| 16 Killed as Pakistan Erupts with Protests |
| Sep-21-2012 |
| Keywords: pakistan, protests, 16 killed |
The Pakistani government reports that at least 16 are dead in the wake of violent protests against an anti-Islam film.
Although Pakistan declared Friday a holiday so that its citizens could protest against a film considered offensive to Muslims for its depiction of their Prophet Muhammad, those protests have become violent, claiming at least 16 lives.
Hundreds of protestors attempted to burn down a cinema in Peshawar, causing police to open fire on them. A second cinema in Peshawar was burned, and protestors in Islamabad set fire to a toll booth outside the city.
More than 2,000 protestors armed with stones attempted to get to the U.S. embassy on Thursday, and the army was needed to restore order. Friday, police were still guarding the embassy from enraged protestors.
The government has taken the precaution of blocking cell phone service in 15 cities across the country, in order to prevent phones being used to detonate bombs during Friday's demonstrations.
Protests have broken out across the Muslim word in opposition to the film, "Innocence of Muslims." The violence has caused the deaths of 31 people in the past 10 days. America has been the primary target of the protests, despite the fact that the U.S. government had nothing to do with the film.
Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervais Ashraf has said "an attack on the holy Prophet is an attack on the core belief of 1.5 billion Muslims," and called for laws prohibiting insulting Muhammad.
The U.S. embassy in Islamabad is paying a total of $70,000 to run television ads in Pakistan featuring President Obama and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton speaking out against the video, in an attempt to quiet anti-American sentiment within the country. |
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Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 3:00 PM Email to a friend |
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