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Itongadol.- (CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO) Some 500 demonstrators gathered following prayer services on Friday denouncing the French satirical publication for its portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad on its Wednesday cover. Protesters chanted “jihad, jihad, we will die in the name of God” followed by “Allahu Akbar” [God is great,” and “Muhammad [is] our master and leader forever.”
The protest concluded without incident.
The depiction of the prophet is forbidden by most interpretations of the Quran.
The most recent issue of the controversial publication showed a cartoon image of the prophet on the front page of the magazine holding a sign that says “Je Suis Charlie” (I am Charlie), a slogan made popular following the January 7 attack on the satirical weekly’s Paris headquarters by two jihadist gunmen that killed 12 people.
The terrorists, brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi, allegedly attacked the publication for its portrayal of Muhammad and were directed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
The French capital witnessed two more days of violence in a series of terrorist attacks, as a policewoman was gunned down and four civilians were killed in hostage situation at a kosher grocery store by a separate gunman with ties to the terrorists involved in the Charlie Hebdo massacre.
Muslims across Middle East cities marched on Friday to protest the publication, as Qatar warned the image would “fuel hatred”.
The largest rally was in Jordan, where around 2,500 protesters took to the streets of the capital Amman amid tightened security.
The crowd, including members of the Muslim Brotherhood and youth groups, set off from the Al-Husseini mosque in central Amman holding banners that read “insulting the prophet is global terrorism”.
The image has angered many Muslims as depictions of Mohammed are considered forbidden in Islam.
Qatar condemned what it called the “offensive” cartoon, which was also reprinted by several European papers in a show of solidarity with the victims of last week’s attack.
“These disgraceful actions are in the interest of nobody and will only fuel hatred and anger,” the foreign ministry warned, describing them as a “violation of human values of peaceful coexistence, tolerance, justice, and respect among people.”.