Kano -Tens of thousands of people on Saturday protested in
Nigeria's second city of Kano, burning images of Barack Obama and stomping on
the American flag to denounce an anti-Islam film made in the US.
A crowd that
included men, children and veiled women stretched for several kilometres
through the city, the largest in Nigeria's mainly Muslim north, condemning the
film that has stirred outrage across the Muslim world.
They shouted
"death to America, death to Israel and death to the enemies of
Islam," in a rally that ended with no reported incidents of violence but
caused gridlock in the city of roughly 4.5 million people.
The demonstration
was organised by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, a pro-Iranian group that
adheres to the Shi'ite branch of Islam. The group has operated in Africa's most
populous country since the late 1970s.
"We are out
today to express our rage and disapproval over this blasphemous film,"
said Muhammed Turi, a protest leader and member of the Islamic Movement which
organised a similar rally earlier this week in the northern city of Zaria.
Flags defaced
Some pictures of
US President Barack Obama were set alight, while others were dragged through
the dirt and stomped on by protesters shouting "enemy of Islam."
American and
Israeli flags were also defaced and Iranian flags were waved in the air as the
group marched towards a palace owned by the Emir of Kano, the top religious
figure in the region.
Protester Husseini
Ibrahim claimed that the "blasphemy" in the film regarding the
Prophet Muhammad is "like an invitation to war."
Hundreds of
residents who did not join the march lined the streets to watch the protesters
move past.
A 68-year-old
beggar, who gave his name as Garba, tried to join the rally but was unable to
stay on his feet, despite the use of a walking stick.
"I wish I
could do more than this. I wish I were young enough to join the procession. I
will do anything for the prophet," he said.
Crowd addressed
Turi addressed the
crowd outside Kano's central mosque, adjacent to the Emir's palace.
"We are
pained by this deliberate insult against our religion under the pretext of
freedom of expression," he told the protesters.
Security forces
were deployed around the city and a police officer stationed outside a hospital
said the authorities had allowed the demonstration.
"We have no
problem with the protest as long as it is peaceful," said the officer who
requested anonymity.
Turi also urged
Nigeria's government to publicly denounce the film and said all ties with
Israel should be severed.
The low-budget
film Innocence of Muslims was reportedly produced by an Egyptian
Coptic Christian, but rumours that circulated shortly after its release
suggested an Israeli was involved.
Anti-American
sentiment
The film incited a
wave of bloody anti-American violence in cities across the Muslim world, with
protests occurring in more than 20 countries. Violence in Pakistan on Friday
left at least 21 people dead.
Thousands of
Muslims protested in Nigeria's Zaria on Thursday.
The previous week
in the religiously divided central Nigerian city of Jos, soldiers fired live
rounds outside a mosque to disperse a crowd of several hundred that was seeking
to demonstrate against the film.