AMMAN -- Thousands of protesters marched on the streets of Amman under the pouring rain on Friday to protest against the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad and demanding an apology from the European countries that published them.
After noon prayer ended on Friday, young and old alike took to the downtown streets of the capital carrying banners condemning Denmark, Norway, France and other European countries for their "orchestrated insult to Islam."
The 12 cartoons, originally published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September, were reproduced in the Norwegian magazine Magazinet on Jan. 10.
Over the past week they have been reprinted in several other European countries.
Demonstrators carried banners that read: "Defend your Islam" and "We will seek revenge," as they marched past Al Hussein Mosque towards Ras Al Ain.
Lawmakers, political activists and imams led the marchers who chanted anti-Western slogans.
"This is an organised campaign against Islam and Muslims...," MP Nidal Abbadi (Amman Sixth District) said, as marchers gathered in front of the Greater Amman Municipality headquarters in Ras Al Ain.
One tearful protester said he "preferred to see his father dead than look at those cartoons."
Egyptians, Iraqis, and Syrians also joined the marchers.
"We must tell the world we will not be silent to the insult of the Prophet Mohammad," said 25-year-old Iraqi national Ali Ahmad.
Also on Friday, imams called for boycotting Danish, French and other European products.
"These people do not have principles; we must hit them where it hurts and the only way is by boycotting their products," said an imam in Sweileh.
Islam prohibits realistic depictions of prophets, and considers caricatures of them blasphemous. In one of the cartoons, the Prophet Mohammad is shown wearing a turban with a bomb in it.
Meanwhile, on Saturday an event was held at the Professional Associations Complex in honour of the Prophet.
Several activists took the podium to urge Arabs and Muslims to stand united against the "blasphemous people."
The associations also plan a sit-in on Monday as part of an organised campaign to vent growing anger against the cartoons.
"We will not stop our anti- Danish activities until their government apologises for this criminal act," vowed Saleh Armouti, head of the Professional Associations Council.
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen tried to quell the row over the cartoons in a interview broadcast Thursday on Saudi-owned satellite news channel Al Arabiya.
Although Rasmussen said he was "deeply distressed" over the cartoons, he defended the country's tradition of free press, adding that the root of the problem may be the cultural and social differences between Danes and the Islamic world.
The editor of Jyllands-Posten issued the apology on Monday, a copy of which was sent to The Jordan Times.
"These cartoons were not in violation of Danish law but have irrefutably offended many Muslims, and for that we apologise," the editor said in the statement.
Armouti described the apology as "not enough."
"It was an implied apology, we need a straightforward apology without excuses. They have challenged us in our religion, and we must continue our campaign against them," Armouti told The Jordan Times last week.
By Mohammad Ben Hussein
© Jordan Times 2006
