Widespread protests have been staged outside US embassies across the Muslim world after an anti-Islam movie made in the United States, The Innocence of Muslims, started circulating the YouTube website on Tuesday.
According to the Wall Street Journal,an Israeli-American man known under the alias of Sam Bacile, reportedly a real estate developer, produced the offensive film as a political message. Bacile has gone into hiding after violence broke out throughout the Muslim world. The "Innocence of Muslims" cost $5 million and was sponsored by more than 100 Jewish donors.
The movie has sparked outrage in the Muslim countries. Egyptian protesters pulled down and burned the US flag at the American embassy in Cairo and raised a black flag. Protests in the Libyan city of Benghazi led to the death of US ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other embassy staff.
Protests erupted in other Muslim countries such as Afghanistan, because of which President Hamid Karzai canceled his visit to Norway over concern that violence would engulf the country.
Young Moroccan Muslim activists staged a rally near the US consulate in Casablanca, with similar demonstrations held in Tunisia and Sudan. A Yemeni protester was killed during clashes outside US embassy on Thursday by security forces. Dozens of demonstrates were also injured.
Reactions in Iran have been subdued. On Thursday, group of Iranian students staged a protest outside Swiss embassy that represents US interests in Iran after the two countries cut off diplomatic ties in 1980. The reason for such a lack of reaction could be that You Tube website is banned in Iran. Therefore Iranian people have not been able to see the movie unlike their Muslim brothers in Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Indonesia.
However, demonstrationshave been plannedacrossthe country to protest the production of the movie has been planned for Friday after the Friday prayers.