Friday, January 27, 2006

Pakistanis arrest 400 Muslim activists protesting Lahore Marathon

In October, while running the Chicago Marathon, I encountered three or four World Can't Wait--Drive out the Bush Regime protesters trying to draw attention to themselves. No big deal.

Friday in Pakistan's Punjab province, there were mass protests against Sunday's 2nd Annual Lahore Marathon. The Islamic group Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal was behind the unrest, reports the Pakistani newspaper Dawn.

A much bigger deal.

Liaquat Bloch, a member of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, said "The only purpose of the race is to promote obscenity."

If only that was true. I've run 27 marathons, the only vulgar behavior I've witnessed has been the occasional roadside urinator.

More from Dawn:

Over 400 activists of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal were arrested here and elsewhere in Punjab after they clashed with police during their protest against a planned marathon in Lahore on Sunday.

Clashes in the city resulted in injuries to five students and seven police personnel, including an SP. Ten public transport buses were damaged allegedly by the protesters.

According to sources, nearly 215 people were rounded up in Lahore, over 70 in Multan, 35 in Sargodha and as many in Faisalabad and the remaining in other towns of the province. The MMA claimed that over 500 of its activists had been picked up only in Lahore.

In comparision to Nigeria's 2002 Miss World riots, the Lahore unrest is mild. However, 2006 has perhaps its first "first." The world's first Marathon riot.

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