Daily Lessons from Life 14-15 September 2012 - Protests target US symbols across Muslim world

"Protests target US symbols across Muslim world - AFP 15 September 2012

KHARTOUM: Furious protesters targeted symbols of US influence in cities across the Muslim world, attacking embassies, schools and restaurants in retaliation for a film that mocks Islam.

At least six protesters died in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Sudan as local police battled to defend American missions from mobs of stone-throwers, and Washington deployed US Marines to protect its embassies in Libya and Yemen.

The protests broke out when Muslims emerged from mosques following weekly prayers to voice their anger at a crude film made in the United States that ridicules the Prophet Mohammed.

Clashes or demonstrations were reported from as far apart as Mauritania and Indonesia. Troops in Nigeria fired live rounds in the flashpoint city of Jos and Egyptian police fought street battles in downtown Cairo. Such scenes were repeated in Sudan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Iran (officially sanctioned!), India,

The fighting also clouded the start of Pope Benedict XVI's three-day visit to Lebanon to promote Muslim-Christian coexistence.

"Even as voices of suspicion and mistrust seek to divide countries and cultures from one another, the United States of America will never retreat from the world," Obama vowed, alongside the flag-draped coffins.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told relatives of the dead men -- US ambassador Chris Stevens, information officer Sean Smith and former Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty -- that the killings dishonoured the Arab Spring.

"The people of Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Tunisia did not trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob," she said.

US military and intelligence agencies have already launched a manhunt in Libya for the militants who staged the assault on the Benghazi consulate, with an FBI team on its way and drones criss-crossing North African skies."

I watched the trailer of this 'insulting' movie just to understand what this is all about. It was quite bad acting and of poor quality. NOT sure it had been PUBLICLY released. Believed it was just put on YouTube.

Lessons for me are:

1. is it true that Muslims are so emotional and fragile that they simply could not tolerate anyone, even from people are inconsequential or delusional or simple not very smart, to 'insult' their religion and their prophet? I think not. The fact that the attack occurred on 9/11 in Lebanon showed that it was simple AN EXCUSE and instigated by some elements in the terrorists network, hiding behind the convenience of the Islam faith. The film supposed was made 2 years ago with no one distributing it!!;

2. it is easy to think or being misled by the violent images by a MINORITY of these protesters on TV screens around the world that ALL or the MAJORITY of the Muslims are violent. BUT then again, probably only the VERY naive and simpleton will think that. If one is a thinking person, one would have known that this is a very very small minority, and that some are obviously paid 'actors' to protest or be violent!!;

3. as with ALL things, PERCEPTION is REALITY. The majority of the MODERATE thinking Muslims MUST come out in FULL FORCE to condemn these violent acts against innocent people. NO ONE else can do that more effectively than the Moderate Muslims. Anyone of any other faith saying it will be taken as another disrespectful act against Islam.

May every religious person in this world live in peace and harmony. Any religion that say it is OK to kill another human being just because he or she 'violate' YOUR religion cannot be a very good one!