Muslim protesters rally in Athens over anti-Islam video
Hundreds of Muslim protesters staged a rally in central Athens on Sunday to protest against a film made in California which mocks Islam’s Prophet Mohammad, the first such demonstration in Greece.
The protesters chanted «All we have is Mohammad» and held banners reading «We demand an immediate punishment for those who tried to mock our Prophet Mohammad» as they prepared to march to the US Embassy.
There were brief moments of tension when some demonstrators hurled bottles at police, who responded with teargas.
Police shut down the Megaron metro station and were considering blocking the march, which began in Omonia Square, before it reached the heavily guarded embassy to prevent possible violence, police officials said. Greece is home to hundreds of thousands of Muslims.
The anti-Islam film, posted on YouTube, has provoked protests in several Muslim countries. Related violence has included the storming of US and other Western embassies, the killing of the US ambassador to Libya and a suicide bombing in Afghanistan.
Many Muslims regard any depiction of the Prophet Mohammad as blasphemous, let alone one which denigrates the Prophet. [Reuters]
