Thousands of Nigerians Protest Film Insulting Prophet
Thousands of people marched through the Nigerian city of Kaduna on September 24 in the latest protest in the country's mainly Muslim north against a U.S.-made anti-Islam film.
The protests over the film in Africa's most populous nation have been free of violence and Monday's rally ended with no reports of unrest.
Men, women and children were among the demonstrators who carried banners that read "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."
American flags were burned and dragged through the dusty streets of the northern city along with those of Britain and Israel.
The crudely-made film has stirred outrage across the Islamic world, with protests reported in more than 20 countries and over 50 people killed in attacks or demonstrations.
In Nigeria, where roughly half of the country's 160 million people are Muslim, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria has organized major demonstrations in three key cities.
"We are holding this protest to express our outrage over the movie that blasphemed Islam," said Mukhtar Sahabi, a protest organizer and member of the Islamic Movement, which was established in Nigeria in the late 1970s.
The low-budget film "Innocence of Muslims" was reportedly produced by an Egyptian Coptic Christian.
Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Kano on September 22, Nigeria's second city, stomping on American flags and burning pictures of U.S. President Barack Obama.
Last week several thousand people protested in the city of Zaria, which is near Kaduna.
By Sadroddin Musawi
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