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| Rage over blasphemous film continues across Muslim Asia |
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Anti-U.S. demonstrations, which began on September 11 over the blasphemous movie, which was made in the U.S. state of California, continued on Monday and Tuesday, with protesters chanting slogans against Washington, marching on U.S. embassies, and torching U.S. flags in several Asian cities.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday addressed about 500,000 people who gathered in southern Beirut to protest against the anti-Islam movie.
The Hezbollah leader said the United States would face grave repercussions across the Muslim world unless it suppressed the film that demeans the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
"They slandered the purity of his birth, slandered his faith and his morals, slandered his Quran," said Nasrallah, who has seldom appeared in public since 2006.
"The distribution of this entire film must be banned by the Americans," he stated.
"This is the start of a serious movement that must continue all over the Muslim world in defense of the Prophet of God (PBUH)," Nasrallah said to roars of crowd support. "As long as there's blood in us, we will not remain silent over insults against our Prophet (PBUH)," he stated.
In a speech broadcast on Hezbollah's al-Manar television network in Lebanon on Sunday, Nasrallah called on the Muslims across the world to protest against the anti-Islam film, which he described as “the worst attack ever on Islam, worse than the Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, the burning of the Quran in Afghanistan, and the cartoons in the European media.”
On the same day in Kabul, thousands of Afghans chanted, "Death to America!" and "Death to those people who have made a film and insulted our Prophet (PBUH)."
"We will defend our Prophet (PBUH) until we have blood across our bodies. We will not let anyone insult him," said one Afghan demonstrator. "Americans will pay for their dishonor."
In Karachi, police fired in the air and used tear gas canisters to disperse protesters marching toward the U.S. consulate in Pakistan's financial capital on Monday.
Later in the day, thousands of demonstrators clashed with Pakistani police protecting the U.S. consulate in Lahore. They chanted slogans against Washington and burned U.S. flags.
On Tuesday, several people were injured as Pakistani police forces clashed with demonstrates protesting against the anti-Islam movie outside the U.S. consulates in Peshawar.
The protesters called for the execution of the filmmaker and burned U.S. flags, and called on Islamabad to close the U.S. Embassy and expel its diplomatic staff.
In Jakarta, Indonesian police fired tear gas and used water cannon on Monday to disperse demonstrators who congregated outside the U.S. Embassy and hurled petrol bombs at the compound.
Earlier on the day, Indonesian student protesters trampled on U.S. flags and threw eggs at the U.S. consulate in the city of Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province.
In Kashmir, Muslims protesting against the anti-Islam film clashed with Indian security forces on Tuesday.
The clashes erupted in Srinagar, when hundreds of angry protesters started a march towards the local United Nations building.
Local authorities said all shops and businesses were shut down as a result of a strike against the video.
The demonstrations were also held in other parts of Srinagar, with protesters shouting anti-U.S. slogans and burning American and Israeli flags.
In Bangkok, hundreds of Thai Muslims gathered in Bangkok on Tuesday outside the U.S. Embassy to protest against the blasphemous film.
The demonstrators chanted slogans against the U.S. and Israel. They also held signs reading “we love Muhammad (PBUH)” and “stop offending our religion.”
The protest was organized by a group called the International al-Quds Federation of Thailand.
On Monday, thousands of Moroccans once again took to the streets to express their outrage over the anti-Islam movie.
The protests took place in the city of Tangiers in northern Morocco and several other towns across the country.
Chanting anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans, the protestors denounced countries that have dealings with Washington and Tel Aviv.
Muslims in Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, Iraq, Morocco, Syria, Kuwait, Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Australia, Britain, the United States, France, Belgium, and several other countries have held many demonstrations to condemn the blasphemous movie over the past week.
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.jpg "500,000 Muslims attended a demonstration in Beirut to condemn a film that disrespected Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on September 17, 2012.")