Iraqis burn effigy of pope
2006-09-18 12:27
Basra - Hundreds of angry Iraqis demonstrated in the southern port city of Basra against Pope Benedict XVI on Monday, burning an effigy of the pontiff and calling for an apology.
The protestors, followers of Ayatollah Mahmud al-Hassani, a mystic Shi'ite cleric who says he's in direct contact with Shi'ite religious figures, also burned German and American flags.
The crowd condemned remarks made by the pope deemed to be insulting to Islam and call for him to be tried in an international court.
Followers of Hassani previously attacked the Iranian consulate in Basra when a programme on Iranian television appeared to make disparaging remarks about their leader.
Protests over comments
A wave of protest erupted among Muslims across the globe after the pope last week implicitly linked Islam to violence and quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who said innovations introduced by the Prophet Mohammed were "evil and inhuman".
In his traditional Sunday blessing, the pope said he was "deeply sorry" for the outrage triggered by his speech at a German university on Tuesday and stressed that the passages he quoted did not express his personal opinion.
A handful of Muslim groups welcomed the pope's personal apology on Sunday for offending Islam in recent comments, although most Muslim nations have yet to respond.