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Algeria: a newspaper under fire from critics for a photo obscuring a minaret

2021-09-20T19:27:22.537Z


A French-speaking Algerian daily found itself under fire on Monday, September 20 for having published a retouched photo obscuring the ...


A French-speaking Algerian daily found itself under fire on Monday, September 20 for having published a retouched photo obscuring the minaret of the Great Mosque of Algiers.

Read also Algeria: Abdelaziz Bouteflika was buried this Sunday in the square of the heroes of the war of independence

The photo, published by the newspaper

El Watan

, showed the passage of the funeral convoy of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, buried Sunday, but the imposing minaret of the Great Mosque of Algiers in the background had been removed, sparking strong criticism from outraged Internet users on social networks.

Apologies for "a technical incident"

Faced with this outcry, the French-language daily apologized on its site, citing an "

unfortunate technical treatment at the level of the DTP (computer-assisted publication) service of the newspaper

".

He assured that it was "

a purely technical incident (which) has nothing to do with any ideological calculation how the circles known for their hostility to El Watan try to distill it

".

To read also "Peace to his soul, but he does not deserve any tribute": the Algerians divided after the death of Bouteflika

The Ministry of Communication denounced "

strange and unjustified behavior

" and a "

flagrant violation of the laws

" governing the Great Mosque of Algiers, condemning "

firmly and clearly

" the removal of the minaret.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs, for its part, estimated in a statement that the publication of this photo constituted "

a violation which should give rise to administrative measures and legal proceedings

".

The president of the Mouvement de la société pour la paix (MSP), the main Islamist party in Algeria, Abderrezak Makri, for his part denounced on his Facebook page a "

hatred towards the symbols of the Muslim religion

".

Tallest in the world

The minaret of the Great Mosque of Algiers is the tallest in the world.

It overlooks the bay of Algiers and rises to 267 meters, or 43 floors served by panoramic elevators.

Mega emblematic project of Bouteflika, ousted from power in 2019, the Great Mosque sparked a lively controversy in Algeria due in particular to its cost (more than 750 million euros), considered exorbitant.

Became president in 1999, at the end of the black decade of civil war (1992-2002, 200,000 dead) and ousted from power in 2019, Bouteflika passed away on September 17 at the age of 84.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-09-20

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