By Ashraf Abdul-Wahab.
Tripoli, 16 November 2103:
The Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani last night condemned the killings at Gharghour, blaming both sides . . .[restrict]for carnage. He also called for all non-Tripoli based militias to be ejected from the capital and those responsible for yesterday’s violence to be brought to justice.
Speaking on Aljazeera TV, he said that the demonstration had started peacefully but that it had been exploited by “ some enemies of the revolution”, but did not elucidate.
He indicated that both the killers and those who were killed were responsible, accusing them of being motivated by regional and tribal concerns.
“Those who fight for the sake of tribalism or regionalism are in the wrong and those who die on both sides, the killer and the killed, are in the fire of hell because they are not fighting for the right cause. They fight with the wrong intent”, he declared.
Attacking the militias in general he said they were “out of control” and that people in the capital had grown sick of them. They had no legitimacy and were criminals, he insisted.
“These militias must not be supported by anyone, regardless of their background, whether they are from Misrata or Zintan or any other place,” he said. If they commit crimes they had to be punished, he insisted, forbidding anyone or town or region from supporting them.
“These militias must dismantled and kicked out of Tripoli,” he declared. “They must not be allowed to stay.”
“The problem is not limited to the incident of Gharghour only”, he stated. “People and government and all relevant authorities must fight these militias and work hard to kick them out of Tripoli now. They must not wait any longer.”
Nonetheless, “those who committed crimes in the Gharghour incident must be pointed out and brought to justice for these crimes they have perpetrated regardless of where they come from, Misrata or Zintan or any other place,” he insisted.
Last Saturday, following the deadly clashes between Misrati and Suq Al-Juma forces that triggered yesterday’s tragic demonstrations, Ghariani also condemned what he termed the “blind tribal allegiances” of some towns and regions. [/restrict]
