Protests Erupt Over Anti-Islam Film 

A low-budget film that Muslims say insults the Prophet Muhammad has prompted a wave of protests across various countries.

Western embassies across the Muslim world are on high alert for violence stemming from the film "The Innocence of Muslims" produced by an obscure group in the United States.

Pakistan -- Hundreds of protesters demonstrating against an anti-Islam film torched a press club and a government building in northwest Pakistan on Monday, sparking clashes with police that left at least one person dead. Demonstrations also turned violent outside a U.S. military base in Afghanistan and the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia.

The attacks were the latest in a week-long wave of violence sparked by the low-budget film, which portrays Islam's Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a child molester. Many of the protests have targeted U.S. diplomatic posts throughout the Muslim world, including one that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya, forcing Washington to ramp up security in select countries.

Protesters have directed their anger at the U.S. government even though the film was privately produced and American officials have criticized it for intentionally offending Muslims.

 In neighboring Afghanistan, hundreds of people burned cars and threw rocks at a U.S. military base in the capital, Kabul. Many in the crowd shouted "Death to America!" and "Death to those people who have made a film and insulted our prophet."

 Later in the day, protests broke out in other areas of Kabul, including the main thoroughfare into the city, where demonstrators burned shipping containers and tires. The crowd torched at least one police vehicle before finally dispersing, according Daoud Amin, the deputy police chief for Kabul province.

 In Jakarta, hundreds of Indonesians angered over the film clashed with police outside the U.S. Embassy, hurling rocks and firebombs and setting tires alight outside the mission, marking the first violence seen in the world's most populous Muslim country since international outrage over the film exploded last week.

The wave of international violence began last Tuesday when mainly Islamist protesters climbed the U.S. Embassy walls in the Egyptian capital of Cairo and tore down the American flag from a pole in the courtyard.

The U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, was killed Tuesday along with three other Americans, as violent protesters stormed the consulate in Benghazi. Protesters have also stormed the U.S. Embassies in Tunis and Yemen and held violent demonstrations outside other posts.

Mike (former soldier)
Sep. 17, 2012
7:48 AM

These so called protests are just ban excuse to riot, destroy and sadly kill. All the financial, military support that these countries have received from USA and Canada(and lets not forget our soldiers that were killed or maimed) in trying to help them. This is the thanks we receive?Is there any other religion that goes to these extremes because they feel " insulted" ? Maybe we should just not do anything for them anymore. Let them kill each other and go back to the desert on their camels and live in the dark ages (which will happen when/if oil runs out). I am thoroughly disqusted that people that have been helped could turn and do these things in the name of religion. And for the record...I have been to many Mid East countries