democratic transition.

Stone-throwing youths stopped trams from passing through the capital's Intilaqa district, where demonstrators entered mosques and used the loudspeakers to call on Tunisians to defend Islam.

The clashes came a day after the Spring of Arts exhibition in the upscale La Marsa suburb provoked an outcry from some Tunisians who say it insulted Islam.

The work that appears to have caused most fury spelt out the name of God using insects.

"These artists are attacking Islam and this is not new. Islam is targeted," said a youth, who gave his name as Ali and had removed his shirt as he prepared to confront police in Ettadamen.

"What added fuel to the flames is the government's silence," said Ali, who did not describe himself as a Salafi.

Some 2,500 Salafis were still clashing with police in the area by Tuesday evening, an interior ministry official said, adding that 162 people had been detained and 65 members of the security forces had been wounded trying to quell the riots.

The government said the rioters would be charged under anti-terror legislation.

The interior and defence ministries imposed a night time curfew on the capital and seven other areas after interior minister Ali Larayedh told parliament he expected the riots to continue in the coming days, stretching security forces.

AFP/Reuters

I would love to see the art too, if anybody can find it. I did find this;

http://uncut.indexoncensorship.org/2...s-arts-spring/

(img below) - but I don't know if that's what they were protesting about.

[gruber]

fuck muslims are precious, maybe they should all move to an island without any outside conatc so their sensitive selves dont get offended by infidels

[AustralAlien]

Well people are always bangin' on about getting others involved in art. Maybe a riot wasn't what they had in mind though...