- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 410
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/02/06/cartoons-violence060206.html
Man, I used to live right next to the Norwegian embassy in Damascus. Crazy. At least the rioters in Afghanistan are only asking for the Danish "peacekeepers".
Think this may cause a lot of tension between Danish troops and locals in the sandbox?
4 dead in Afghan protests over cartoon of prophet
Last Updated Mon, 06 Feb 2006 09:26:11 EST
CBC News
As many as four people were killed in Afghanistan on Monday during new protests in the Middle East and Asia against the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad.
Police fired at demonstrators in the eastern Afghan city of Mihtarlam after a police station was attacked, said authorities.
Hours later, American troops fired on a crowd outside a U.S. military base in Bagram, killing two more people.
Provincial officials said members of the Taliban and al-Qaeda incited the crowd, which called for the expulsion of Danish peacekeepers from Afghanistan.
Riots and protests began more than a week ago, after cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad appeared in a Danish newspaper. Islam forbids depicting Mohammad out of concern that it could lead to idolatry, and many Muslims believe using images of the prophet to be blasphemous and offensive.
But more newspapers in various countries have reprinted the cartoons, resulting in clashes over freedom of expression and respect for religious beliefs.
On Monday, demonstrators in the Afghan capital Kabul attacked the Danish Embassy with stones and burned a Danish flag.
Noisy but mostly peaceful protests also were held in Indonesia, India and Thailand as Muslims threw rocks at Danish consulates.
In Tehran, protesters threw fire bombs at the Austrian Embassy, but it didn't catch fire. Austria heads the European Union.
European leaders have appealed for calm. A joint plea from the prime ministers of Turkey and Spain was published Monday in an international newspaper.
"We shall all be the losers if we fail to immediately defuse this situation," said Tayyip Erdogan and Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in the International Herald Tribune.
On Sunday, demonstrators in Syria burned down the Danish and Norwegian embassies, while the Chilean and Swedish missions were damaged in the blaze. The Danish Embassy in Beirut was also torched in weekend violence.
Man, I used to live right next to the Norwegian embassy in Damascus. Crazy. At least the rioters in Afghanistan are only asking for the Danish "peacekeepers".
Think this may cause a lot of tension between Danish troops and locals in the sandbox?