Obama accused of starting areligious war

One of Pakistan’s most feared Islamists has accused President Barack Obama of starting a religious war against Muslims over his handling of a film mocking the Prophet Mohammed.

Hafiz Saeed, accused of masterminding the 2008 attack by Pakistani gunmen on India’s financial capital Mumbai, said Obama should have ordered steps to remove the film from the internet instead of defending freedom of expression in the US.

“Obama’s statements have caused a religious war,” Saeed said. “This is a very sensitive issue. This is not going to be resolved soon. Obama’s statement has started a cultural war.”

The Obama administration has condemned the film, which ignited Muslim protests around the world, as “disgusting”.

But Western countries remain determined to resist restrictions on freedom of speech and have already voiced disquiet about the repressive effect of blasphemy laws in Muslim countries such as Pakistan.

“Obama has said he cannot block the film,” said Saeed. “What does that say?”

He said the US should take tough action against the makers of the film. “If not, then hand them to us.”

India has repeatedly called on Pakistan to bring Saeed to justice, an issue that has stood in the way of rebuilding relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours since the carnage in Mumbai, where gunmen killed 166 people over three days.

India is furious that Pakistan has not detained Saeed since it handed over evidence against him to Islamabad. Washington has offered a reward of $10m (€7.8m) for information leading to Saeed’s capture.

Saeed founded Lashkar-e-Taiba in the 1990s, the militant group which India blames for the rampage in Mumbai, where six Americans were among the dead. He denies any wrongdoing and links to militants.

The $10m figure signifies major US interest in Saeed. Only three other militants fetch that high a bounty. There is a $25m bounty on the head of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri.

After the reward was announced, Saeed taunted the US by holding a press conference at a hotel 40 minutes from the US embassy in Islamabad, calling the bounty laughable.

Yesterday, he again mocked the bounty. “I am wandering in my own country,” he said.

“So, what right does America have to put a bounty on my head? I have told America to start a case against me in court. So I can give my point of view. This is terrorism by putting a bounty on people’s heads.”

While many Muslim countries saw mostly peaceful protests, 15 people were killed in Pakistan during demonstrations over the film, Innocence of Muslims.