Muslims Protesting the Publication of Prophet Drawings Set Fire to Danish Embassy in Beirut

AP ^ | 02/05/06 | Zeina Karam

[JustaCowgirl]

02-05-2006 6:11 AM
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Muslims protesting caricatures of Islam's prophet set fire Sunday to a building housing the Danish Embassy in Lebanon as security forces fired tear gas in an attempt to stop the protesters.

Protestors wave black and green Islamic flags in front of the burning building housing the Danish mission during a protest against publication of caricatures of Islam's revered prophet in European newspapers, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2006. Demonstrators protesting caricatures of Islam's prophet set fire Sunday to a building housing the Danish mission in Beirut. Security forces shot tear gas into the crowd and fired their weapons in the air in a desperate attempt to stop the onslaught. Casualties, fires and damage of public property were reported in the violence, which came a day after protesters in neighboring Syria torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus. (AP Photo)

Thousands of protesters took part in the protest but only a small group of Islamic extremists tried to break the security barrier, prompting troops to fire tear gas and water cannons to disperse them, said the official.

Troops also fired bullets into the air and over the protesters' heads. Demonstrators attacked policemen with stones and set fire to several fire engines, witnesses said. Black smoke was seen billowing from the area. They also burned Danish flags.

The violence in Lebanon came a day after thousands of protesters in neighboring Syria set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies in the most violent of furious demonstrations by Muslims in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Twelve caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad first published in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten in September and reprinted in European media in the past week. One depicted the prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse. The paper said it had asked cartoonists to draw the pictures because the media was practicing self-censorship when it came to Muslim issues.

The drawings have touched a raw nerve in part because Islamic law is interpreted to forbid any depictions of the Prophet Muhammad.

Lebanese Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Kabbani denounced the violence, saying there were infiltrators among the protesters trying to "harm the stability of Lebanon." Speaking on Future TV, he appealed for calm and said there were some who were trying to exploit the protests to cause trouble and "distort the image of Islam."

Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora also urged calm.

"Those who are committing these acts have nothing to do with Islam or with Lebanon," said Prime Minister Fuad Saniora. "This is absolutely not the way we express our opinions."

Saniora suggested some in Lebanon may have been inspired by what happened in Syria. "It is as if (the Syrian protests) were a lesson to some in Lebanon to do the same," he told Future TV.

The trouble in Lebanon threatened to take a sectarian spin as protesters stoned the nearby St. Maroun Church, one of the city's main Maronite Catholic churches, and private property in Ashrafieh, a Christian area near Beirut's commercial district. Muslim clerics were seen trying to stop the protesters.

The demonstrators also attacked policemen with stones and set fire to several fire engines, witnesses said. Black smoke was seen billowing from the area. They also burned Danish flags.

Justice Minister Charles Rizk, speaking on LBC television, called on those who hold influence with the protesters to help end the upheaval.

"What is the guilt of the citizens of Ashrafieh of caricatures that were published in Denmark? This sabotage should stop," said Rizk, a Christian.

Any tension with sectarian flavor is a sensitive issue in Lebanon, where Muslims and Christian fought a 15-year civil war that ended in 1990.

[thinking]

Valuable lesson here....what if something really happens, like, the destruction of nuclear reactors in Iran...these pigs could well shutdown the western world

[JustaCowgirl]

From your link. Mohammed advertises Feta cheese. At least I THINK that's what this cartoon is about. Any Danish speakers here?

[KJC1]

Ha ha ha!
Oh man, some of those are hilarious!
My faves were the pack of "Mohammed Lights" and the Mohammed shoe sole inserts.

[nmh]

Does Bush know about this?

He appears to be convinced that this is the "religion of peace" and we NEED those ILLEGAL aliens.

[thinking]

My sense of the situ, is that, the muslin leaders were urging the scum forward....

[BIGZ]

All I need to know about Muslims I learned on 9/11.

[diverteach]

Now if they could only start getting all those published. Holy cow there's alot of them.

[Dazedcat]

Hey look on the bright side. The animals aren't burning the American flag for a change.

Bonus days.

[diverteach]

Has there been any thught on a possible connection between the six baptist churches set ablaze in Alabama on Friday? How about the deadly rioting outbreak out in California. The nation of Islam has a high recruitment rate in our prison system.

Just food for thought.

[From many - one.]

The whole thing is a fake.

The (real) cartoons were published way back in September and no one got terribly upset.

So, some Imam got the idea of adding 3 fake and fairly profane/obscene cartoons that he had made up for the purpose of the little cartoon booklet he distributed. Far nastier than an published ones: Mohammed with a pig snout, a dog copulating with a praying Moslim, Mohammed as a pedophile demon.

So they made up the cartoons which set off the outrage.

Plus, no one is upset that Moslems made these profane/obscene drawings.

Like I said...the whole thing is a fake.

Here's a link to the post I got this info from. Go to post 305

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1571682/posts?q=1&&page=301

[pediatricsman]

Wouldn't it be nice if the Western world would finally wake up and see the light?

[JustaCowgirl]

Valuable lesson here....what if something really happens, like, the destruction of nuclear reactors in Iran...these pigs could well shutdown the western world

Good point. If this is their reaction to a few cartoons, what are they going to do when something real happens?

[jmcenanly]

Apparently Islam is the only religion that has strict rules for those who do not belong to it.
To put it simply, Muslims must worship Allah, non-Muslims must worship Muslims.

[Ukiapah Heep]

Muslim fruits?

[Kolokotronis]

Ping

[Andy from Beaverton]

[thoughtomator]

Muslim clerics were seen trying to stop the protesters.

Why do I not believe that this is the reason for their presence in that crowd?

[montag813]

Arson is not a form of "protest". WTF is wrong with these reporters?

[JustaCowgirl]

I'm only seeing one of those, but the one I see is pretty darn funny.

[Drew68]

The Danish bloggers are having a blast. Check it out.

OUTSTANDING FIND!!!!!!

Those are classic!