Pakistan: further protests and US run advert over anti-Islam film
Latest reactions to anti-Islam film; increase in protests and US advert supports Muslims...
11:30 22 September 2012
Following the release of an anti-Islam film that has sparked controversy across many countries, more protests have taken place and America has release a series of adverts to condemn the film ‘Innocence of Muslims’.
Thought to have been made by Christian extremists from the US, the film, which insults the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, triggered off an intended peaceful protest on Friday that the Pakistan government called a ‘day of love’.
This follows Thursday’s violence that saw a protest in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad leave up to 50 people injured, as thousands of demonstrators surrounded the US Embassy there. According to reports police used tear gas to tackle the clash with Pakistan Muslims.
It is understood that the Australian High Commission in the capital was closed as a result of the recent activity on the streets.
The controversy surrounding the film was made worse by cartoon images of Prophet Mohammed also being published in a French magazine.
The US has responded to the uproar by releasing a series of adverts that condemn the anti-Islam film. These are expected to be aired on TV in Pakistan as an attempt to calm the situation. Having spent around $US70,000 to have the ad’s in Urdu on seven channels, America intend to distance themselves from the content of the film.
“After the video came out there was concern in lots of bodies politic, including in Pakistan, whether this represented the views of the US government,” a US official has said.
“So in order to ensure we reached the largest number of Pakistanis, some 90 million as I understand in this case with these spots, it was the judgment that this was the best way to do it.”
The adverts are thought to show clips of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
It is understood that the US has warned its citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Pakistan at this time.