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Embassies in Syria torched

D

dan e 1980

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Embassies in Syria torched
Muslim rage over caricatures continues as leaders appeal for calm
Feb. 4, 2006. 12:53 PM
ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAMASCUS, Syria — Rage against caricatures of Islam’s revered prophet poured out across the Muslim world today, with aggrieved believers calling for executions, storming European buildings and setting European flags afire.

Thousands of outraged Syrian demonstrators stormed the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus, setting fire to both buildings. As thick black smoke rose into the air, police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators, who shouted, “Allahu Akbar!†which is Arabic for “God is great!’’

Protesters first gathered peacefully outside the building housing the Danish Embassy. Demonstrators then started throwing stones and broke through police barricades.

Some scrambled up the concrete barriers protecting the embassy, climbed into the building and set a fire. The building is believed to have been empty.

“With our blood and souls we defend you, O Prophet of God!’’ the demonstrators chanted. Some removed the Danish flag and replaced it with a a green flag printed with the words: “There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.’’

The structure was badly damaged and blackened but remained standing.

Ambulances rushed to the scene and dozens of policemen stood guard, trying to keep the protesters away. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

In response, the Danish Foreign Ministry issued a statement advising Danish citizens to leave Syria without delay.

The demonstrators were protesting 12 cartoon caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad that were published in a Danish newspaper in September and reprinted in European publications this week.

The cartoons have touched a raw nerve in part because Islamic law is interpreted to forbid any depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. Aggravating the affront was a caricature of Muhammad wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse, among other provocative images.

The Vatican deplored the violence but said certain forms of criticism represented an “unacceptable provocation.’’

“The right to freedom of thought and expression ... cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers,’’ the Vatican said in its first statement on the controversy.

Hundreds of Palestinians protested in the occupied territories, and the leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas, which recently swept parliamentary elections there, told Italian daily Il Giornale today that the cartoons should be punished by death.

“We should have killed all those who offend the Prophet and instead here we are, protesting peacefully,†said a top group leader, Mahmoud Zahar.

Masked gunmen affiliated with the Fatah Party called on the Palestinian Authority and Muslim nations to recall their diplomatic missions from Denmark until that nation’s government apologizes.

In Gaza City, demonstrators hurled stones at a European Commission building and stormed a German cultural center, smashing windows and doors. Protesters also burned German and Danish flags and called for a boycott of Danish products.

In the West Bank town of Hebron, about 50 Palestinians marched to the headquarters of the international observer mission there, burned a Danish flag and demanded a boycott of Danish goods.

“We will redeem our prophet, Muhammad, with our blood!†they chanted.

At least 500 Israeli Arabs gathered peacefully in Nazareth for the first protest against the caricatures on Israeli soil.

About 500 people rallied today south of Baghdad, Iraq, some carrying banners urging “honest people all over the world to condemn this act†and demanding a European Union apology. The protest was organized by followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been among the most outspoken Iraqi clerics on the issue.

Muslims in Europe have reacted less passionately, but anger swelled there, too, as demonstrators clashed with police in Copenhagen, Denmark, and gathered outside the Danish Embassy in London.

A South African court banned the country’s Sunday newspapers from reprinting the cartoons.

The Danish government has tried to contain the damage. Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller has called Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and said the Danish government “cannot accept an assault against Islam,†according to Abbas’ office.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said his government could not apologize on behalf of a newspaper, but he personally would never depict religious figures “in a way that could offend other people.’’

Many Muslims consider the reaction inadequate.

In Malaysia, prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the publication of the cartoons showed a “blatant disregard for Islamic sensitivities†but urged citizens to stay calm.

“Let the perpetrators of the insult see the gravity of their own mistakes which only they themselves can and should correct,’’ he said.

In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono denounced the cartoons as insensitive.

Although many of Denmark’s 200,000 Muslims were deeply offended by the cartoons, mass demonstrations have not broken out.

But in Copenhagen, young Muslims clashed briefly with police after they were stopped from boarding a train to go to a demonstration north of the Danish capital. Some of the roughly 300 demonstrators threw rocks and bottles at police but no one was injured, officials said.

In London, about 700 people gathered under heavy security outside Denmark’s embassy, shouting slogans to protest the drawings. No violence or arrests were reported at the demonstration, which lasted about 90 minutes.

There were scattered counter-demonstrations, like one outside Copenhagen where about 50 right-wingers held Danish flags and shouted, “Denmark for Danes!’’

In Milan, Italy, about 50 supporters of the right-wing Northern League Party offered Danish beer and biscuits to passers-by, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported.

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wtf is wrong with this world?

because some guy draws a cartoon that pissed you off, you boycott a nation, torch buildings, call for people to die?

some people take things too seriously. i agree the cartoonist was distasteful, but take it out on the guy that pissed you off, not on a whole continent.

this world is gonna end one day because people are gonna nuke eachother, fighting for the same God and governments
will profit in the process, while they can.
 
I too find the cartoon racist and insensitive but the reaction definitely doesn't seem to be an even handed response. If someone in a foreign country tortured and killed someone close to me (which in my opinion would be the worst pain that could be inflicted upon me) it hardly seems sensible that I would declare war on an entire country. I would simply want the individual involved to get caught and be punished appropriately. It also seems a little odd that a racist cartoon which depicts a religion as violent is combatted with violence. It seems a little like someone saying "don't you dare call me violent or I will kill you"... not exactly helpful it combatting the racism and the stereotype.

It does show how fragile peace is in many parts of the world when an insulting drawing by one individual can cause such a massive response. Scary to think that the actions of one person on a planet of billions could cause everything to fall apart. Are we really living in a house of cards?
 
I too find the cartoon racist and insensitive but the reaction definitely doesn't seem to be an even handed response. If someone in a foreign country tortured and killed someone close to me (which in my opinion would be the worst pain that could be inflicted upon me) it hardly seems sensible that I would declare war on an entire country. I would simply want the individual involved to get caught and be punished appropriately. It also seems a little odd that a racist cartoon which depicts a religion as violent is combatted with violence. It seems a little like someone saying "don't you dare call me violent or I will kill you"... not exactly helpful it combatting the racism and the stereotype.

I think you are missing a few pieces of information that provide a foundation -- in finding Denmark (the country) -- the enemy. In most of the middle east -- the newspapers are not "free" -- that is not a concept that is understood. The newspapers are an extension of the government, and the government saying -- hey we can do nothing about it -- is probably understood to be "hey -- we tacitly support it".

This makes it fairly easy for the islamic facists to use this and to add fuel to the fire -- turning a peaceful demonstration into a raging mob.

The cartoons are racist (and the cartoonists are in hiding because they will likely be assassinated).

There is some trueth through this satire though (this is what cartoonists do). Bin Ladin (and many who support him) is using islam as a base to fight a religious war against the west. There has been little if any response stating any outrage by clerics in the islamic world to using islam as a base for terrorist attacks. When there is there is always a "BUT" in the statement -- basic tacit support for such tactics.
 
Im surprised that no one has posted anything about this until now. Its all very distressing. The cartoon was no doubt in poor taste. But too set embassies on fire and threaten violence? Right now Im not even sure what to think of it all. It just seems to be a story that is very slowly unfolding and growing larger each hour of each day.

While I dont want to make a large leap and say that these problems are being caused entirely because of the US invasion of Iraq since there have always been problems historically. However, I do wonder how much of the current rise in violence, tensions and terrorism for certain that can be attributed to their agressive behaviour?
 
I think you are missing a few pieces of information that provide a foundation -- in finding Denmark (the country) -- the enemy. In most of the middle east -- the newspapers are not "free" -- that is not a concept that is understood.

True, the idea that the newspapers are an extension of government might be a belief held in most of the non-free countries of the world but there is no excuse inside Europe. Surely the protesters in England calling for jihad have some level of understanding that an individual's actions does not equate to the will of an entire country. There are protests inside Europe (notably less violent but still calling for jihad and death). In addition I have to wonder what governments in Malaysia or other non-free countries hope to gain by publishing details about the cartoon and heating up the issue in their countries. I wonder if these countries feel there is a benefit to keeping a hatred between their citizens and the West, perhaps to keep the focus off their own government or some other political gain.
 
These protestors declaring 'war' on an entire country is no different to me than those who after 9/11 said things such as "Nuke 'em all!", "They're all terrorists!", and "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity"
 
Okay....anybody know why the Norway Embassy was attacked? is it the similar flag or something deeper?
 
Surely the protesters in England calling for jihad have some level of understanding that an individual's actions does not equate to the will of an entire country.

One muslim cleric has denounced -- in the strongest terms the advocation of violence in London....

England has a problem. For many years allowed those connected with international islamic based terrorism to remain (including one cleric that Egypt wanted back for an assassination of their leader) -- turning a blind eye. This has changed, but they are stuck with a large extremist element in England (as many as 10,000 ultra-extremist supporters) -- and a couple of ultra-extremist mosques.... One which was documented to be recruiting jihadists.

I watched a documentary on british television when I was there (pre-9/11 -- I was still there on 9/11) which they showed some of the organization there. Up until 9/11 the British government ignored it -- probably figuring that if they did not get involved -- it would not give a reason to attack Britian.... but of course using British territory as a lauch pad for terrorism elsewhere. I think every country has been guilty of this at one time (US and IRA, Canada and many terrorist groups, Britian and islamist terrorism)
 
Okay....anybody know why the Norway Embassy was attacked? is it the similar flag or something deeper?
My thought:
Europe is Europe.
The Middle East is the Middle East.
Implicate one, you implicate them all.
 
"A small Norwegian Christian newspaper was one of the first newspaper outside Denmark to publish the cartoons."
 
With their violent protests, Muslims have only proved how true the cartoon is.
 
^^^^^
Very true indeed.
Simply illustrates how backwards the middle east has become. In many occasions you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.
The blame has to do with the current and past dictatorship of many middle eastern countries. I don't want to use the term "brainwash" loosely, however it has certainly affected the opinions of many in the region.

How many in the western world and other "civilized" nations chanted on the streets when the towers of 9/11 collapsed!?!?
Democracy is a start proven with Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia ect.....
I'm espcially glad of the stance the US has taken regarding this matter.
 
Democracy is a start proven with Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia ect.....

Saudi Arabia? When did this happen? Hopefully Egypt will be able to get back on track. Turkey is the only example of those three which has been able to maintain a stable democracy.
 

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