MONTREAL (CP) - Chanting their love for Muhammad, about 300 Muslims gathered near McGill University on Saturday to protest against caricatures of their prophet.
The protest coincided with another demonstration in Toronto that attracted about 1,300 people and several others across Europe against the cartoons, which have sparked deadly violence in some cases.
"We're here today to let the world know one thing: We want to be heard and we won't be labelled," said Said Jazeri, the imam of the Al-Qods mosque, which organized the protest.
"We are not savages, we are not barbarians," Jazeri said.
While the protest was peaceful, leaders of many Muslim groups in Montreal urged their members not to participate in the protest because they feared it would turn violent. Instead, they opened mosques to the public.
The protesters also decided to stay away from the nearby Danish consulate to diminish the chances of violence.
Jazeri, eyeing about 50 people held a counter-protest on the other side of the street in favour of freedom of speech, added: "I advise all my brothers to keep calm and not respond to provocations."
About 25 police officers kept a watch over the protest and arrested a man who was shouting profanities against Islam.
Riots have broken out around the world in recent weeks during protests against the cartoons that first appeared in a Danish newspaper last September.
Many in the crowd were still angry that the cartoons were re-published last week by several European newspapers trying to make a point about freedom of speech.
"This is because someone has touched our holy things," said Iraqi immigrant Soad Reda, who was flanked by her twin nine-year-old daughters holding up passages from the Koran.
"Nobody has (the right) to touch his life or his history," she said.
"That makes us very nervous. If they touch our prophet, one day we will touch your prophet."
Mohammed Rahmaoui, who addressed the crowd by loudspeaker, added: "Your democracy says that everyone must live in peace. So all the Muslims here in Quebec and Canada are here to live with you in peace."
"But we will never accept, please, any insults against the Prophet."
Another participant in the protest also denounced terrorism and America.
"We also want to denounce al-Qaida, this nightmare created by American imperialism to justify its economic empire on the planet."
http://start.shaw.ca/start/enCA/News/NationalNewsArticle.htm?src=n021115A.xml
And i am glad that it was a peaceful protest, even though some racist shit heads tried to cause trouble claming free speech in Montreal. The Muslim community showed that it would not lower itself to the level of the guys who were counter-protesting.
So all good on the Canadian Muslim front, and did everyone know that a boycott is taking place in some Canadian stores of Danish items and goods. I think it is good.
The protest coincided with another demonstration in Toronto that attracted about 1,300 people and several others across Europe against the cartoons, which have sparked deadly violence in some cases.
"We're here today to let the world know one thing: We want to be heard and we won't be labelled," said Said Jazeri, the imam of the Al-Qods mosque, which organized the protest.
"We are not savages, we are not barbarians," Jazeri said.
While the protest was peaceful, leaders of many Muslim groups in Montreal urged their members not to participate in the protest because they feared it would turn violent. Instead, they opened mosques to the public.
The protesters also decided to stay away from the nearby Danish consulate to diminish the chances of violence.
Jazeri, eyeing about 50 people held a counter-protest on the other side of the street in favour of freedom of speech, added: "I advise all my brothers to keep calm and not respond to provocations."
About 25 police officers kept a watch over the protest and arrested a man who was shouting profanities against Islam.
Riots have broken out around the world in recent weeks during protests against the cartoons that first appeared in a Danish newspaper last September.
Many in the crowd were still angry that the cartoons were re-published last week by several European newspapers trying to make a point about freedom of speech.
"This is because someone has touched our holy things," said Iraqi immigrant Soad Reda, who was flanked by her twin nine-year-old daughters holding up passages from the Koran.
"Nobody has (the right) to touch his life or his history," she said.
"That makes us very nervous. If they touch our prophet, one day we will touch your prophet."
Mohammed Rahmaoui, who addressed the crowd by loudspeaker, added: "Your democracy says that everyone must live in peace. So all the Muslims here in Quebec and Canada are here to live with you in peace."
"But we will never accept, please, any insults against the Prophet."
Another participant in the protest also denounced terrorism and America.
"We also want to denounce al-Qaida, this nightmare created by American imperialism to justify its economic empire on the planet."
http://start.shaw.ca/start/enCA/News/NationalNewsArticle.htm?src=n021115A.xml
And i am glad that it was a peaceful protest, even though some racist shit heads tried to cause trouble claming free speech in Montreal. The Muslim community showed that it would not lower itself to the level of the guys who were counter-protesting.
So all good on the Canadian Muslim front, and did everyone know that a boycott is taking place in some Canadian stores of Danish items and goods. I think it is good.