Flashermac Posted May 28, 2006 Report Share Posted May 28, 2006 Iraqi athletes killed for wearing shorts By Kim Gamel, Associated Press Writer 28 May 2006 BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi tennis coach and two of his players were shot to death this week in Baghdad because they were wearing shorts, authorities said Saturday, reporting the latest in a series of recent attacks attributed to Islamic extremists. In the shooting, gunmen stopped a car carrying the Sunni Arab coach and two Shiite players, asked them to step out and then shot them, said Manham Kubba secretary-general of the Iraqi Tennis Union. Extremists had distributed leaflets warning people in the mostly Sunni neighborhoods of Saidiyah and Ghazaliyah warning people not to wear shorts, police said. "Wearing shorts by youth are prohibited because it violates the principals of Islamic religion when showing forbidden parts of the body. Also women should wear the veil," the leaflets said. No one claimed responsibility for the slayings, which come amid worries that Islamic extremism is spreading in the war-torn country. Sunni cleric Eid al-Zoubayi denounced the attack. "Islamic religion is an easy religion and it allows wearing sport shorts as long as they don't show the forbidden parts of the body, so the acts that are targeting the sport are criminal," he said. It was the second incident involving athletes in just over a week. Fifteen members of a taekwondo team were kidnapped in western Iraq while driving to a training camp in neighboring Jordan on May 17. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitney Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 Isn't religion great? :: :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted May 29, 2006 Report Share Posted May 29, 2006 Somehow I don't think it had anything to do with the shorts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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