Egypt Sentences Eight to Death over Film
THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: An Egyptian court has convicted in absentia seven Egyptian Coptic Christians and a US pastor, sentencing them to death on charges linked to an anti-Islam film that had sparked riots in parts of the Muslim world.

The case was seen as largely symbolic because the defendants, most of whom live in the United States, are all outside Egypt and are thus unlikely to ever face the sentence.

The charges were brought in September during a wave of public outrage in Egypt over the amateur film, which was produced by an Egyptian-American Copt.

The low-budget Innocence of Muslims, parts of which were made available online, portrays the Prophet Mohammed as a fraud, womaniser and buffoon. » | Sarah El Deeb | Thursday, November 29, 2012

NBC BAY AREA: Anti-Islam Film to Stay on YouTube: Judge – A federal judge denied a woman's request to get "Innocence of Muslims" taken of[f] the Internet » | Jason Kandel | Saturday, December 01, 2012

Anti-Islam Filmmaker Gets Prison for Violating Probation
BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK: The California man linked to the “Innocence of Muslims” YouTube video that sparked riots in the Middle East and North Africa admitted to violating the terms of his probation and was sent back to prison for a year.

U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder in Los Angeles yesterday sentenced Mark Basseley Youssef after he confessed to using a name other than his true legal one, which violated the terms of his supervised release following a 2010 conviction for bank fraud.

Youssef, as part of an agreement with prosecutors, admitted to four allegations, including falsely telling his probation officer that he hadn’t used the name Sam Bacile, the name attached to the YouTube account that posted the video. Snyder denied a request by Youssef’s lawyer, Steven Seiden, to sentence him to home confinement. » | Edvard Pettersson | Thursday, November 08, 2012

Muslim Clerics Say Sandy Is 'God's Way of Punishing America for Anti-Muhammed Film

MAIL ONLINE: Some anti-American Muslim clerics have cast the deadly Superstorm Sandy as divine punishment for 'Innocence of Muslims,' a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad or for other perceived ills of American society.

The remarks by some on the fringe brought a backlash from other Muslims who said it was wrong to relish the suff1ering of others.

In Egypt, one radical cleric described the hurricane as revenge from God for the crude, anti-Islam film made in the U.S. that sparked waves of protests in the Muslim world in September.

'Some people wonder about the hurricane in America and its causes,' Egyptian hardline cleric Wagdi Ghoneim tweeted twice this week in the aftermath of the storm.

'In my opinion, it is revenge from God for the beloved prophet,' he added, alluding to the film. » | Associated Press Reporter | Friday, November 02, 2012

Violence of the Lambs: Animal Sacrifice Ban Sought in Reply to Innocence of Muslims Ruling
RT.COM: A group of Moscow residents has suggested outlawing animal sacrifices in the capital as a reply to the recent ban on the film Innocence of Muslims.

In a press release forwarded to all major media the group, apparently formed by the NGO called Public Coalition for Defense of Moscow, said they will soon write a draft of the bill banning all animal sacrifice and submit it to the legislative bodies of various levels.

The activists hold that “ritual killings of animals are a barbaric tradition that insults the feelings of a great number of Russians and cannot be allowed in a civilized state in the 21st century.”

They added that when the killings are done before children’s eyes this leads to developing cruelty and “negation of commonly accepted moral and humane values.” » | Monday, October 08, 2012

'Age of Mockery': 10,000 Protest Anti-Muslim Video at Google’s UK HQ

To the article » | Monday, October 15, 2012
Related »

New Dark Age Alert! Muslims Protest 'Age of Mockery' as Thousands Descend on Google HQ

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Thousands of Muslims have pledged a series of protests against Google HQ for a "hateful and offensive" anti-Islam video, saying they now live in an "age of mockery".

A protest by 10,000 Muslims outside the offices of Google in London today is just the first in an orchestrated attempt to force the company to remove an anti-Islamic film from website YouTube in Britain.

Thousands had travelled from as far afield as Glasgow to take part in the demonstration, ahead of a planned million-strong march in Hyde Park in coming weeks.

Anger over 'The Innocence of Muslims', an American-produced film which insults the Prophet Mohammad and demeans Muslims, according to protesters, remains available to watch on the website YouTube, a subsidiary of Google.

Organiser Masoud Alam said: "Our next protest will be at the offices of Google and YouTube across the world. We are looking to ban this film.

"This is not freedom of expression, there is a limit for that. This insult of the Prophet will not be allowed.

The group's next action was a march Mr Alam hoped would be "a million strong" would take place in Hyde Park "in the next few weeks", he said.

"Until it is banned we will keep protesting," he added. » | Jennifer O'Mahony | Sunday, October 14, 2012

Al-Qaida Leader Calls for Holy War on US and Israel over Anti-Islamic Film

THE GUARDIAN: Ayman al-Zawahiri praises those who took part in deadly violence triggered by the film The Innocence of Muslims

The leader of al-Qaida has called for holy war against the United States and Israel over an anti-Islamic video which triggered mayhem in the Muslim world.

Ayman al-Zawahiri praised as demonstrators who breached the US embassy in Cairo and the attackers who stormed the US consulate in Benghazi last month in violence linked to the film as "honest and zealous".

The Benghazi attack on 11 September, in which the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three others were killed, is now believed to have been carried out by al-Qaida-linked militants.

The trailer for the film produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a California-based Egyptian-American angry at the treatment of Christians in his homeland, triggered mayhem across the Muslim world after it was uploaded to YouTube, with at least 17 people killed in violent protests.

In an audio message released by al-Qaida's media arm As-Sahab and posted on militant websites on Saturday, al-Zawahiri claimed Washington had allowed the film's production under the pretext of freedom of expression, "but this freedom did not prevent them from torturing Muslim prisoners". » | Staff and agencies | Saturday, October 13, 2012

US Filmmakers Banned from Britain over Anti-Mohammed Video
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Two filmmakers behind the controversial video "Innocence of Muslims", which denigrates the Prophet Mohammed, have been banned from setting foot in Britain over fears they could incite violence.

The Daily Telegraph can also reveal that a Pakistani cabinet minister who offered a reward for anyone killing the producers of the amateurish video has also been told by British officials that he is not welcome.

A trailer for the film posted on YouTube provoked angry demonstrations throughout the Muslim world.

The amateurish clip, produced on a tiny budget by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a 55-year-old Egyptian Coptic Christian resident in the United States, depicts the Prophet Mohammed as a fool and sexual deviant.

As a result of the controversy, Nakoula was arrested for violating probation terms for a pre-existing fraud offence which barred him from using the internet.

The worst of the protests were in Pakistan, where 20 people died in clashes between anti-film protesters and police during a day of protests last month. » | Rob Crilly, Islamabad | Friday, October 12, 2012

Anti-Islam Film Prompts Saudi Call for Net Censorship Body
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saudi Arabia has called for a new international body to censor the internet, in the wake of the anti-Islam YouTube clip that recently sparked violence in the Middle East.

In a submission to forthcoming international talks on internet governance, the Gulf state said “there is a crying need for international collaboration to address ‘freedom of expression’ which clearly disregards public order”.

During the controversy over a 14-minute clip posted on YouTube and purportedly a trailer for a feature film called “The Innocence of Muslims”, Google resisted pressure, including from the White House, to remove it.

"This video - which is widely available on the web - is clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube," Google said last month.

The Saudi government has now told the World Telecommunications Policy Forum, a UN body, that the incident was “an obvious example” of the need for greater international cooperation to restrict content online.

“Any reasonable person would know that this film would foment violence and, indeed, many innocent persons have died and been injured with this film as a root cause,” the Saudi submission said. …

“This behaviour, along with other malicious and criminal activities such as child pornography, identity theft, spam, denial of service attacks, and malware aimed at destroying or crippling businesses, inter alia, must be addressed by states in a collaborative and cooperative environment and strongly underscores the need for enhanced cooperation,” it said. » | Christopher Williams, Technology Correspondent | Thursday, October 11, 2012

My comment:

One of these fine days, the West is going to have to go to war to defend the hard-won principles which are the cornerstone of Western civilisation. We simply cannot allow a totalitarian, theocratic ideology to destroy the principles for which so many have died.

“…Humanity must fight against bad things if we are to survive, and the spiritual things are stronger than anything else, and cannot be destroyed, thank God.” – HRH The Queen Mother

This nonsense has come about because Western politicians have appeased these people all the way along the line, because they haven't stood up, firmly and resolutely, for the principles upon which the West has been founded. As a result, we now have a situation in which Third Worlders are trying to pull the strings. – © Mark

Afghan Offers Bounty for Anti-Islam Filmmaker
ASSOCIATED PRESS: KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A religious cleric in western Afghanistan said Wednesday he is offering a $300,000 bounty to anyone who kills the maker of an anti-Islam film that has angered Muslims around the world.

Mir Farooq Hussini, a cleric and the spokesman for an organization representing about 450 religious schools in Herat province, made the latest bounty offer.

U.S. federal prosecutors said Mark Basseley Youssef, 55, an Egyptian-born Christian who is now a U.S. citizen, is behind the film, which portrays Islam's Prophet Muhammad as a religious fraud, womanizer and child molester. » | AP | Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Iranians Attack French Embassy Over Anti-Islam Film
FOX NEWS: TEHRAN, Iran – Dozens of Iranians angered over an anti-Islam film made in the U.S. and caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad published in a weekly in France have attacked the French Embassy in Tehran.

Shop vendors and residents in the area say protesters smashed a police guard post outside the embassy and a bulletin board at the embassy wall. » | Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Now 2 Bounties on Producer of Anti-Islamic Film
CNN: Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- For the second time in less than two weeks, a prominent Pakistani is offering a six-figure bounty to anyone who kills the man who produced "Innocence of Muslims," a film that has offended many Muslims throughout the world.

Former Pakistani lawmaker Ikramullah Shahid told demonstrators protesting the movie in Peshawar on Monday that he'd pay $200,000 to anyone who kills the filmmaker, according to Siraj Ul Haq, a senior leader of the religious group that organized the rally.

More than 15,000 protestors participated in a peaceful protest, Haroon Khan, a senior Peshawar police official, told CNN.

Nine days ago, current Pakistani Railway Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour personally offered a $100,000 reward to anyone who would kill the filmmaker. Bilour clarified to CNN he was speaking for himself and not as a government representative.

After he posed the initial bounty, Bilour was asked whether he was concerned about committing or condoning a crime as a government official.

"I am a Muslim first, then a government representative," Bilour said. » | Nasir Habib | Journalist Aamir Iqbal contributed to this report | Tuesday, October 02, 2012

New Protests against Anti-Islam Film in Pakistan
THE SEATTLE TIMES: Thousands of people hit the streets in Pakistan's biggest city Sunday to protest an anti-Islam film made in the United States, suggesting anger over the movie is far from over.

KARACHI, Pakistan — Thousands of people hit the streets in Pakistan's biggest city Sunday to protest an anti-Islam film made in the United States, suggesting anger over the movie is far from over. » | Adil Jawad | Associated Press | Sunday, September 30, 2012

Over 1,000 Rally Against Anti-Islam Film in Dearborn; Another Protest Planned Today
DETROIT FREE PRESS: More than 1,000 rallied Friday night in Dearborn against the anti-Islam movie that has sparked protests around the world.

Organized by Arab-American leaders, the rally was the third protest in metro Detroit over the movie, the biggest one yet. Another protest against "Innocence of Muslims," the anti-Islam movie made in California that denigrates Islam's prophet, is set for today in Canton.

"Say No to Hate-Mongering, Say No to Islamophobia,'' read a large banner at the rally in Dearborn's civic center, the Ford Performing Arts & Community Center. On the podium was a sign that read: "We (heart symbol) Prophet Muhammad." » | Saturday, September 29, 2012

California Man Behind Anti-Islam Film Jailed for Probation Violation
FOX NEWS: LOS ANGELES – The surrounding mystery of the man behind the crudely produced anti-Islamic video that sparked violence in the Middle East took a strange turn after he appeared in court and gave yet another name in a string of aliases.

Arrested on Thursday after authorities said he violated his probation from a 2010 check fraud conviction, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula told a judge his real name was Mark Basseley Youseff. He said he'd been using that name since 2002, even though he went by Nakoula in his fraud case.

The full story about Nakoula and the video "Innocence of Muslims" still isn't known more than two weeks after violence erupted in Egypt and Libya, where Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others were killed in Benghazi. Violence related to the film has since spread, killing dozens more. » | Associated Press | Friday, September 28, 2012

VOICE OF AMERICA: Moscow Threatens YouTube Over Anti-Islam Video: MOSCOW — Russia's communications minister is threatening to ban YouTube in the country if the popular Internet site doesn't remove a video mocking Islam. » | Jessica Golloher | Thursday, September 27, 2012

Anti-Islam film-maker arrested in California

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The convicted fraudster behind the anti-Islamic video that caused violent protests in the Middle East has been arrested on suspicion of breaching his probation.

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, was taken into custody in Los Angeles, where he was due to apear at a closed court hearing.

Nakoula, a Coptic Christian originally from Egypt, was behind "Innocence of Muslims." A 14-minute trailer for the film was posted on the internet and caused days of rioting.

In June 2010 Nakoula was convicted of a bank fraud which involved obtaining credit cards in the names of other people.

He was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay $794,700.57 in restitution. » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Friday, September 28, 2012

Egyptian Grand Mufti on Violence

Toronto Man Linked to Anti-Islam Film Fears for Life
CANADIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION: Coptic Christian Nader Fawzy denies involvement, worries about his family's safety


A Coptic Christian activist say he fears for his family's safety after being accused of playing a role in the notorious anti-Islam film that has sparked violence throughout the Muslim world.

Nader Fawzy, speaking at a news conference in Toronto on Saturday, said he has been the target of threats emanating from Egypt over the Innocence of Muslims trailer released on the internet over the summer.

Fawzy has long been an activist for Egypt's Coptic Christian community, which makes up one-tenth of that country's population.

Fawzy said his name appeared in a published list of people involved in the film, an action he says amounts to a fatwa, or religious edict.

He told reporters on Saturday he believes the Egyptian government put his name on the list out of revenge for his work as a Coptic activist who has campaigned for better treatment of Egypt's minority Christian population.

"Once there is a fatwa, you don’t know who is coming to kill you, to shoot you," he said. "It's not just about the Egyptian government anymore. There is no safety at all. Once the fatwa is published, anyone can come to kill me or my kids or my family in Egypt." » | CBC News | Saturday, September 22, 2012

Insults to Islam Ignite Violence in Pakistan, Six Killed

REUTERS.COM: Muslim protests against insults to the Prophet Mohammad turned violent in Pakistan, where six people were killed on Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, but remained mostly peaceful in Islamic countries elsewhere.

In France, where the publication of cartoons denigrating the Prophet stoked anger over an anti-Islam video made in California, the authorities banned all protests over the issue.

"There will be strictly no exceptions. Demonstrations will be banned and broken up," said Interior Minister Manuel Valls.

Tunisia's Islamist-led government also banned protests against the images published by French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. Four people were killed and almost 30 wounded last week when the U.S. embassy was stormed in a protest over the film.

Many Western and Muslim politicians and clerics have appealed for calm, denouncing those behind the mockery of the Prophet, but also condemning violent reactions to it.

At street level, Muslims enraged by attacks on their faith spoke of a culture war with those in the West who put rights to freedom of expression above any religious offence caused.

"They hate him (the Prophet Mohammad) and show this through their continued works in the West, through their writings, cartoons, films and the way they launch war against him in schools," said Abdessalam Abdullah, a preacher at a mosque in Beirut's Palestinian refugee camp of Bourj al-Barajneh.

Muslims generally consider any depiction of the Prophet blasphemous. » | Aisha Chowdhry | ISLAMABAD | Friday, Sep 21, 2012

Ahmadinejad: Anti-Islam Film an Israeli Ploy

THE JERUSALEM POST: Iranian president slams Israel as military parade displays Shahab 3 missile, which it claims can reach Tel Aviv.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Israel of being behind the anti-Islam film that has sparked violent protests in the Muslim world, AFP reported on Friday.

Speaking at a military parade in Tehran, Ahmadinejad called the film an Israeli plot "to divide (Muslims) and spark sectarian conflict."

The parade, displaying military hardware, marked the anniversary of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. According to Iranian state media, the military displayed Shahab 3, Sejjil, Qadr, Sahab and Zelzal missiles during the parade.

Iran has claimed the Shahab 3 has a range that can reach Israel and they have reportedly experimented with integrating a nuclear warhead onto the missile.

Ahmadinejad's comments on the anti-Islam film came after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier this week that the American-made video is tied to "Islamophobic policies of arrogant powers and Zionists."

Khamenei added that it is incumbent upon Western governments to prove to the Muslim world that they are against attacks against Islam. "Leaders of [the US and European countries] must prove that they were not accomplices in this big crime in practice by preventing such crazy measures,” he said. » | JPost.com Staff | Friday, September 21, 2012