2012-09-21 13:06:56

Protests continue across Muslim world


(Vatican Radio) A new round of protests against the United States took place across the Muslim world today. In Pakistan, Friday’s government-declared “special day of love” for Islam’s founder, Muhammad, has seen violent clashes in several places throughout the country, including the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi. In Peshawar, protesters attacked and ransacked two cinema buildings. A driver for a Pakistani television station was killed when police opened fire to disperse protesters, seven of whom were reported wounded. Listen to our report: RealAudioMP3

The United States has taken out advertising space on Pakistani TV, in which clips showing US President Barack Obama condemning both the film that has provided the pretext for the violence, and the violent reaction to it:

Since our founding, the United States has been a nation that respects all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But there is absolutely no justification to this type of senseless violence. None.

The President’s remarks were originally delivered on Sept. 12th, in response to the murder of the US ambassador to Libya and three other diplomatic staffers at the US Consulate in Benghazi, which was stormed in an incident the Obama administration on Thursday described as an “terrorist attack”. The television spot also shows US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton distancing the US government from the film and the film’s message.

Despite the US administration’s insistence, the US charge d’affaires Richard Hoagland was summoned to the Pakistani Foreign Office and an official protest was lodged. The US state department has issued a warning against any non-essential travel to Pakistan.

Elsewhere, as in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, where some 2000 people demonstrated.








All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.