100 000 in Prophet protest
2006-02-07 17:02
Niamey - Tens of thousands of Muslims
gathered in Niger's capital Niamey on Tuesday in protest at
caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, as mass demonstrations
sweeping the Islamic world spread to sub-Saharan Africa.
"God is Greatest" chanted the peaceful crowd which thronged
a large square in the east of Niamey to denounce the
caricatures, one of which depicts the Prophet wearing a turban
resembling a fizzing bomb.
The cartoons, first published in Denmark and reprinted in
papers in more than 20 countries, have sparked protests across
Asia and the Middle East.
"We strongly condemn these provocations which are a grave
offence against Islam," said Salifou Ahmed Lazaret, a well-known
Niamey imam and a member of the organising committee. <
Demonstrations 'scarce'
Members of the Niger Association for the Call to Muslim
Solidarity, a collective of 30 Muslim groups which organised the
protest, estimated that at least 100 000 people were present.
Police figures were not available but a Reuters eyewitness
confirmed the organisers' estimate.
Ninety-five percent of Niger's 12 million inhabitants are
Muslim.
So far, demonstrations in sub-Saharan Africa's Muslim
states have been scarce, although a 14-year-old boy was shot
dead by police when a protest in northeastern Somalia turned
violent on Monday.
In Niamey, organisers said they would respect a ban by
authorities on protesters marching through the dusty capital of
the arid, Sahel-belt nation.
However, thousands of demonstrators broke away from the
gathering and snaked their way to the parliament building in the
centre of town.
A group of youths, waving the Saudi Arabian
flag, shouted anti-Western slogans.
"We demand that the government break off diplomatic
relations with Denmark and every other country where this
cartoon has been reprinted," said Sani Saadou, a fruit seller.