Mosque, Arab Targets Attacked in Nepal

Protesters climbed on top of and set fire to the Jama Masjid mosque, the largest mosque of the city’s small Muslim minority, after pulling out its furniture and electrical equipment for a sidewalk bonfire, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The mosque suffered only minor damage but many of its contents were destroyed.

Demonstrators, some chanting "Punish the Muslims", threw stones and ransacked any targets with Arabic-language script.

Two men were shot and slightly wounded by security guards when they tried to storm the Egyptian embassy, which represents Iraqi interests in the Himalayan kingdom.

Riot police used batons to push the crowd of some 5,000 people out of a sensitive central area which includes King Gyanendra’s Narayanhity Palace, a police officer said.

The protests erupted late on Tuesday after news that the 12, who left the impoverished nation in search of jobs, were murdered by militants who abducted them about 10 days ago.

The kidnappers accused them of cooperating with US forces.

Arab Targets Attacked

A mob made up mainly of youths broke windows of more than a dozen employment agencies blamed for sending Nepalese to Iraq and set fire to their vehicles, furniture and computers, police said.

An employee at Qatar Airways, one of the main airlines used by Nepalese seeking jobs in the Middle East, said dozens of angry people stormed into their premises and smashed furniture before setting the building on fire.

The employee estimated damage in the tens of thousands of dollars.

The offices of Saudi Arabian Airlines in the capital were also set ablaze.

Some protesters furthermore attacked Moonlight Consultants for employment oversees, which sent seven of the 12 Nepalis to Jordan.

Many protesters also demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, saying he should take responsibility for the failure to free the hostages.

The government had repeatedly stressed that Nepal, which is fighting a bloody Maoist rebellion, was not part of the US-led occupation in Iraq.

Deuba appealed for calm in an address to the nation on Wednesday.

"The terrorists who committed this gruesome act don’t have any religion or principles. I call upon all citizens of Nepal to have patience," he said.

His government announced compensation of one million rupees (14,400 dollars) for the families of each of the 12 slain hostages, a major sum in the one of the world’s poorest countries.

Curfew Imposed

Nepalese authorities have imposed a curfew on the capital Kathamandu after the mass protests.

Spontaneous protest strikes were called in the towns of Pokhara, Gorkha and Biratnagar with youths taking to the streets to stop vehicles.

Relatives of the victims are trying to come to terms with the tragedy, blaming the government for not securing their release.

In Lele, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Kathmandu, hundreds of tearful villagers crowded around the humble home of 19-year-old Ramesh Khadka, who was among those murdered by the kidnappers.

"We were expecting their safe return. This is very shocking. This is completely unexpected," Sudarshan Khadka, a Ramesh Khadka’s brother, told AFP.

"My brother went there just to earn a living. He had nothing to do with the Americans. We are helpless against fanatics," the 23-year-old said.

A statement announcing the killings was posted on a website by an Al-Qaeda-linked group called the Army of Ansar Al-Sunna and accompanied by pictures and video footage of the killings.

Photos showed the grisly beheading of a blindfolded hostage, including one where his bloodied head was held up like a trophy by a hooded captor. The graphic video showed the other Nepalese being shot.

Muslim Condemned

Nepalese Muslim groups were quick to condemn the killings saying the "inhuman act is against Islam".

Muslim scholars have strongly condemned the similar beheading of an American civilian by unknown people in Iraq, asserting Islam stands against such acts.

Muslims are demanded to treat their non-Muslim captives with clemency.

Hindus make up more than 86 percent of the population in Nepal, the world’s only officially Hindu state. But the kingdom has experienced little of the religious violence that has scarred neighboring India.

Muslims account for 3.8 percent of the 27 million population. Some 7.8 percent adhere to Buddhism in Nepal, which is the birthplace of the Buddha, with smaller religions comprising 2.2 percent.