KARACHI: Thousands of people thronged the streets of Karachi on Saturday in the latest protest against a US-made anti-Islam film, police and witnesses said.
The protesters, who included activists from Sunni Tehreek, wore green and white headbands as they marched through the city’s main MA Jinnah road while some trampled on the American flag.
They chanted slogans including “Hang the American film maker” and “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the honour of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh)”.
“We strongly condemn this anti-Islam movie, it is a criminal act,” Ruet-e-Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman told the rally, and called for a global ban on insulting “all prophets and messengers”.
Shafiq Ahmad, a senior police officer in Karachi, said there were “at least 15,000” protesters while rally organisers claimed “millions of people” participated.
Police beefed up security before the rally, while paramilitary forces were also deployed.
The rally was announced some days back but had to be postponed due to the government’s ban.
Members of Sunni Tehreek said Governor Sindh Ishratul Ibad had given permission for the rally after talks were held and the rally was assured to be a peaceful one.
Sunni Tehreek leader Sarwat Aijaz Qadri had urged all Muslims to participate in the peaceful rally.
Strict security arrangements were made for the rally which is titled “Tahaffuz-e-Namoos-e-Mustafa (SAW)” [protecting the sanctity of the Prophet (pbuh)].
The crudely-made “Innocence of Muslims” movie has sparked angry and at times violent demonstrations across the globe.
Correction: The word 'religious' was earlier misspelt in the headline. The error has been rectified.
COMMENTS (43)
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I like the answer of this German Scholar when he was asked about terrorism and Islam: He said:
• Who started the First World War, which killed 37 million and injured 22, 379, 053 that includes 7 million civilians? Muslims? • Who started the Second World War, which killed over 60 million, which was over 2.5% of the world population? Muslims? • Who killed about 20 million of Aborigines in Australia? Muslims? • Who drop the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed 166,000 people in Hiroshima and 80,000 in Nagasaki? Muslims? • Who killed more than 100 million Red Indians in North America? Muslims? • Who killed more than 50 million Indian in South America? Muslims? • Who took about 180 million African people as slaves and when 88% of them died, threw them into the Atlantic Ocean? Muslims? NO They weren’t Muslims! First of all, you have to define terrorism properly…. If a non-Muslim does something bad… it is crime. But if a Muslim commits the same, he is a terrorist. So first remove the double standard… then come to the point. * Just for your information *
@shahid butt: I wrote earlier three hrs ago that I did not write this comment. Why it has not been posted? It is not the job of ET to tell me whether I post one comment or two. If you have this kind of policy then post it at the end of each news section. My bone of contention is ,you are posting somebody else comment under my name which is totally wrong.
By demonstrations are you not showing intolerance, resulting in more violence of your own kind, and encouraging more people to watch the 'goofy' movie with not much artistic merit.
Why Karachi? Why make it difficult for the peaceful citizens of Karachi? All the troublemakers come here, settle, get paid, create problems and go into hiding. They are the land and drug mafia and the 'two rakat mullas.'
Why does Mufti Muneeb want to lead a rally in Karachi and not in FATA where he will get more admirers and supporters???
All you people give Karachi a chance to live and go take your perennial complaints to your hometowns where your wadera, malik, choudhary and sardar rules over you. That is where you belong.
Salams to Pakistan.
PS: Remember to demand education
@saeed
Hahhhaaaha that is the worst you could come up with? The whole city was shut down? you couldn't take a detour? LOL
@afzal: Shame on you. Disturbing the traffic and other people life
I read in the news 150,000 and not 15000 people came to the rally. If each of these people would have given Rs 1000 to their cause for factory people who died in Karachi. this would be fifteen crore. This amount would give five lakh rupees to each family as an EMERGENCY AID. I personally think each family should be given 50 lakh. So rest of 45 lakh could come from insurance. If the owners did not have insurance then Govt should freeze the accounts of ownwers and their spouses and also the members of BOARD OF DIRECTORS. GOVT should get the money from these accounts and give it to these families. After 9/11, US govt gave 3-5 million dollars to those families whose members died. So Pakistan Govt should set an example for the owners. I wish all those leaders and member of the public who came for anti Islamic rally, would have come to the cause of factory people. This way they would have contributed with their money and time. Can the leader of this rally contribute money? say 10-15 lakh?
there should also be march against taliban for being non-islamic like.
Also mufti muneeb is the same guy who creates 3 eids in pakistan with his moon sightings
If the number of hours wasted on these protests were converted into more work hours to improve the fire codes of the factories and start new businesses (rather than destroying them) so that more people could have had decent living, I think Pakistan would have shown to the world that they know how to channel their anger into constructive activities and they are not some dark age followers of a religion that they cannot think clearly about what is helpful and what is self destructive. Pakistan has definitely shown, from all the leaders who called for protests to the anchors on tv shows to the common people that this nation is stuck in mental darkness!
You are not done protesting yet??? Saudi's dont seem to be protesting much.
All those people who showed up for protest rally would have given Rs 1000( roughly $ 10) each for the people (300) who died in factory fire. They should do some thing positive. OR they can contribute one day wage/earning. Any taker? I am asking to all those big leaders and people who came to the rally. They should not keep on protesting all the time.they should do some CONSTRUcTIVE WORK in life too.
What have these rallies really achieved except giving a bad name to the country as well as causing death and destruction in Pakistan ??
This rally is the top news of google news and VoA. So rallies are effective and ET correct your figure too coz there were atleast 150,000 rather than 15000. And it was all peacefull bcoz the rally was not of banned outfits.
subhanALLAH ..those who are condemning the protestors are those who praised liberals/seculalrs when the protested peacefully ! this simply shows you don't want us to show our strength.
@rehman:
What should be the slogan? According to you they should say "Long live American film Maker".
A Peshawary.
Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman: the guy who can never see the moon while the whole world can. he is good for nothing. Peace is the only thing he know. i also talk for discipline and not damaging public property. but when a guy like Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman lead an rally it cant be much worth of action, only some formal verbal sentence. i have seen smaller rallies but with a very strong message in it.
What is the effect on ECONOMY from continuous protest marches?
@Cautious
Keep waiting its gonna be a long wait. Pak govt has nothing to do with TTP and their activities so don't ask Pakistan to do more :). See how I twisted the same argument :)
You do know that pretty much everyone's attention has faded from the rallies except for within Pakistan itself, right? Now what are you trying to gain? People got bored already. I guess the victim card isn't playing out as well as it did back when people thought you might actually be victims. That was probably over a decade ago.
They chanted slogans including “Hang the American film maker” and “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the honour of Prophet Mohammed. Good peaceful slogans. Who is objecting you to sacrifice your lives - that will make Pakistan a peaceful nation.
Sunni Tehreek leader Sarwat Aijaz Qadri had urged all Muslims to participate in the peaceful rally. Only 15000 Muslims in Pakistan? Others who not participated are blasphemers.
The rulers have done much more harm to the people. The absence of welfare infrastructure is also against the prophet teachings. How the rule of tyranny is being accepted?
It sounds strange but to destabilize Pakistan, a country with a moderate geographical spread, big population and all its weapons including the nuclear ones, all one needs to do is to make a plain crude and stupid movie and upload the same in social media website and the country goes into killing frenzy, burning public property! I think "dushmans" of the land of pure now now this.
For the life of me, I failed to comprehend assembling few thousands of people, blocking traffic, and suspending business will achieve any thing to the cause of showing reverence to the prophet. USA will not do any thing as the video has nothing to do with the government. The did not made or marketed it. The have voiced publicly that the video is reprehensible in various forums. What you want them to do more? In fact the Muslim country in general marketed the video to a prominence it certainly does not deserve. Before September 06, the video was viewed by handful of viewers less than 100. However, after the riots, it is viewed in millions. As someone said, A bad publicity is still a good publicity. In the end, it served the purpose of showing Muslims in negative light. Maybe we are our worst enemy.
Mufti Muneeb saheb, please forget these rallies and concentrate how to resolve Moon matter, Zill-Hajj is on its way sir..
The World is still waiting for the first Muslim leader to acknowledge that both the American govt and American people soundly rejected this movie - or that the USA Constitution prevents the USA govt from censoring or prohibiting the distribution of this movie. I suspect this protest has more to do with anti American blather than demonstrating commitment to your religion.
Yeah. That does sound peaceful.
Alhamdolillah I love my beloved prophet (PBUH) and I love him more than my Family. Just let me know through these type of rallies what harm we giving to our enemy ?
I encourage that plenty of people crowded at one place in the name of our beloved prophet. But the thing which is missing that how we are giving harm to our enemy ? One thing I would like to mention here. HARM means I am not saying that burn KFC or Telenor etc. We are responsible to keep them safe
@Farhan I totally agree with you and I am very happy with the discipline they showed throughout this peaceful rally against the sacriligeous movie .I have seen many rallies in Pakistan ,but this one was a role model for every rally.Long Live Mufti Sahab!!
For the love of our beloved Prophet I urge to come out in big numbers.
And what has been achieved? Contents of Film removed from computer monitors? Producer / Director hanged till death? US Admin appologise, and promis not to repeat such incidents? NATO supply routs blocked? Nothing. None of these and neither its going to happen. Yes they got their names in newspapers' on-line edition headlines for a few hours. And cost millions in security arrangements.
@yaz: shame on u..........if cant take part in rally then dont criticise it too......
You don't like blasphemy. We get it.
Where are these rallies, when innocent people are being killed? When Corruption is there? When all that is against the Islamic teachings and against what the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said happens in the society. Where are these so called uneducated Mullah's then? Why don't they come then? Hypocrites
There will no destruction.
There was an article saying "i won't get over it" about two weeks ago.
Can we get over it now? Enough. Even my grandma is not interested. ..pc
No, this will not be destructive, they are the most peaceful people and headed by Mufti sahab....
Another Drama from the paid and brain washed protesters... We are destroying our own city and will it affect USA thousands of miles away ???
We want shias to be part of this rally.
Sincere love for the Prophet (PBUH) demands that we should learn and practice true Islam and not Islam of Mullahs and Taliban throughout our lives and not at occasions . These rallies are neither going to do any harm to the filmmaker nor raising the honour and dignity of the Rehmatul-lil Alameen (PBUH) which is already guaranteed by the Almighty when He said "wa rafaana laka zikrak". Mullahs are requested to please avoid the disruption of public life and act upon the Hadith that someone planting a sapling should continue his work even if somebody tells him that Qyamat has occurred.
Karachi be ready for another destruction rally ....