Arab leaders slam anti-Islam film, denounce violent protests
A Libyan man holds a placard during a demonstration against the attack on the US consulate that killed four Americans, including the ambassador, in Benghazi, Libya. (AP)
ARAB NEWS
BRUSSELS/ALGIERS: Egypt, Algeria and Morocco on Thursday slammed an anti-Islam film that has sparked protests worldwide, but also denounced attacks on US missions by angry protesters.
Egypt’s Islamist President Muhammad Mursi vowed Thursday not to allow attacks on foreign embassies in Cairo, saying the Egyptian people reject such “unlawful acts.”
Speaking during a visit to the European Union in Brussels, Mursi said he had spoken to President Barack Obama and condemned “in the clearest terms” the Tuesday attacks on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi in which the ambassador and three other Americans died.
Crowds protesting at the US Embassy in Cairo the same day climbed its walls and tore down an American flag, which they replaced briefly with a black, Islamist flag.
On Thursday, angry protesters stormed the US Embassy compound in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, tearing down and burning the US flag, in a scene reminiscent of the Cairo incident.
Officials were investigating whether the Libya rampage was a backlash to an anti-Islamic video with ties to Coptic Christians or a plot to coincide with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Mursi, who was making his first visit to the West, also harshly criticized the film.
“We condemn strongly ... all those who launch such provocations and who stand behind that hatred,” Mursi said, adding that he had asked Obama “to put an end to such behavior.”
While criticizing the film, Algeria and Morocco also offered their condolences over the death of the US ambassador to Libya.
Morocco described as “shameful aggression” the attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, and presented its “sincere condolences” to the US government and people.
The Moroccan government stressed that the attack “cannot, in any case, be justified,” in a statement carried by the official MAP news agency.
Algeria’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, condemned the low-budget movie, “Innocence of Muslims,” reportedly made by an Israeli-American, which portrays Muslims as immoral and gratuitously.
Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci offered his condolences to his US counterpart Hilary Clinton, after the deadly attack.
Ministry spokesman Amar Belani meanwhile deplored “the irresponsibility of the authors of the film... which offends Islam and his prophet,” cited by the official APS news agency.
“The outrages on the sacred religious symbols... can only result in disapproval and indignation, because these provocations are designed to fuel hatred,” he added.
The US embassy in Algiers issued an emergency travel warning, urging US citizens to avoid large crowds, and to “be aware of the potential for protests or demonstrations at any time.”
In Morocco’s largest city Casablanca, between 300 and 400 Muslim activists gathered outside the US consulate, amid a heavy police presence, some shouting anti-US slogans, including “Death to Obama!“
On Thursday, Egyptian police used tear gas as they clashed with a stone-throwing crowd protesting outside the US embassy in Cairo, after 13 people were injured in overnight unrest, according to the health ministry.
— From reports of news agencies
http://MuslimWindow.blogspot.com/
A Libyan man holds a placard during a demonstration against the attack on the US consulate that killed four Americans, including the ambassador, in Benghazi, Libya. (AP)
ARAB NEWS
BRUSSELS/ALGIERS: Egypt, Algeria and Morocco on Thursday slammed an anti-Islam film that has sparked protests worldwide, but also denounced attacks on US missions by angry protesters.
Egypt’s Islamist President Muhammad Mursi vowed Thursday not to allow attacks on foreign embassies in Cairo, saying the Egyptian people reject such “unlawful acts.”
Speaking during a visit to the European Union in Brussels, Mursi said he had spoken to President Barack Obama and condemned “in the clearest terms” the Tuesday attacks on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi in which the ambassador and three other Americans died.
Crowds protesting at the US Embassy in Cairo the same day climbed its walls and tore down an American flag, which they replaced briefly with a black, Islamist flag.
On Thursday, angry protesters stormed the US Embassy compound in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, tearing down and burning the US flag, in a scene reminiscent of the Cairo incident.
Officials were investigating whether the Libya rampage was a backlash to an anti-Islamic video with ties to Coptic Christians or a plot to coincide with the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Mursi, who was making his first visit to the West, also harshly criticized the film.
“We condemn strongly ... all those who launch such provocations and who stand behind that hatred,” Mursi said, adding that he had asked Obama “to put an end to such behavior.”
While criticizing the film, Algeria and Morocco also offered their condolences over the death of the US ambassador to Libya.
Morocco described as “shameful aggression” the attack on the US consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi, and presented its “sincere condolences” to the US government and people.
The Moroccan government stressed that the attack “cannot, in any case, be justified,” in a statement carried by the official MAP news agency.
Algeria’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, condemned the low-budget movie, “Innocence of Muslims,” reportedly made by an Israeli-American, which portrays Muslims as immoral and gratuitously.
Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci offered his condolences to his US counterpart Hilary Clinton, after the deadly attack.
Ministry spokesman Amar Belani meanwhile deplored “the irresponsibility of the authors of the film... which offends Islam and his prophet,” cited by the official APS news agency.
“The outrages on the sacred religious symbols... can only result in disapproval and indignation, because these provocations are designed to fuel hatred,” he added.
The US embassy in Algiers issued an emergency travel warning, urging US citizens to avoid large crowds, and to “be aware of the potential for protests or demonstrations at any time.”
In Morocco’s largest city Casablanca, between 300 and 400 Muslim activists gathered outside the US consulate, amid a heavy police presence, some shouting anti-US slogans, including “Death to Obama!“
On Thursday, Egyptian police used tear gas as they clashed with a stone-throwing crowd protesting outside the US embassy in Cairo, after 13 people were injured in overnight unrest, according to the health ministry.
— From reports of news agencies
http://MuslimWindow.blogspot.com/
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