After Friday prayers at the Masjid Syakireen mosque in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre park and the Tabung Haji mosque on Jalan Tun Razak, members of the respective congregations streamed out and unfurled banners and took out posters condemning Mubarak.
C
alling for "Yasqut Mubarak!" (Mubarak step down!) and "Yahya al-sha'ab!" (Long live the people!), the two groups marched and converged to Jalan Tun Razak.
Many of them carried a banner saying "We march with Egyptians".
Others held placards with the words "Down, down Mubarak" and "Mubarak, your game is over", as a police helicopter buzzed low over them.
They headed towards the US Embassy about 300 metres from the Tabung Haji mosque on Jalan Tun Razak where they submitted a memorandum on the matter to embassy officials.
Outside the embassy were about 200 heavily-armed riot police with batons, shields and tear gas rifles.
According to a report, Dang Wangi police chief ACP Mohd Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman said the eight were arrested after they failed to disperse despite receiving orders to do so.
Some were arrested inside the Tabung Haji complex.
At least three were detained during the march from the Syakireen mosque towards the US embassy.
In addition to scuffles with police and riot personnel, many were on the receiving end of the police' water canons at the tail-end of the gathering.
S Arutchelvan (left), PSM secretary-general, lashed out at police for firing the water cannon and the arrests.
"It was unnecessary. The people were going home after a peaceful rally when police fired the water cannon," he told AFP.
Normala Daud, 52, a teacher who joined the rally, said: "We are peaceful protesters. I am here to support the pro-democracy protesters in Egypt. Mubarak is a cruel leader. He must go immediately."
The one-page memorandum to the US mission called on Washington to influence Mubarak to quit immediately.
"The United States of America clearly has a big influence on Hosni Mubarak. It is time for the United States of America to state its stand, in no uncertain terms, that Mubarak must go," said the memorandum.
"The Egyptian people deserve a regime change. Egyptians deserve their freedom, the right to self-determination and the right to build their own future."
Other leaders present in the gatherings were PAS' Kubang Kerian parliamentarian Salahuddin Ayub, PAS central committee member Mohamad Sabu, PAS Youth exco Ridhuan Mohd Nor and Rembau PKR division chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin.
Representatives of the group Lawyers called for lawyers to come to the Dang Wangi district police station to assist affecting their release.
Last Monday, opposition parties and activists organisations had demonstrated (above) in front of the Egyptian embassy to show solidarity with the pro-democracy gatherings in the Middle Eastern country and to protest against the violent crackdowns by Egyptian security forces that have seen more than 120 people killed.
Outrage around the world was rekindled when groups aligned with Mubarak launched violent charges into the pro-democracy marches.
Clashes between pro- and anti-Mubarak groups have led to at least six people dead.
Religious figures such as Yusuf Qaradhawi - who is Egyptian but lives in exile in Qatar - have weighed in on the matter and urged Mubarak to step down and called for the pro-democracy movement to be supported.
The top-most religious official in Eqypt, mufti Ali Jum'ah, meanwhile, earned the ire of many when he called for the demonstrations to stop and Mubarak to be allowed to carry out the reforms he pleged to carry out until September when he steps down.
Criticising Jum'ah today, former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin (right) said it is ulama such as Jum'ah who are among the reasons Muslim countries languish in corruption and injustice.
"Why didn't Ali Jum'ah issue a fatwa against those Mubarak supporters who killed civilians in the demonstrations, and against the 30 years of Mubarak during which time he has cruely killed his opponents?
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