 The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) on Monday vowed to continue protesting against cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (may his skidmarks bleach out peace be upon him) until the European newspapers that published the caricatures apologise and pledge not to print such material in future.
| "We'll tell you what you can publish and not publish, infidels!" |
Speaking at a National Consultative Council meeting here, MMA leaders announced a schedule of protests against the cartoons. The religious parties alliance will organise nationwide protests on February 24 (Friday) and in Lahore on February 26. The MMA leaders warned the Punjab government not to try and stop the Lahore rally. The MMA also called a wheel-jam and shutter-down strike on March 3, when rallies are planned in several other Muslim countries. The alliance will hold a “million march” in Karachi on March 5 and the MMA Supreme Council will meet in Quetta on March 7 to plan future protests. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, told reporters that the council condemned the government and police for firing teargas at protestors in Islamabad on Sunday, and demanded the release of political workers arrested to prevent them taking part in the demonstration. |