PRAGUE, 19 February 2006 -- Malaysian Muslims today showed their anger over the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Muslim protests continued today on three continents.
Governments are not finding it easy to keep the situation under control. In an attempt to stem the violence that already has led to five deaths in Pakistan this week, the government has arrested leaders of the country's religious six-party alliance and hundreds of religious activists.
Cracking Down On Demonstrations
Opposition lawmaker Maulana Fazlur Rahman vowed the six-party coalition would proceed with protests and described the ban as unconstitutional.
But a senior government administrator in Islamabad, Mohammed Ali, said that if " five or more than five people gather, they will be arrested."
This week Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf again condemned the cartoons.
"I, being a Muslim, condemn these blasphemous cartoons in the strongest terms," Musharraf said. "And I've always said, whether it is an extremist, or a terrorist, or a moderate, or an ultra-moderate, or progressive Muslim, all of us are one on this issue of condemning this blasphemous act that has been done in various parts of the media."
However, Musharraf has also urged calm.
Denmark Remains Concerned
Denmark has temporarily shut its embassy in Islamabad after the violent protests in Pakistan. A Danish Foreign Ministry spokesman said Denmark was "not satisfied with the security situation."
Former U.S. president Bill Clinton on a visit to Pakistan has also urged calm and said publishing the cartoons was a mistake.
"Nobody else should die over this," Clinton said. "And you shouldn't blame a whole country, a whole continent for what I believe was a mistake probably more of ignorance even than callousness. I don't mind Muslims all over the world being upset about this; I don't mind the demonstrations, but this is not the time to burn bridges, it is the time to build them. This is an enormous opportunity because I can tell you that most people who are not Muslims are horrified that this misunderstanding has occurred, and don't want violence to come out of this, but want greater understanding."
Indonesia, Nigeria
Today, hundreds of Muslim protesters brandishing sticks and hurling stones attacked the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia, claiming the United States seeks to destroy Islam. No one was injured in the protest.
In Africa, 16 people have been killed in northern Nigeria. At least 10 people were killed and several wounded as Libyan police tried to stop an angry protest of hundreds of demonstrators outside the Italian consulate in Benghazi on 17 February.