Notable Mosques

Source: religionfacts.com

• Al-Aqsa, in Jerusalem
• Al-Azhar in Cairo, Egypt – the mosque university is the foremost school of Sunni Islam
• Al-Hakim Mosque – one of the largest Fatimid mosques in Cairo, Egypt
• Ar-Rifaye Mosque in Cairo, Egypt
• Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, India – now destroyed and a site of recent violence between Muslims and Hindus

Top 50 Muslim Countries

Source: religionfacts.com

The following table shows the 50 countries with the highest percentage of Muslims.

Multiple passenger jet crashes in one week (IMAGE)

“Praying for the victims and families of Air Algerie #AH5017 and all of those who passed in this bizarre week of plane crashes.” – Omar Suleiman

Wreckage of Algeria airliner found in Mali

Mali presidential aide says “humans remains and wreckage” of Air Algerie plane found near the village of Boulikessi.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com

The wreckage of a missing Air Algerie plane has been found about 50km from the border of Burkina Faso near the village of Boulikessi in Mali, a presidential aide has said.

“We sent men with the agreement of the Mali government to the site and they found the wreckage of the plane with the help of the inhabitants of the area,” said General Gilbert Diendere, a close aide to president Blaise Compaore.

“They found human remains and the wreckage of the plane totally burnt and scattered.”

He told the AP news agency that they went to the area after hearing from a resident who described seeing a plane go down.

The plane, designated AH5017 and carrying 116 people, disappeared from radar on Thursday over northern Mali while on a flight from Burkina Faso to Algeria. It was carrying mainly French and Burkina Faso citizens.

Earlier, the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, said the plane had “probably crashed”, while the French president, Francois Hollande, said his government would use “all military means” in Mali to help in the search for the plane.

Two French fighter jets are among aircraft who had been scouring the north of Mali for the wreckage, and France has hundred of troops stationed in Mali after defeating an al-Qaeda-linked rebellion last year.

The flight, scheduled by Air Algerie and operated by the Spanish private company Swiftair, was flying in heavy rain, according to reports.

Algeria confirms crash of passenger airliner

Air Algerie plane was carrying 116 people from Burkina Faso to Algiers when it disappeared over northern Mali.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/

Algerian aviation officials have confirmed that a plane operated by Air Algerie carrying 116 people from Burkina Faso to Algeria’s capital has crashed over northern Mali.

Flight AH5017 disappeared from radar over northern Mali after heavy rains were reported, according to the owner and and government officials in France and Burkina Faso.

The flight, owned by the Spanish private company Swiftair, was carrying 110 passengers and six crew.

There were no additional details over casualties.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Air Algerie Flight 5017 had “probably crashed,” adding that “no trace” of the plane had been found.

Two French fighter jets are among aircraft scouring the rugged north of Mali for the plane, which was traveling from Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, to Algiers, the Algerian capital.

Air navigation services lost track of the MD-83 about 50 minutes after takeoff from Ougadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, at 1.55am GMT on Thursday, the official Algerian news agency APS said.

The list of passengers includes 51 French, 27 Burkina Faso nationals, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, five Canadians, four Germans, two Luxemburg nationals, one Swiss, one Belgium, one Egyptian, one Ukrainian, one Nigerian, one Cameroonian and one Malian, Burkina Faso Transport Minister Jean Bertin Ouedraogo said.

The six crew members are Spanish, according to the Spanish pilots’ union.

Transport Minister Jean Bertin Ouedraogo also said the plane sent its last message about 1.30am GMT, asking Niger air control to change its route because of heavy rains in the area.

Frederic Cuvillier, the French transport minister, said the plane vanished over northern Mali.

The plane had been missing for hours before the news was made public. It was not immediately clear why airline or government officials didn’t make it public earlier.

Air Algerie Flight 5017 was being operated by Spanish airline Swiftair, the company said in a statement. The Spanish pilots’ union said the plane belonged to Swiftair and it was operated by a Spanish crew.