Pakistan Shiites protest Iraq fighting

About 5,000 Shiite Muslims today held an anti-US rally in Karachi, to protest at the fighting in the holy city of Najaf and demanding US forces withdraw from Iraq.

The rally was emotionally charged but peaceful. Hundreds of police initially tried to block protesters from marching through Karachi but relented when Shiite leaders threatened to move toward the US Consulate.

“America should leave Iraq and immediately stop desecrating the holy shrine of Hazrat Ali otherwise Shiites from all over the world will move to protect the holy city of Najaf,” said protester Allama Baqar Zaidi.

Demonstrators burned American and Israeli flags and an effigy of US President George Bush.

Pakistan’s government is a key ally in the US-led war on terrorism, but the majority of the 150 million people in this Islamic nation opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Most Pakistanis are Sunni Muslims, but a minority of about 20% are Shiites.