BAGHDAD, Iraq - President Saddam Hussein said on Wednesday Iraq would not tolerate any sectarian divisions among the country's Muslim population.
"Everyone practises his (religious) rituals freely," Saddam said in an address to visiting Algerian business delegation.
"But he who tries to transform the rituals to a divisive stand, we will tell him no: boy if you are not careful, we will hit you on your nose."
Shi'ite Muslims are widely believed to be a majority among Iraq's 24-million population. Saddam is a Sunni Muslim but the ruling Baath Party is a secular group.
"Everyone adopts the sect that he likes, we don't interfere but to try sectarion division...to break the people, this is dangerous, it is dangerous to you in Algeria, don't accept it," Saddam said to applause.
Algeria is battling a nine-year Muslim fundamentalist insurgency that has killed more than 100,000 people.
14:27 05-30-01
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