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CAIRO (AFP) - A leading Egyptian Islamist on Wednesday slammed proposals to share Jerusalem with Israel, calling on Muslims to "liberate" the holy city while threatening U.S. interests in the Middle East. Rifai Ahmed Taha, a former military leader of Egypt's main armed Islamic group Jamaa Islamiya, warned that political assassinations akin to the 1981 murder of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat could be repeated. "We reject the possibility of giving up one inch of Muslim Palestine, to say nothing of Jerusalem," said Taha who condemned Egyptian proposals to make Jerusalem an "open city" under a final Israeli-Palestinian peace accord. "The United States must realize that the idolatrous paper-thin regimes of the region will not be able to protect themselves from the anger of our people," Taha warned in a statement. "They must also realize that no one will be able to protect their interests in the region as long as they continue their double standards," he said. Taha said that the Muslim world had already produced people like Khaled al-Islambuli who assassinated Sadat for signing peace with Israel, and warned that it is "capable of producing more." "Raining down painful blows on Jews and Americans must constitute one of the most important religious duties for every able Muslim," said Taha. The one-time military leader signed his statement "from the leadership of the Jamaa Islamiya in Egypt," although reported discord within the movement has thrown doubt on whether the leadership of the movement is still intact. |
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