More than 1,000 Pakistan protesters clash with police over anti-Islam film
(CBS/AP) ISLAMABAD Hundreds of Pakistanis angry at an anti-Islam film that denigrates the religion's prophet are clashing with police in the Pakistani capital.
Islamabad police official Mohammed Iqbal says the crowd numbers more than 1,000 people and most of them are students.
Protests at U.S. offices in Pakistan, Indonesia
Egypt seeks arrest of anti-Islam filmmaker
Blast kills 14 in Afghanistan suicide attacks
CBS News Islamabad bureau chief Maria Usman reports the protesters broke through police barricades and made it to the highly guarded "red zone," not far from Islamabad's diplomatic enclave which houses the U.S. Embassy.
Television footage showed police using tear gas and batons to try to keep the demonstrators away from the government offices and embassies.
Iqbal says students were trying to make their way to the American embassy, but police were holding them back.
Many more protesters were trying to make their way to Islamabad from neighboring cities, including Rawalpindi and Murree, and police set up a cordon to try and block their entry to the capital, reports Usman.
Authorities fear the unrest could grow worse on Friday, despite the fact that the government has declared Friday as a public holiday, calling it the "Love of the Prophet Day," as Fridays often see large demonstrations in the Muslim world as worshipers flood out of mosques following Friday prayers.
Popular on CBSNews.com
-
One year after Afghan massacre, villagers work with U.S. troops One year after U.S. Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians, the villagers in the town where the atrocity took place have joined the U.S. special forces stationed there to assist in the fight against the Taliban.
- 50th Paris Air Show 13 Photos
- Basement living in China 6 Photos
- Italy top court cites "erotic game" hypothesis in Knox case
- Widespread protests in Brazil 23 Photos
- Torrential rain devastates Northern India 15 Photos
- 100,000 line streets of Brazil to protest corruption
- Hungary indicts 98-year-old for Nazi war crimes
- Egypt and Ethiopia try to roll back threats of war
- linkicon reporticon emailicon
- Due to riots over Youtube video of Muhammad, Mideast currencies plunged low. Example: Pakistan Rupee slid even further to the all time low, where its value is just 1 US penny. Google to see chart: "pakistan rupee exchange rate". Rial also hit a 3 month low. Who wants Pakistan rupee, Iranian Rial or other Mideast currencies now? Nobody!!
- reply
- linkicon reporticon emailicon
- Here's something Muslims need to hear more often: Muslims are children with no self control and Mohammed is a gay pedophile.
- reply














