A leading figure in the
Sunni Islam world called for fellow believers to respond to recent
controversial portrayals of Mohammed -- which he said "spread hatred"
-- just like the prophet himself would, "through patience and
wisdom."
The Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa spoke to CNN as
Muslims staged yet more passionate protests Saturday in yet more locales, from
Germany to Lebanon to Bangladesh, as they have since September 11.
Demonstrators railed against an obscure, 14-minute trailer for a film that
mocks Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and killer -- as well as the
country in which it was privately produced, the United States -- and more
recently a French satirical magazine's cartoons of a figure representing
Mohammed.
Egypt's grand mufti questioned whether in the United
States, for example, the inflammatory film "Innocence of Muslims" was
not illegal under laws prohibiting the spread of hatred. And he also challenged
if laws protecting freedom of speech were applicable.
"This is not freedom of speech, this is an attack
on humanity, (an) attack on religions, and (an) attack on human rights,"
he said.
At the same time, the North African nation's grand
mufti -- a figure appointed by Egypt's government whose pronouncements often
hold significant sway in the Muslim world -- stressed conflict is not the
answer, saying, "We live together and must respect our neighbors."
"These cartoons spread hatred, and we call for
peace," he said, adding that Islamic leaders "fear the spread of
hatred" against their religion and oppose "the mocking" of any
religion.
Noting Egypt-based Coptic Church bishops had condemned
the film that sparked protests, Egypt's grand mufti -- who noted he's active in
the Coexist Foundation, which promotes religious tolerance -- urged an end to the
cycle of different groups attacking each other. And in Egypt, at least, he
vowed Muslims and Christians will continue to peacefully coexist despite the
recent turmoil.
"My message to those who want (strife)
between Muslims and Christians in Egypt, I tell them, 'You will not succeed,
because we are one people that have been living together for more than 1,400
years,'" he said.
More Muslims protest inflammatory film, cartoons
The trailer for "Innocence of
Muslims" was posted online to YouTube in July, but it wasn't until earlier
this month that it gained attention in the Muslim world and stirred tens of
thousands of protest in more than 20 nations. film
While most of these demonstrations have
been peaceful, a number have been marred by violence that has left more than
two dozen people dead -- among them U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and
three other Americans killed in an attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
And there were more protests Saturday, in
which Muslims once again derided the film and, in many cases, the United
States. Among them:
-- Thousands of Shiite Muslims protested
in the Nigerian city of Kano, with the crowd shouting "God is great"
and "Death to America," resident Sani isa Mohammed told CNN. There
were no immediate reports of violence, according to a police officer said.
"The imam called us to join in the
call to damn the evil film from America which insulted the prophet and we
joined in the march," Mohammed said. "We chanted and shouted. My
voice is hoarse from screaming!"
-- Protests in Bangladesh's capital,
Dhaka, turned violent as police fired tear gas and used clubs to disperse the
crowd, which included some wielding sticks and flinging chunks of bricks,
police and witnesses said.
Demonstrators in the South Asian nation --
which has one of the world's largest Muslim populations -- torched a police van
and damaged police cars, and several protesters and protest leaders were
arrested, the spokesman said.
Activists called a countrywide general
strike for Sunday in protest of a government ban issued Friday on any kind of
gatherings and rallies in downtown Purana Paltan, centering the national
mosque.
Benazir Ahmed, chief of the Dhaka
Metropolitan Police, defended a ban that he said was imposed to maintain law
and order.
-- Hundreds took to the streets of
Dortmund, Germany, chanting and peacefully denouncing what they described as
injustices against Islam. One banner, for instance, noted that insulting
blacks, Jews or women would be defined as racism, anti-Semitism and sexism,
respectively, but questioned why insulting the Muslim Prophet would qualify as
freedom of opinion.
-- Thousands carrying Lebanese and
Hezbollah flags turned out in Bint Jbeil, in southeastern Lebanon. Prompted by
speakers, they chanted anti-American slogans and derided any attempt to defame
the Prophet Mohammed. Druze and Christian leaders in the area joined top Muslim
figures at the demonstration.
-- A day after at least 27 people were
killed and more than 100 injured as mobs ransacked banks, theaters, government
offices and a church and clashed with security forces, at least 3,500 female
students of Islamabad's Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, protested the film
The women and girls wore headbands on top
of their burqas as they marched through Islamabad's streets, carrying placards
saying "America is the biggest terrorist" and "Say NO to
American products," mosque spokesman Abdul Qadir told CNN.
"We will respond to this insult
whether we are men or women," they chanted.
American
diplomatic official summoned in Pakistan
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
meanwhile, summoned U.S. charges d'affaires Ambassador Richard Hoagland on
Friday to demand the United States remove the controversial movie from YouTube.
Islamabad -- which had declared a "national holiday" to protest the
film -- has blocked the site in recent days.
According to a statement, the ministry
lodged a protest with Hoagland over the movie, describing it as "a
premeditated and a malicious act to spread hatred and violence among people of
different faiths."
Hoagland reiterated the Obama
administration's repeated condemnation of the movie and its message,
emphasizing that the United States government had nothing to do with it.
"Ambassador Hoagland stated that this
act was a deeply insensitive decision by a single individual to disseminate
hatred," according to a statement released by the U.S. Embassy. "It
does not reflect the values of the United States, a nation of more than 300
million people, built upon the pillars of religious freedom and
tolerance."
The U.S. mission in Lahore, Pakistan, on
Saturday extended the temporary suspension of services amid news of two planned
protests that were expected to draw hundreds, according to a U.S. State
Department security announcement.
Washington
launches TV, social media campaign
The United States has been trying to stem
anger in Pakistan through television advertisements and a Facebook campaign.
The U.S. State Department spent $70,000 on
television public service announcements that began airing last week in
Pakistan. The ads feature Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
disavowing the anti-Islam video.
On the Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy
in Islamabad, officials posted a video of two Americans speaking out against
the film, but that has drawn overwhelmingly negative responses.
"If America (does) not have any
concern with this film then why (is) their government not taking any action
against this act? Why there is no law (to) protect the religious (beliefs) of
Muslims?" read a Facebook post by someone identified as Numra Sheikh.
From Ian Lee, CNN September 23, 2012
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