Hizbullah Supporters Demonstrate in Tyre, Warn U.S. and France
Thousands of Hizbullah supporters protested Wednesday in the southern city of Tyre against a U.S.-made film mocking Islam and cartoons of Prophet Mohammed.
"America, America, you are the great satan!" and "Israel is the enemy of the Muslims!" chanted protesters as they poured onto the streets of Tyre.
Protesters carried posters saying: "We sacrifice ourselves for you, O messenger of God," "All our problems are from America," and "Muslims and Christians in defense of the prophet's dignity."
Wednesday's protest came after Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday called for such demonstrations across Lebanon following the spread of the anti-Islam film on Internet, saying it was "the worst attack ever on Islam."
Most demonstrators traveled to Tyre from nearby villages in south Lebanon.
Wednesday's protest was being held against the film, "Innocence of Muslims," and after a French weekly published cartoons of a naked Prophet Mohammed.
The movie triggered violent protests across the Muslim world, with 30 people killed in the unrest over the past week, including one who died in clashes with the security forces in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli.
Addressing the crowd in Tyre, Hizbullah executive bureau member Nabil Qaouq warned the U.S. and France against entering into a confrontation with the Muslim world.
"O Americans, it is better for you to take a step back, and not to get stuck in an all-out confrontation with the Islamic ummah (nation)," said Qaouq.
"France has also chosen to take a position of animosity against the ummah," he said. Both countries should "be aware of the Muslim ummah's rage, because it is capable of doing anything to defend the dignity of the messenger of God."
Source: Agence France Presse
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