Fresh protests as Egypt to try US Copts over anti-Islam film
Author: Nehal El-Sherif
Cairo (dpa) - Muslim protesters held fresh rallies in several countries on Tuesday as Egypt sent a case of seven diaspora Coptic Christians to court over the controversial anti-Islam film, Innocence of Muslims.
Two lawyers had filed a complaint to the prosecution in Cairo accusing the Copts of blasphemy, attempting to divide Egypt to five states and causing sectarian strife. The attorney-general on Tuesday ruled that complaint should be heard in court.
The film was reportedly produced by three Egyptian Christians residing in the United States. Although the court does not have the power to force the defendants to travel to Egypt, they could be tried in absentia.
The case could increase tensions inside Egypt between Muslims and Christians, who make up around 10 per cent of the populations.
Protests over a trailer of a US-made film, which depicts the prophet Mohammed as a bloodthirsty womanizer and a paedophile, has led to disturbances in many Muslim countries worldwide.
Protests first began last Tuesday in Egypt and Libya. Violence targeting Western embassies in other Muslim countries left at least 18 dead, most notably four US diplomats in an attack on their consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
The US embassy in Cairo resumed its visa services on Tuesday, as the embassy was forced to close due to the violent clashes over the past week.
Meanwhile, in Indian-administered Kashmir, demonstrations burned US flags and effigies of President Barack Obama as troops used batons and tear-gas to disperse the crowd.
Protests in India's southern city of Chennai forced the US consulate to shut down its visa section until Wednesday.
In Bangkok, protest spokesman Niyaz said: "We don't want any violence. Islam is the religion of peace, but if someone attacks us we will defend ourselves."
Pakistan and Bangladesh blocked access to YouTube, saying that access to the website will be suspended until the removal of the video that mocks Prophet Mohammed.
Google has blocked access to the video in several countries, but refused to remove it completely.
In Senegal, three Muslim Imams sent a letter to American diplomats in Dakar saying they had been deeply offended by the anti-Islam film, but that they would make sure there would be no demonstrations in Senegal.
"This letter has reminded us how well Americans and Senegalese can live in harmony together. In both countries, there are people from all religions and all belief systems that are able to co-exist without violence," the diplomats said.
Georgian actress, Ana Giorbani, who appeared in the film said she was "shocked" by the picture's critical stance towards Islam and claimed producers tricked her and other performers into playing parts in the film, according to comments published by Georgia's Rustaveli-2 television channel.
"There was no mention ever by anyone of Mohammed and no mention of religion during the entire time I was on the set," said Giorbani. "I am one hundred per cent certain nobody in the cast and nobody in the US artistic side of the crew knew what was really planned for this."
The movie's alleged producer Nakoula Basseley Nakoula told performers and crew they were participating in a film called Desert Warrior about tribal battles taking place after the impact of a magic meteorite on Earth, Giorbani said.
