₦airaland Forum

@Daviddylan

please can you tell us who the palestinian people are and where they originated from?


you are telling what a palestinian is saying that palestinians are the same like other levantine peoples (lebanese,syrian and jordanians) and therefore the state of "palestine" is a pretext to disposess the jews.do you know that you are so annoying and stu.pid?

if the people are the same,does it justify foreign jews from europe and America to come to the middle east and steal land from those people and drive them away?the main problem here is the land theft that occurred and the displacement of millions and the settlements of jews from around the world on land they do not own just because of their faith.

you are presenting us with nonsensical accounts from the 16th and 18 centuries from europeans on how deserted palestine was and the need to settle people there.that was a zionist pretext to take over palestine.when the zionists were busy with massacres against innocent palestinians to intimidate them,they lied that these palestinians were arabians who came to steal jewish land.the world later knew that was a jewish lie.

you have in one of your posts repeated what i have told you that the palestinian people like the lebanese and syrians are indigenous to palestine,lebanon and present day syria (all of which used to be considered by the arab as "GREATER SYRIA".

You keep asking how come places in palestine have jewish names and not arabic?i have told you that both arabic and islam are foreign to palestine.but the people who are known today as palestinians and have adopted islam and arabic are not foreign to that land.generations of arab rule and domination have created a shift.parts of syria,lebanon and palestine used to be ARAMAIC speaking until some centuried ago when the shift to arabic began.the people are indigenous to those lands despite the shift.

you claim to be yoruba but you speak english as the official language and practice christianity.the dress of the palestinians too is traditional and not arabian if you tell me that you still wear agbada.the palestinian food like the lebanese and syrian and even jewish are the same and similar.they are not arabian food.


read the below article from wikipedia on the LEBANESE PEOPLE who are the same with the palestinians and syrians and notice that these peoples are indiggenous to those lands (palestine,syria,and lebanon) and the overwhelming majority of them have jewish/hebrew,roman,greek,canaanite,e.t.c. blood in them and they did not come to arabia.it was islam that met them on their land just as islam met the hausa and yorubas on their land.the impact in the middle east was greater and those people even changed their languages and were "arabized".

my contention with you is to prove that the palestinians,lebanese,syrians,and jordanians are indigenous to palestine,lebanon,syria and jordan.the majority of them did not come from arabia,and the minority that did intermarried with the non-arabia majority to give us the people we have in those places today.just like the jews,those people are also indigenes.infact,the palestinians are more indigenous because they also have blood of canaanite tribes who predate the israelites (jewish ancestors) in their presence in palestine.


please just tell who the palestinian people are and where they originated from and i am done with you.do you agree or disagree that they are indigenous to palestine? i dont care who ruled over them.but the ordinary people who live there belong there.yes or no?


READ ON WHO THE LEBANESE PEOPLE ARE AND WHERE THEY ORIGINATED FROM JUST LIKE THE PALESTINIANS AND THE SYRIANS :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_people

also note that i dont care if you call those people palestinian,lebanese or syrian.i dont care whether they are the same or not.i dont care if they are in 3 countries which the europeans created.the europeans divided the middle east like africa into countries and separated the people.israel itself like nigeria and every land the europeans colonized were made into countries by the europeans.otherwise africa too would have less boundaries.the fact is there are people in what is known as palestine who have being dispossessed of their ancestral land and replaced by foreigners.you dont tell me that hausa dont belong to kano state because you find hausas in ghana.and you dont use that as a pretext to steal land in kano and give it to traditional worshippers.you are telling us that because palestinians are the same as lebanese and syrians,they should go away from palestine where they have lived.these people are found where they lived.you dont steal some of their lands and give it to jews and tell them to move away to the lands others like them who were arabized own.that is still land theft.

davidylan:
That's another senseless lie that i debunked earlier . . . i guess you're refering to the David Ben-Gurion quotes.

Let me restate . . . as at 1948, the term "palestinian" refered to a JEW living within the boundaries of historic palestine. The arabs did not take on the "palestinian" identity until 1973 and 1988 when Arafat felt it was politically convenient to do so. For example . . . the Jerusalem Post, a jewish paper was named the Palestinian post as at 1948, it certainly was NEVER owned by arabs.

it was called palestine when it was a british mandate.muslims,jews,christians and arab and non-arab speaking peoples were all palestinians.

that's not the same as claiming those same arabs were canaanites. Yes the lands were inhabited . . . hmm by jews according to historical FACTS.

the palestinians you are calling "arab" and trying to make yourself believe they came from arabia,majority of the palestinians did not originate from arabia.ethnically they are not the same as saudis for example.saudis are found in arabia.the palestinians are levantines.


i have 3 questions for you:

1.) When did the jews as a distinct group came into being and from which group are they descended from?

2.) Abraham is the father of both Isaac (jewish ancestry) and Ishmael (arabian ancestry).before Abraham and his descendants ever dreamt of stepping foot on palestine(that is when they were still in "U-r",who were the people(s) that lived in palestine and what happened to them?

3.) the samaritans who like the jews (helping you to answer question 1) descended from Isaac,father of the israelites,where are they today?in other words what do you say about palestinian muslim families in nablus (in palestine) who today identify themselves as "arabs" and muslims and speak arabic as their mother tongue who are descendants of the samaritans directly?

That's false. where is your proof.

studies,history archeaoloy all prove that those peoples in the Levant who are present-day syrians,palestinians,and lebanese were arabized.take into account the christian maronite sect in lebanon.are you saying that the maronites who descended from syriac people and presently call themselves "arabs" and speak arabic also came from the arabian peninsula?

these people in lebanon,syria and palestine even from their skin complexion,they look different from those in the arabian peninsula (saudis and co.) even to this day.do you need glasses to see that?or may be you've not seen them or observe them?

How idiotic, you ignore archeological and historical facts in favour of DNA evidence that may or may not be factual? Where is the canaanite control DNA?

everything points to the fact that the levantine peoples (present day syrian,lebanese and palestinians) have diverse ethnic origins and majority of these people have their origins in the lands they are presently found from time immemorial and they never came from arabia.they only call themselves "arabs" culturally and linguistically and not ethnically or racially.

davidylan:
In actuality it confirmed my suspicion that you are another in a long list of dishonest useful idiots for the arabs. If indeed the palestinian ARABS (that's what they insisted they were as far back as 1922 and not canaanites until it was convenient for them to do so) are descendants of canaanites then where are the ancient canaanite customs? why are these folks no different from arabs in Saudi Arabia? Where is the archeological proof? how come NO ONE throughout history (not even mohammad) wrote about these canaanites? Mohammad talked about egyptians, Jews in jerusalem, syrians . . . but cleverly forgot all about these canaanites who were supposedly living in Israel at that time?

What did these canaanites call themselves 1000 yrs ago? how come the Romans attacked, destroyed Israel in AD70 and forgot to mention the canaanites there despite clearly recording the history of the jews present? where did they go?

i do not even need to go far to convince you.

open your bible and see evidence for yourself that when descendants of Abraham came to Palestine they met people there.those were tribes of Canaan.later on the israelites lived alongside those people.you know of the philistines,phonicians,jebusites,amorites,nabateans e.t.c.the bible mentions many of these pagan and non-abrahamic tribes.where did they all disappear to?

these people blended after centuries of conquests and being subjected to adopt and adjust to foreign conquerors.the palestinians do not particularly claim to be "canaanites".but they are a blend of more than just one tribe or people.their blend prove that they have long lived in palestine before Abraham was born.and also,their genes confirm that they share the same genes with jews because they also descended from israelites.these people who come from many backrounds,were most affected by the arabian conquests as they were arabized and they adopted islam.other conquerors like the romans and persians hardly came with the motive to spread religion or language.they came for worldly power and not to govern and assimilate peoples into their own.

i hope you have understood but if you've not,i will still try to explain until it enters your head.

"daviddylan"

dont try to be stubborn and blind yourself.if the admission and confession and acceptance of the (israeli) enemies of palestinians do confirm that the palestinians have origins in palestine and the majority of palestinians as is the case with other peoples like syrians,lebanese,and maghrebis did not come from arabia,why do you want to be stubborn and make us believe the opposite when you can never on this earth prove to us that the majority of palestinains came from arabia?

at least be logical to reason that the arabians conquered very large stretches of lands that were already inhabited.the inhabitants of those lands were not sent to exile.they were arabized and islamized.they adopted islam and many of them with the exception of the turks and the persians,also adopted arabic and were arabized.otherwise it is unimaginable to believe that lands outside arabia that were already inhabited by non-arabic speaking tribes became majority arabians with the arabian conquests.the population of arabia could not have supported majority arabian presence in all these lands if the local populations were not blended with arabians and arabized.


let me ignore all reports and history and everything.what do you have to say about genetic studies that i earlier also presented from wikipedia?do you also ignore that?

davidylan:
Oh that's a very important piece of information that you conveniently and dishonestly left out of your false diatribe. You said this - it is zionism that scattered the middle east and want to exclude everyone and only give palestine to the jews

But 75% of that palestine has already been stolen by hashemite kings of Saudi Arabia to form the kingdom of Jordan right? and you claim the jews want to "exclude everyone and give palestine to the jews"? Did you also forget 20% of those who live in Israel proper are arabs well represented in the Knesset?

You must have forgotten. I know . . . there is no way you're that ignorant.

i dont care where the kings or rulers are from.what i care about is the people who have a right to continue living on their ancestral land regardless who the king is and where he is from.zionism denies the ordinary man to live on his ancestral land if he is no longer jewish or is not jewish.do you get that?

davidylan:
I asked a simple question - how did these palestinians trace their ancestry to canaanites as you falsely claimed? Thank you.

i hope the below already posted from wikipedia in the above posts on palestinian ancestery have answered your question:

[size=18pt]Ancestral origins[/size]

Like the Lebanese, Syrians, Egyptians, Maghrebis, and most other people today commonly called Arabs, the Palestinians are an Arab people in linguistic and cultural affiliation. [/b]Like most other peoples today called Arabs, [b]Palestinians descend from the pre-existing ancient inhabitants of their respective region and those who have come to settle it throughout history;[15] a matter on which genetic studies described below has begun to shed some light.[80]

American historian Bernard Lewis writes:

"Clearly, in Palestine as elsewhere in the Middle East, the modern inhabitants include among their ancestors those who lived in the country in antiquity. Equally obviously, the demographic mix was greatly modified over the centuries by migration, deportation, immigration, and settlement. This was particularly true in Palestine, "[81]

Ali Qleibo, a Palestinian anthropologist, explains:

"Throughout history a great diversity of peoples has moved into the region and made Palestine their homeland: Canaanites, Jebusites, Philistines from Crete, Anatolian and Lydian Greeks, Hebrews, Amorites, Edomites, Nabateans, Arameans, Romans, Arabs, and European crusaders, to name a few. [/b]Each of them appropriated different regions that overlapped in time and competed for sovereignty and land. Others, such as [b]Ancient Egyptians, Hittites, Persians, Babylonians, and Mongols, were historical 'events' whose successive occupations were as ravaging as the effects of major earthquakes , Like shooting stars, the various cultures shine for a brief moment before they fade out of official historical and cultural records of Palestine. The people, however, survive. In their customs and manners, fossils of these ancient civilizations survived until modernity—albeit modernity camouflaged under the veneer of Islam and Arabic culture."[82]

Much of the local Palestinian population in Nablus is believed to be descended from Samaritans who converted to Islam.[83] Even today, certain Nabulsi surnames including Muslimani, Yaish, and Shakshir among others, are associated with a Samaritan origin.[83]

DNA and genetic studies


Palestinian children in NazarethIn genetic genealogy studies, Negev Bedouins have the highest rates of Haplogroup J1 (Y-DNA) among all populations tested (62.5%) followed by the Palestinian Arab 38.4%, Ashkenazim Jewish 14.6%, and Sephardim Jewish 11.9% according to Semino and colleagues.[91] Semitic populations, including Jews, usually possess an excess of J1 Y chromosomes compared to other populations harboring Y-haplogroup J.[92][93][94][95][96][97][98] The haplogroup J1, associated with marker M267, originates south of the Levant and was first disseminated from there into Ethiopia and Europe in Neolithic times. In Jewish populations J1 has a rate of around 15%, with haplogroup J2 (M172) (of eight sub-Haplogroups) being almost twice as common as J1 among Jews (<29%). J1 is most common in the southern Levant, as well as Syria, Iraq, Algeria, and Arabia, and drops sharply at the border of non-semitic areas like Turkey and Iran. A second diffusion of the J1 marker took place in the 7th century CE when Arabians brought it from Arabia to North Africa.[94]

Haplogroup J1 (Y-DNA) includes the modal haplotype of the Galilee Arabs[99] and of Moroccan Arabs[100] and the sister Modal Haplotype of the Cohanim, the "Cohan Modale Haplotype", representing the descendents of the priestly caste Aaron.[101][102][103] J2 is known to be related to the ancient Greek movements and is found mainly in Europe and the central Mediterranean (Italy, the Balkans, Greece).

A study found that the Palestinians, like Jordanians, Syrians, Iraqis, and Bedouins have what appears to be substantial gene flow from sub-Saharan Africa, amounting to 10-15% of lineages within the past three millennia.[104]

According to a 2002 study by Nebel and colleagues[105] the highest frequency of Eu10 (i.e. J1) (30%–62.5%) has been observed so far in various Muslim Arab populations in the Middle East.[106][107] The term “Arab,” as well as the presence of Arabs in the Syrian desert and the Fertile Crescent, is first seen in the Assyrian sources from the 9th century BCE (Eph'al 1984).[108]

In recent years, many genetic surveys have suggested that, at least paternally, most of the various Jewish ethnic divisions and the Palestinians – and in some cases other Levantines – are genetically closer to each other than the Palestinians or European Jews to non-Jewish Europeans.[109]

One DNA study by geneticist Ariella Oppenheim concluded that genetic evidence coincides with historical accounts that at least part of the Arab Israeli and Palestinian population is mainly descended from local Christians and Jews "who had converted [to Islam] after the Islamic conquest in the seventh century A.D."[110][111][112] These Christian and Jewish converts are believed to be descended from a "core population that had lived in the area for several centuries, some even since prehistorical times."[113] The study also discovered significant genetic mixing between these converts and incoming Arab tribes during the first millennium AD.[110]

A follow-up study by Oppenheim found that in addition to being closely related to Israeli and Palestinian Arab populations, Jews are even more closely related to the peoples living in the north of the Fertile Crescent, such as the Kurds.[114] Given the influx of Arabs to the area that reached climax with the Muslim conquest of the Levant in the 7th century AD, the researchers concluded that this disparity was likely the result of genetic mixing between the Palestinian population's Christian and Jewish ancestors and these later Arab settlers.[115]

Arabian origins of the local Bedouin Arabs
The local Bedouins of Palestine – which are a separately-identified and solely Muslim group, distinct from the non-Bedouin Arabic-speakers of Palestine which consists of members of the Muslim, Christian and other faiths – are said to be more securely known to be ancestrally descended from Arabians, and not just culturally and linguistically Arabized peoples. Their distinctively conservative dialects and pronunciation of qaaf as gaaf group them with other Bedouin across the Arab world and confirm their separate history.[citation needed] Arabic onomastic elements began to appear in Edomite inscriptions starting in the 6th century BC, and are nearly universal in the inscriptions of the Nabataeans, who arrived in today’s Jordan in the 4th-3rd centuries BC.[116] It has thus been suggested that the present day Bedouins of the region may have their origins as early as this period.

A few Bedouin are found as far north as Galilee; however, these seem to be much later arrivals, rather than descendants of the Arabs that Sargon II settled in Samaria in 720 BC. The term “Arab,” as well as the presence of Arabs in the Syrian desert and the Fertile Crescent, is first seen in the Assyrian sources from the 9th century BCE (Eph'al 1984).[108]

Following the Muslim conquest of Syria by Arabians, the formerly-introduced dominant languages of the area, Aramaic and Greek, were then replaced by the Arabic language introduced by the new conquering administrative minority.[117] Among the cultural survivals from pre-Islamic times are the significant Palestinian Christian community, and smaller Jewish and Samaritan ones, as well as an Aramaic and possibly Hebrew sub-stratum in the local Palestinian Arabic dialect.[118

courtesy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_people#Ancestral_origins

[size=18pt]THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE AND THEIR ETHNIC ORIGINS[/size]

Politicized lineages

A Palestinian girl in Qalqiliya.Salim Tamari notes the paradoxes produced by the search for "nativist" roots among Zionist figures and the so-called Canaanite (anti-Zionist) followers of Yonatan Ratosh.[84] For example, Ber Borochov, one of the key ideological architects of Socialist Zionism, claimed as early as 1905 that, "The Fellahin in Eretz-Israel are the descendants of remnants of the Hebrew agricultural community,"[85] believing them to be descendants of the ancient Hebrew and Canaanite residents 'together with a small admixture of Arab blood'".[84] He further believed that the Palestinian peasantry would embrace Zionism and that the lack of a crystallized national consciousness among Palestinian Arabs would result in their likely assimilation into the new Hebrew nationalism.[84] Other founding fathers of Zionism believed that the Palestinian people were descended from the biblical ancient Hebrews. David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Ben Zvi, later becoming Israel's first Prime Minister and second President, respectively, tried to establish in a 1918 paper written in Yiddish that Palestinian peasants and their mode of life were living[b] historical testimonies to Israelite practices in the biblical period.[/b][84][86] Tamari notes that "the ideological implications of this claim became very problematic and were soon withdrawn from circulation."[84]


Ahad Ha'am believed that, "the Moslems [of Palestine] are the ancient residents of the land ,  who became Christians on the rise of Christianity and became Moslems on the arrival of Islam."[84] Israel Belkind, the founder of the Bilu movement also asserted that[b] the Palestinian Arabs were the blood brothers of the Jews.[/b][87] In his book on the Palestinians, "The Arabs in Eretz-Israel", Belkind advanced the idea that the complete dispersion of Jews out of the Land of Israel after the destruction of the Second Temple by the Roman emperor Titus is a "historic error" that must be corrected. While it dispersed much of the land's Jewish community around the world, those "workers of the land that remained attached to their land," stayed behind and were eventually converted to Christianity and then Islam.[87] He therefore, proposed that this historical wrong be corrected, by embracing the Palestinians as their own and proposed the opening of Hebrew schools for Palestinian Arab Muslims to teach them Arabic, Hebrew and universal culture.[87] Tsvi Misinai, an Israeli researcher, entrepreneur and proponent of a controversial alternative solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, asserts that nearly 90% of all Palestinians living within Israel and the occupied territories (including the Israeli Arabs and Negev Bedouin)[88] are descended from the Jewish Israelite peasantry that remained on the land, after the others, mostly city dwellers, were exiled or left.[89]



Claims emanating from certain circles within Palestinian society and their supporters, proposing that Palestinians have direct ancestral connections to the ancient Canaanites, without an intermediate Israelite link, has been an issue of contention within the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In discussing the root of the controversy to the claim of Canaanite lineage, many renowned scholars have hypothesised on the nature of the controversy itself, although not deliberating on the veracity of the claims, as this is a question that shall ultimately be resolved by geneticists, not by scholars in their capacity as historians.

Bernard Lewis explains that "the rewriting of the past is usually undertaken to achieve specific political aims, In bypassing the biblical Israelites and claiming kinship with the Canaanites, the pre-Israelite inhabitants of Palestine, it is possible to assert a historical claim antedating the biblical promise and possession put forward by the Jews."[81][90]

Some Palestinian scholars, like Zakariyya Muhammad, have criticized pro-Palestinian arguments based on Canaanite lineage, or what he calls "Canaanite ideology". He states that it is an "intellectual fad, divorced from the concerns of ordinary people."[84] By assigning its pursuit to the desire to predate Jewish national claims, he describes Canaanism as a "losing ideology", whether or not it is factual, "when used to manage our conflict with the Zionist movement" since Canaanism "concedes a priori the central thesis of Zionism. Namely that we have been engaged in a perennial conflict with Zionism—and hence with the Jewish presence in Palestine—since the Kingdom of Solomon and before ,  thus in one stroke Canaanism cancels the assumption that Zionism is a European movement, propelled by modern European contingencies, "[84]

[size=18pt]Palestinian people[/size]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Palestinian people, (Arabic: الشعب الفلسطيني‎, ash-sha`b al-filasTīni) also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs (Arabic: الفلسطينيون‎, al-filasTīnīyyūn; Arabic: العرب الفلسطينيون‎, al-`Arab al-filasTīnīyyūn), are an Arabic-speaking[b] Levantine people with origins in Palestine.[/b][15] In the areas of Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, as of 2004, Palestinians constitute 49% of all inhabitants,[16] some of whom are internally displaced. The remainder comprise what is known as the Palestinian diaspora, of whom more than half are stateless refugees, lacking citizenship in any country.[17] Of the diaspora, about 2.6 million live in neighboring Jordan where they are approximately half the population,[18] one and a half million between Syria and Lebanon, a quarter million in Saudi Arabia, while Chile's half a million are the largest concentration outside the Arab world.

Genetic analysis suggests that Palestinians are "descendants of a core population that lived in the area since prehistoric times," and that the Muslims among them are largely descendants of Christians and Jews from the southern Levant.[19] Since the time of the Muslim conquests in the 7th century, Palestinians have been predominantly Muslim by religious affiliation and linguistically and culturally Arab.[15] Most Palestinians are Sunni Muslims, but there is a significant Palestinian Christian minority of various Christian denominations, as well as Druze Palestinians and a small Samaritan community. Palestinian Jews made up part of the population of Palestine prior to the creation of the State of Israel, but very few identify as "Palestinian" today. The vernacular of Palestinians, irrespective of religion, is the Palestinian dialect of Arabic. For those who are Arab citizens of Israel, many are bilingual and fluent in Modern Hebrew. Those in the diaspora speak the languages of their host countries in addition to Arabic or to its exclusion.



[size=18pt]Ancestral origins[/size]

Like the Lebanese, Syrians, Egyptians, Maghrebis, and most other people today commonly called Arabs, the Palestinians are an Arab people in linguistic and cultural affiliation. [/b]Like most other peoples today called Arabs, [b]Palestinians descend from the pre-existing ancient inhabitants of their respective region and those who have come to settle it throughout history;[15] a matter on which genetic studies described below has begun to shed some light.[80]

American historian Bernard Lewis writes:

"Clearly, in Palestine as elsewhere in the Middle East, the modern inhabitants include among their ancestors those who lived in the country in antiquity. Equally obviously, the demographic mix was greatly modified over the centuries by migration, deportation, immigration, and settlement. This was particularly true in Palestine, "[81]

Ali Qleibo, a Palestinian anthropologist, explains:

"Throughout history a great diversity of peoples has moved into the region and made Palestine their homeland: Canaanites, Jebusites, Philistines from Crete, Anatolian and Lydian Greeks, Hebrews, Amorites, Edomites, Nabateans, Arameans, Romans, Arabs, and European crusaders, to name a few. [/b]Each of them appropriated different regions that overlapped in time and competed for sovereignty and land. Others, such as [b]Ancient Egyptians, Hittites, Persians, Babylonians, and Mongols, were historical 'events' whose successive occupations were as ravaging as the effects of major earthquakes , Like shooting stars, the various cultures shine for a brief moment before they fade out of official historical and cultural records of Palestine. The people, however, survive. In their customs and manners, fossils of these ancient civilizations survived until modernity—albeit modernity camouflaged under the veneer of Islam and Arabic culture."[82]

Much of the local Palestinian population in Nablus is believed to be descended from Samaritans who converted to Islam.[83] Even today, certain Nabulsi surnames including Muslimani, Yaish, and Shakshir among others, are associated with a Samaritan origin.[83]

davidylan:
and how do they trace this canaanite origin?

the ancestry of the palestinians has being an interest of studies.for your information those whi identify themselves as israeli jews and the palestinians be they muslims or christians,have similar genes from genetic studies.

there are palestinian families who can trace their ancestry.i will post something here from the most humble and accessible source wikipedia on who the palestinian people are.

davidylan:
75% of historic palestine is what is known as the nation of Jordan today, ruled by Hashemite kings.

and so what?

davidylan:
where is the evidence for this pernicious allah-inspired lie?

you posted a long list on statistics for palestinian christians, but do you know why their number has been consistently dwindling? Hint, it has little to do with Israel.

my friends,you do not spread information and knowledge by insulting other people neither do you sound more convincing.you only sound like a bush man that is lost and is also trying to drown other people with him in ignorance.if it is a debate you are trying to win,you can do that without insults and vulgar expressions which make you sound like a street kid.

@islamrules

"islamrules said:

Lebanon is another phenomenon, it is mix of persians (Shiite) and arabs (sunni).

Oh boy, you have a lot to learn.

I can't argue with a toddler. Knowlegeable muslim brothers wont be saying what you are saying.
Its a pity!

"islamrules" if i were you i will dig a grave and bury myself in it.

how on earth did you conclude that LEBANESE SHIITES are Persians while the LEBANESE SUNNIS are Arabs? are you saying all Shiites are Persians while all Sunnis are Arabs?

do you know that both sunnism and shiism were two islamic schools of thought that the arabs spread?

what makes the Shiite Lebanese Persians?

do you know that it was Lebanese Shiite scholars that helped in the conversion of Persia into Shiism?[b]in other words it was not Persians that brought shiism to Lebanon.rather it was the arabized tribes in Lebanon who were shiites that took shiism to persians and helped convert them because a persian king known as "shah Ismaeel" had adopted shiism and made it the official islamic school of thought in persia.[/b]you find the greatest sunni scholars before that are persians.it is really crazy how you concluded that shiite lebanese are "persians" because they share the same faith and today the iranians are stronger and more in numbers and are therefore more influential.dont based your conclusions on the past on present day realities.

the persians were majority sunnis up to the 16th century while the lebanese shiite had bein shiites centuries before that and the two have no ethnic connections.

most of the people you find in countries in the middle east have lived in those places for centuries and thousands of years,islam,whether shia or sunni met them on their lands.they only took up the new faith and arabized.

majority of syrians who identify themselves as muslims and arabs were christians and semitic peoples before the arab conquest.they did not use to speak arabic before the arab conquest.you still have syrians,lebanese and palestinians who are christians even though they too have arabized and use arabic as lingua franca thanks to the arab conquests.similarly there are palestinians today who date their presence in palestine 5000 years ago before the Abraham himself was promised the holy land as the bible says.there are palestinians of canaanite origin and there are palestinians of israelite and jewish ancestry who converted to islam and arabized.majority of the samaritans also converted to islam and today can be identified as palestinians.there are also palestinians of arab,roman,persian,greek and turkish origin.these people became unified through islam and/or the arabic language.they have intermarried and lived together for centuries alongside those among them who are christians and those who remained jewish.it is zionism that scattered the middle east and want to exclude everyone and only give palestine to the jews.that is racism and segregation.it is also precedence for massacres and human right violations as we have witnessed.

it is really sick when people on nairaland think that they know and they do not know.stop spreading false information based on preconceived imaginations.

i know fully well that America would not just make a prediction and sit quietly.they would either oppose it if it is not in their interest and guide others against it or they will support it if its in their interest.with all the confusion,i wonder how the Americans knew this would happen if they do not have a hand in it and it is not in their interest to divide the country.Nigeria will not just break on its own without problems.so how did the Americans knew?

francisj:
I hope it happen so that Nigeria will divide and every bagg-ar will know where him mama/papa belongs !  people are fed-up with these born to rule thing.I guess when the country divides the Hausa/Fulani man will know his boundary and all these nonsense will STOP.

its like these my zealot Igbo men and their cronies need another round of flogging.the first civil war was not enough damage done to Nigeria and ourselves. or may be are you guys provoking the Nigerian army to stage a coup?

from the look of things many Nigerians are too backward and aggressive to live peacefully under civilian rule.they must always find trouble and unnecessarily provoke their fellows who are innocent and want to live peacefully.i know fully well that the army in every country is responsible to protect and guard the sovereignty of the country.so by all the nonsense being said about division and the American prediction for the country to divide in 2015 and the troubles going on,it looks like many are inciting and provoking the generals to take control of Aso Rock.i know fully well that America would not just make a prediction and sit quietly.they would either oppose it if it is not in their interest and guide others against it or they will support it if its in their interest.with all the confusion,i wonder how the Americans knew this would happen if they do not have a hand in it and it is not in their interest to divide the country.Nigeria will not just break on its own without problems.so how did the Americans knew?

you guys should be happy that Nigeria has finally achieved democracy.this is something men like Abiola paid for with their lives.why are you jeopardizing civilian rule? the majority of Nigerians want to live in a civilized society and in peace.so please spare us the rule of the gun.

it is the same attitude of fighting and confusion that is causing us problems.

you people instead of finding solutions that would benefit everyone,you are busy spreading hate and talking nonsense.at least show some respect to the fallen victims.

these bomb blasts are killing both muslims and christians and northerners and southerners.infact,i'm certain that more northerners and muslims have suffered from it.southerners are only talking out of fear that it could spread to the south.

the people behind the crime only want to spread chaos.they are not discriminating between muslims and christians.they are killing everyone.so everyone must unite against them.

@Builder

you raised a point that "it is fashionable for our leaders to embezzle millions of dollars".

well do you think the west that keeps using corruption to to hammer us is sad? it is these same leaders that steal billions from african,arab and asian countries that keep the west going financially.

these thieves steal and keep the money in western banks.those banks use the money and the economy of the west develops and develops while africa is drained.

with the slightest issue at hand,the west will intervene and order their banks to freeze billions which will be used by them and may be never returned.they did it with mubarak and qaddafi.their billions were frozen in banks.

i hope our leaders learn not to keep money there.

[b]I WANT TO APPEAL TO THEM THAT IF THEY WANT TO STEAL PLEASE THEY SHOULD GO AHEAD AND STEAL BECAUSE WE CANNOT EVEN THINK OF STOPPING THEM.BUT PLEASE AND PLEASE AFTER STEALING THE BILLIONS,THEY SHOULD KEEP THOSE BILLIONS IN NIGERIAN BANKS.THAT WILL BOAST OUR ECONOMY AND WE HAVE EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD TO GAIN.IT WILL CAUSE US NO HARM IF BILLIONS THAT ARE KEPT IN EUROPE AND AMERICA ARE BROUGHT TO NIGERIA WRITTEN IN THE NAME OF OUR CORRUPT LEADERS.IF THEY LIKE,LET THEM ABOLISH EFCC.LET THESE LEADERS DONT BE SCARED TO KEEP THEIR MONEY BACK HOME.THE FEAR EFCC IS CAUSING THEM IS HARMING OUR ECONOMY AND LEADING THEM TO KEEP THEIR MONEY ABROAD AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR BANKS AND ECONOMY.IF WE RECORD BILLIONS IN THE NAME OF THESE CORRUPT MEN IN BANKS,IT WILL NOT HARM US LIKE TAKING THE MONEY OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY.THESE BILLIONS WILL BE KEPT IN BANKS AND THESE LEADERS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE THOSE MONEY IN THEIR LIFETIME AND EVEN FOR GENERATIONS.SO IN THE MEANTIME LET OUR ECONOMY REAP THE BENEFIT FROM THE PRESENCE OF THE HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY.THEY SHOULD KEEP THEIR LOOT IN NIGERIAN BANKS.IT WILL HELP US MORE THAN US THINKING WE CAN STOP CORRUPTION WITH EFCC.THE BEST WAY TO STOP CORRUPTION IS BY DEVELOPING OUR COUNTRY AND DOING AWAY WITH POVERTY.IF EVERYONE HAS MONEY,EVERYONE WILL FIND WAYS OF PROTECTING HIS WEALTH.THE WEST LOOTED AFRICA THROUGH COLONIALISM.NOW IN THEIR EFFORT TO PROTECT THE LOOT AND THEIR WEALTH GENERATED,THEY PREACH ABOUT FIGHTING CORRUPTION. [/b]

@ the two above replying me

i agree that the west cannot tie your hands down and nigerians must act.but you are not seeing things from the angle im seeing things.the west always have policies that they try to impose on developing countries.you need smart and able leaders like those in china,iran and india to stand up.see for example how much noise they have made to stop iran from using nuclear energy to generate electricity.iran still made their case,maintained that the project is civil and peaceful and they have started producing electricity from it.

our own Jonathan was invited to a nuclear summit and the USA pressed his head to give up with nigeria's nuclear project.just weeks later after the earth quake in japan,nigeria used that as the excuse to give up on nuclear energy.the govt. said nigeria is not ready to go into such a project.it only took Japan one week later after the disaster to resume work in their nuclear sites while nigeria that is miles away and not prone to earth quakes gave up their project.this is a nonchalant attitude the west loves in our leaders.if from the beginning nigeria knows it was not ready why did it venture into such project?it means that either there was no proper planning and thinking or someone somewhere far away has pressured Jonathan to give up.

this same west had no problem with a nuclear south africa during apartheid.once the whites there lost power,they became concerned.likewise israel has deadly nuclear weapons in the middle east and the only country there with it.but the west doesnt care.all they do is to disturb our heads with iran that has maintained that it is after electricity and not weapons.they themselves that keep bugging us with iran,have weapons.the americans have used it.

the leaders we have are incompetent and they do not act properly.infact with western influence they feel they can beat and outrun their political opponents at home and impress the people.they forget that power is from the people.the west is well pleased with leaders as such that they can play with and manipulate and always smile for them.

when Nigeria is improving the govt. will increase pump price or the naira will crash.it always happens and who is to blame?if we have good leaders,the west will be displeased.that is why when i am blaming them,it is not because i dont know that they have nigerians they are using.i know that.


see also countries like saudi arabia,qatar and bahrain with tyrannical dictators.they are all friends to the west.but this same west is conducting campaigns in libya to oust another dictator and use that as a chance to steal oil and impose its will on the rebels.they did similarly in iraq.the problem is you have to look deep even within yourself to know the problem from afar and how they are manipulating things.they are not just sitting down and waiting for things to happen.they are active planning and doing things the way they like at the detriment of others.

the so called "arab league" used to be a "league of dictators" until the uprisings in arab countries.up till now countries like saudi arabia and qatar are running the show in the arab league.therefore the arab league is subservient to the USA.let us wait for Egypt the main country in the league to regain itself with a democratic government.then things will change there.now its the entire league of dictators and american puppets against syria and lebanon.that is what is happening in the arab league if you follow middle east affairs closely.syria's president is not loved by the west and he is also facing problems at home.lebanon is presently governed by a hezbollah led coalition government which will thwart any move by america and their imperialism and support for the apartheid israel.

Iran slams West's HR double standards

Tue Sep 6, 2011 10:49AM GMT

[img]http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110906/golinejad20110906083331937.jpg[/img]
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast


Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has denounced the West's double standards on human rights issues and their attempts to undermine the Islamic Republic.


Mehmanparast, who heads a media delegation to Greece, has told his Greek counterpart Grigoris Delavekouras that Iran, a major country in the region, has effectively helped settle regional issues and crises, Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.

He censured the West over its double standard policies particularly on human rights issues and pointed out that anti-Iran sanctions have made the country progress further.

For his part, the Greek foreign ministry spokesman underscored Iran's significance and influential position in the region and expressed hope for further diplomatic exchange between Tehran and Athens.

Delavekouras referred to the historical relations between the two nations and pointed to the diversity of areas for bilateral cooperation.

Earlier, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, in a meeting with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for European and American Affairs Ali Ahani, had also voiced his country's willingness to bolster ties and cooperation with Iran in various fields, stressing that Athens attaches importance to the expansion of ties with Tehran.

The Greek premier also underlined his country's support for Iran's right of access and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, the report said.

GHN/HRF/MB

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197707.html

'Iran fully ready to counter threats'
Fri Sep 9, 2011 2:16AM GMT

[img]http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110908/behravesh20110908233439577.jpg[/img]
Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Mostafa Izadi


A senior Iranian commander says Iran's military forces are fully ready to respond appropriately to any possible threat by the state enemies and arrogant powers.


Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Mostafa Izadi said on Thursday that Iran's military, backed by a powerful Basij (mobilization) force is “in optimum readiness” to confront any aggression against the country, IRNA reported.

Referring to popular Islamic uprisings in the regional countries, Brigadier General Izadi pointed out that such popular movements stem from Iran's Islamic Revolution against another US-backed dictator.

The Islamic awakening began in Tunisia in December 2010 and then spread to other Muslim nations, including Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Bahrain, leading to the collapse of former Egyptian regime of Hosni Mubarak and the Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

Iran has repeatedly stated that its military might poses no threat to other countries, reiterating that its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.

MAB/MB

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/198160.html

Iran vows huge blow to any attacks
Wed Sep 7, 2011 9:12AM GMT

[img]http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110907/fathi20110907071936170.jpg[/img]
Commander of Iran's Ground Forces Brigadier-General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan

A top Iranian Army commander has lauded the Islamic Republic's huge ground defense achievements, saying Iran's Armed Forces will deliver "the most severe response" to any likely threat posed by enemies.


Iran is equipped with the most advanced military hardware while our Armed Forces are fully prepared to defend the country's border regions, said Iran's Commander of the Ground Forces Brigadier-General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan on Wednesday.

He added that Iran has succeeded in developing great capabilities and making significant progress in the fields of electronic war and cyber defense, Mehr news agency reported.

“The Iranian Army's Ground Forces are regularly detecting potential threats and have been preparing for (countering) them,” he stated.

The United States and Israel have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike, based on the allegation that Iran's nuclear work may consist of a covert military agenda.

Iran says its nuclear program is completely peaceful and within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which it is a signatory.

Pourdastan further said that the Iranian Army's Ground Forces and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) are monitoring moves by the Party for Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) terrorist group in northwestern Iran.

Currently, there is no problem in Iran's land, sea and air borders, the senior Iranian commander pointed out.

He emphasized that PJAK terrorist group doesn't rise to the level of being referred to as a threat and said Iran gives firm response to the cell's desperate moves.

On Monday, the IRGC refused to accept a ceasefire offer by PJAK terrorists, urging them to immediately leave Iran's border areas.

“We demand that PJAK terrorist group should first withdraw from Iran's border regions. The announcement of a ceasefire has no meaning at the present,” an IRGC spokesman Colonel Hamid Ahmadi said.

In a Saturday statement, PJAK -- an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) -- called for a ceasefire with Tehran upon the request of some “mediation parties” on the ground and what it claimed was its belief in “peaceful solutions.”

PJAK members regularly engage in armed clashes with Iranian security forces along the country's western borders with Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Nearly 30 terrorists had been killed or injured in the recent IRGC operations.

Iran has recently deployed 5,000 military forces in the northwest of the country, along its common border with the Iraqi Kurdistan region, to fight terrorist groups.

SF/HRF/MB
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197859.html

'Iran to react immediately if attacked'

Fri Sep 9, 2011 9:7AM GMT

[img]http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110909/pirhayati20110909064002577.jpg[/img]
Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaei

Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaei has warned that any aggression against the Islamic Republic will be swiftly met with 'appropriate' action.


Iran would not hesitate to act in self-defense and respond to any attacks on its territories, IRNA quoted a formal letter of complaint by Iran's UN envoy to the world body's Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday.

Khazaei lashed out at the "inflammatory remarks and baseless allegations" made recently by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and underlined that the Islamic Republic would take appropriate defensive measures to protect itself.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses its deep concern over such remarks, and strongly condemns the provocative, unjustifiable and irresponsible comments," the senior Iranian diplomat noted.

Sarkozy warned on August 31 that Iran's alleged attempts to build long-range missiles and “nuclear weapons” could lead unnamed countries to launch a pre-emptive attack.

French president's accusations against Iran comes as the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence indicating that Iran's civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

MP/GHN/MGH

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/198192.html

'Enemy hostilities signify Iran's progress'

Tue Sep 6, 2011 10:37AM GMT

[img]http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110906/golinejad20110906080207733.jpg[/img]

An Iranian deputy intelligence minister says the hegemonic powers' increasing enmity towards the Islamic Republic attests to Tehran's forward advances and global clout.


“The enemies' hostility toward the Islamic system, which has increased over the past years, bears witness to the progresses and major achievements made in the country,” said Razavi, the security deputy to the Iranian intelligence minister, quoted by IRNA on Monday.

He made reference to enemy efforts to undermine the Islamic establishment and pointed out that Iran has foiled all the plots hatched against Tehran.

The Intelligence Ministry official went on to say that Iran's recent progresses have annoyed the world's hegemonic powers, which have applied strategies to undermine the country by means of sabotage, support for anti-Iran terrorists and assassination of Iranian scientists, among others.

Razavi said that Iran's intelligence and security forces have tackled and averted all the threats by hegemonic powers against the Islamic Republic.

He further noted that the Intelligence Ministry has localized data security and the country will take preemptive measures to maintain its overall security.

GHN/HRF/MB

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197699.html

'UN to probe Sarkozy anti-Iran remark'
Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:50AM GMT

[img]http://previous.presstv.ir/photo/20110910/golinejad20110910044259170.jpg[/img]
French President Nicolas Sarkozy

A UN spokesman has reportedly said the world body will probe the recent remarks by French President Nicolas Sarkozy against the Islamic Republic of Iran.


Eduardo del Buey, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said Friday that the United Nations needs to authenticate the veracity of the latest reports on Sarkozy's threatening remarks, IRNA reported on Saturday.

He also added that further comments could only come following further investigation into the case.

Sarkozy claimed on August 31 that Iran's alleged attempts to build long-range missiles and “nuclear weapons” could lead to the launch of pre-emptive attacks by unidentified countries.

French president's accusations against Iran comes as the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections on Iran's nuclear facilities but has never reported any evidence indicating that the country's civilian nuclear program has been diverted to any weapons program.

Meanwhile, Gerard Araud, the permanent representative of France to the United Nations, has denied that the French leader made threats against the Islamic Republic, describing latest reports on the issue as a 'misunderstanding,' IRNA reported.

GHN/MB

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/198341.html

another reason the west would like to see Nigeria divided and chaos spread through the land and their firm grip be placed is their fear of Nigeria's economic potential.with democracy even though slowly Nigeria has being moving forward.the more poorer and third world countries develop,the more independent and strong they become.the west would undoubtedly feel sidelined.when third world countries become developed,they have more uses for their own resources and they in turn manufacture many of their needs and wants.in that they,the western countries who see themselves as "producers" get less resources from the developing third world countries and less of their manufactured goods are sold abroad as the third world countries start producing their own.

any third world country going forward towards development is a threat to the west.if Nigeria improves in any way that has to do with the consumption of resources and the production of goods,that is a minus to the west.the west is seated on ice and they lack resources compared to other parts of the world.

little by little you'd get to conncet the puzzle and smell western involvement in Nigeria's affairs and their cry about terrorism in Nigeria in order to meddle in our affairs and derail our strides towards progress.they allow you get some crumbs if they are sucking you.they want their own companies to be perpetually here producing and sending the spoils back.

i have warned in a previous thread on the dangers Nigeria faces from western tricks and schemes.all this boko haram nonsense could be a plot by the west to execute their plans in nigeria.the entire boko haram nonsense may be an invention by america to use as a channel to manipulate things in nigeria and cause chaos among nigerians who already hate themselves.nigerians should be careful.

i have raised this issue in my posts in the thread below on page #3:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=750714.msg9069153#msg9069153

thankfully enough someone just opened a thread warning about the same western drive to dominate other countries especially countries with resources particularly oil:

"Western Regime Change Strategy For Mineral Resources I.e. Oil, Gas, Gold Etc":
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-746402.0.html#msg9113770

Bliss4Lyfe:
In Bahrain the UN, US, Britain and France turned a blind eye to the invasion of Bahrain a sovereign country by Saudi Arabia which goes against the fundamental principles for creation of the United Nation. Surely, if Iran ever needed prove of US invasion, this would be it because Bahrain is a Shir populated country under a minority Sunni leadership. Iran is the birth place of Shir Muslims whilst Saudi Arabia is the birth place of Islam and Sunni Muslims. America has only turned a blind eye to Saudi invasion of Bahrain in return for Saudi cooperation with Iran invasion and to maintan a divide in the Muslim world in other to maintain its authority over them.

just a minor correction:

the word is "SHIA" OR "SHI'I" AND NOT "shir".


i have warned in a previous thread on the dangers Nigeria faces from western tricks and schemes.all this boko haram nonsense could be a plot by the west to execute their plans in nigeria.the entire boko haram nonsense may be an invention by america to use as a channel to manipulate things in nigeria and cause chaos among nigerians who already hate themselves.nigerians should be careful.

i have raised this issue in my posts in the thread below on page #3:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria?topic=750714.msg9069153#msg9069153

i think this thread should be on the front page of nairaland to satisfy all the hypocrites who love bashing muslims and provoking them.or is it only threads that are controversial and aim to provoke muslims that make to the front page?

[size=18pt]Christian Youths In Jos Kill Several Muslims During Eid Prayers[/size]

JOS, Nigeria | Mon Aug 29, 2011 7:22pm EDT

(Reuters) - Gangs of armed youths in the volatile Nigerian city of Jos attacked Muslims as they gathered to celebrate the last day of Ramadan on Monday, killing a number of them and burning their cars, witnesses and the military said.

The city, which lies between the country's mostly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south, has been a flash point for ethnic and sectarian tensions between the two faiths.

If the violence worsens or triggers reprisals, it may prove another major headache for President Goodluck Jonathan, whose security forces are already stretched by daily attacks from an Islamist sect in the northeast, which also claimed Friday's deadly bomb attack on the U.N. offices in Abuja that killed 23.

"The Muslim faithful went for their Eid prayers and on completion of the prayers they were trapped by the youths in that area," Brigadier General Hassan Umaru, commander of the military Special Task Force keeping security in Jos, told Reuters by telephone.

"They burned some cars, quite a number a of cars. The number of people killed, I can't give that yet. We are still checking with local hospital sources," he added. He said there had been several deaths.

Witnesses said Christian youths set up road blocks and attacked Muslims as they gathered in Jos's Gada Biu and Rukuba areas, shooting a number of them dead.

A Reuters witness saw several bodies. At least one was charred after being set alight.

Umaru said the youths had since been "pacified."

Nigeria has a roughly equal Christian-Muslim mix.

More than 200 ethnic groups live side by side in the West African country. Though generally peaceful, Nigeria has seen periodic bouts of religious violence, with Jos in particular showing a tendency to flare up.

At least 80 people were killed in bombings there last December 24 and clashes between Muslim and Christian youths.

(Reporting by Bello Buhari; Writing and additional reporting by Tim Cocks; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/29/us-nigeria-violence-jos-idUSTRE77S6Q520110829

[size=18pt]Christian Youths In Jos Kill Several Muslims During Eid Prayers[/size]

JOS, Nigeria | Mon Aug 29, 2011 7:22pm EDT

(Reuters) - Gangs of armed youths in the volatile Nigerian city of Jos attacked Muslims as they gathered to celebrate the last day of Ramadan on Monday, killing a number of them and burning their cars, witnesses and the military said.

The city, which lies between the country's mostly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south, has been a flash point for ethnic and sectarian tensions between the two faiths.

If the violence worsens or triggers reprisals, it may prove another major headache for President Goodluck Jonathan, whose security forces are already stretched by daily attacks from an Islamist sect in the northeast, which also claimed Friday's deadly bomb attack on the U.N. offices in Abuja that killed 23.

"The Muslim faithful went for their Eid prayers and on completion of the prayers they were trapped by the youths in that area," Brigadier General Hassan Umaru, commander of the military Special Task Force keeping security in Jos, told Reuters by telephone.

"They burned some cars, quite a number a of cars. The number of people killed, I can't give that yet. We are still checking with local hospital sources," he added. He said there had been several deaths.

Witnesses said Christian youths set up road blocks and attacked Muslims as they gathered in Jos's Gada Biu and Rukuba areas, shooting a number of them dead.

A Reuters witness saw several bodies. At least one was charred after being set alight.

Umaru said the youths had since been "pacified."

Nigeria has a roughly equal Christian-Muslim mix.

More than 200 ethnic groups live side by side in the West African country. Though generally peaceful, Nigeria has seen periodic bouts of religious violence, with Jos in particular showing a tendency to flare up.

At least 80 people were killed in bombings there last December 24 and clashes between Muslim and Christian youths.

(Reporting by Bello Buhari; Writing and additional reporting by Tim Cocks; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/29/us-nigeria-violence-jos-idUSTRE77S6Q520110829