Gaddafi: Cartoon publishers spreading hate

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi says those who have published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed are guilty of spreading hate.

In an interview to be published tomorrow in the German paper Neuen Ruhr/Neuen Rhein Zeitung, Gaddafi said hate was not spread by Muslims or Arabs but by the “infidels” who published the cartoons.

Gaddafi also sharply criticised European schools for their approach to Islam.

“They teach the children that Mohammed is not God’s Prophet, but a liar,” the paper quoted Gaddafi as saying.

The Libyan leader predicted that the unrest late last year in poor suburbs in France was only the beginning of Muslims’ fight against discrimination in Europe.

“Perhaps one day Islam will rule over Europe,” Gaddafi said.

The caricatures, first published by newspapers in Europe, have sparked protests across the Muslim world.

While many of the demonstrations have been peaceful, European diplomatic missions were attacked by demonstrators last week in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. Nearly a dozen people were killed in protests in Afghanistan.