Further violent protests erupt over film mocking Islam

Protesters in Afghanistan and Indonesia burnt US flags and chanted “Death to America” in renewed demonstrations over a film mocking Prophet Mohammed, as Pakistan blocked YouTube access to the film that has unleashed a wave of anti-Western sentiment in the Muslim and Arab world.

Indonesian police fired teargas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who massed outside the US Embassy in Jakarta, capital of the most populous Muslim nation.

In Kabul, thousands of protesters took to the streets, setting fire to cars and shops and throwing stones at police. “We will defend our prophet until we have blood across our bodies,” said one protester in the Afghan capital. “Americans will pay for their dishonour.”

The demonstrations were the latest across the world provoked by a short film made with private funds in the US that depicted the Prophet Mohammed as a fool and womaniser.

In a torrent of violence last week, the US ambassador to Libya and three other Americans were killed in an attack in Benghazi and US and other foreign embassies were stormed in several cities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East by enraged Muslims. At least nine other people have been killed.

The US has sent ships, extra troops and special forces to protect its interests and citizens in the Middle East while a number of its embassies have evacuated staff and are on high alert for trouble.

The renewed protests dashed any hopes that the furore over the film might fade despite an appeal from the senior cleric in Saudi Arabia, home to Islam’s holiest shrines, for calm over the weekend.

In the Kabul demonstration, protesters shouted “Death to America” and burned the flags of the US and of Israel, a country reviled by many Muslims and Arabs because of the Palestinian issue. Police lieutenant general Fahem Qayem put the number of demonstrators at between 3,000 and 4,000 but said police had the situation under control.

Embassies in central Kabul, including the US and British missions, were placed on lockdown and violence flared near fortified housing compounds for foreign workers.

Rallies also took place in London, Australia, Turkey and Pakistan.