* Hezbollah chief urges Lebanon protests against film deemed offensive to Islam.


* Nazareth's Coptic Church condemns anti-Islam film-

Orthodox Church decries 'Muslim Innocence' as 'Criminal act meant to ignite Middle East'



Hezbollah Chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday urged nationwide protests in Lebanon against
"Muslim Innocence" – a film deemed offensive to the Prophet Mohammad that has sparked anti-US riots worldwide.


Nasrallah warned that the film represented "an unprecedented insult to the followers of the Prophet Mohammad," and blamed the "Zionist and American regimes" for perpetrating a derision "worse than all previous offenses against Islam, the Koran and the messenger of Allah," Nasrallah said. "I think this is a major, very dangerous and unprecedented insult to Muslims,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech.


"We call for protests tomorrow in the southern suburbs (of Beirut) at 5 o'clock… Muslims and Christians must remain vigilant in order to refrain from sliding towards strife."Those responsible for the film, starting with the United States must be held accountable," he stressed.


"All these developments are being orchestrated by US intelligence," he added, saying that the US government was using the excuse of freedom of speech in order to justify the continued broadcast of the film. Hezbollah's chief condemned the film as being "Even worse than the arson
at Al-Aqsa Mosque."


The Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site, which is located in the Old City of Jerusalem, was set on fire in 1969, by an Australian tourist,and suffered severe damage to its southeastern wing."A nation that abides such an offense against its Prophet signals to the Israelis that they can go ahead and demolish Al-Aqsa," he warned.


Nasrallah further said that the film sought to ignite a religious war between Muslims and Christians and lauded Christian clerics who denounced the film as offensive.






* Nazareth's Coptic Church condemns anti-Islam film-

The Coptic Orthodox Church in Nazareth officially denounced "Muslim Innocence" – a film deemed offensive to the Prophet Mohammad, which has sparked anti-US riots worldwide.

"The Coptic Church and Christians strongly deny any act against the faiths and their reverent prophets," Pastor Anthony Alauroshlmi said Sunday.


The anti-Mohammad film, he added, "Is a crime meant to ignite the Middle East."


The Christian community denounced the film en masse, but the Coptic Church has been embarrassed by reports suggesting its creator belongs to the Coptic denomination.


"This film is offensive to everyone, not just to Muslimsand the Prophet Mohammad. It goes against one's freedoms and liberties. It is a disgrace to offend anotherreligion," he stressed.

Pastor Alauroshlmi added that since he does not know who is behind the film, "I don't want to blame anyone… Every person has the right to express his opinion but you have to be reasonable and not do it in a manner so offensive to Islam."



http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4282065,00.html


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4282073,00.html



Second photo is of the Coptic church in Nazareth