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Anti-film TV ads in Pakistan feature Obama
Source: Agencies |
September 21, 2012, Friday
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MARKED by the US Embassy seal, advertisements condemning an anti-Islam video appeared on Pakistani television yesterday in an apparent attempt to undercut anger against the United States, where the film was produced.
Hundreds of youths, however, clashed with security officials as they tried in vain to reach the US Embassy in Islamabad amid anger in many countries over the film's vulgar depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.
The television ads in Pakistan feature clips of US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during press appearances in Washington in which they condemned the film. Their words were subtitled in Urdu.
"We absolutely reject its content and message," said Clinton in the advertisement. A caption on the ad reads: "Paid Content."
The advertisements end with the seal of the American Embassy in Islamabad. It was not known whether the ads were being run in other Muslim countries.
The advertisements appear to be an effort by the US government to dampen chaos surrounding the film and undo some of the damage to America's image in the Muslim world. Violence linked to the movie has left at least 30 people in seven countries dead, including the American ambassador to Libya. Two people have died in protests in Pakistan.
In recent days, the decision by a French satirical magazine to release cartoons crudely depicting the prophet has added to the tension, as may the upcoming issue of the German satirical magazine Titanic. The magazine's co-editor Martin Sonneborn said it was up to readers to decide whether the cover of an Arab wielding a sword actually depicts the Prophet Muhammad.
Most outrage linked to the amateurish movie, which portrays the prophet as a fraud, womanizer and child molester.
Protests have tapered off in many countries, but in Pakistan yesterday, more than 2,000 people tried to reach the US Embassy inside a guarded enclave that houses embassies and government offices.
Riot police used tear gas and batons to keep the stone-throwing demonstrators away from the enclave, and hundreds of shipping containers were lined up to cordon off the area. The government later called in army troops to protect the restricted areas when it appeared that police could not handle the situation.
"It is our responsibility to protect all our diplomats, all the foreigners," said Pakistani Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira. He criticized protesters for resorting to violence and suggested that various religious and militant groups among the crowd were to blame.
Hundreds of youths, however, clashed with security officials as they tried in vain to reach the US Embassy in Islamabad amid anger in many countries over the film's vulgar depiction of the Prophet Muhammad.
The television ads in Pakistan feature clips of US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during press appearances in Washington in which they condemned the film. Their words were subtitled in Urdu.
"We absolutely reject its content and message," said Clinton in the advertisement. A caption on the ad reads: "Paid Content."
The advertisements end with the seal of the American Embassy in Islamabad. It was not known whether the ads were being run in other Muslim countries.
The advertisements appear to be an effort by the US government to dampen chaos surrounding the film and undo some of the damage to America's image in the Muslim world. Violence linked to the movie has left at least 30 people in seven countries dead, including the American ambassador to Libya. Two people have died in protests in Pakistan.
In recent days, the decision by a French satirical magazine to release cartoons crudely depicting the prophet has added to the tension, as may the upcoming issue of the German satirical magazine Titanic. The magazine's co-editor Martin Sonneborn said it was up to readers to decide whether the cover of an Arab wielding a sword actually depicts the Prophet Muhammad.
Most outrage linked to the amateurish movie, which portrays the prophet as a fraud, womanizer and child molester.
Protests have tapered off in many countries, but in Pakistan yesterday, more than 2,000 people tried to reach the US Embassy inside a guarded enclave that houses embassies and government offices.
Riot police used tear gas and batons to keep the stone-throwing demonstrators away from the enclave, and hundreds of shipping containers were lined up to cordon off the area. The government later called in army troops to protect the restricted areas when it appeared that police could not handle the situation.
"It is our responsibility to protect all our diplomats, all the foreigners," said Pakistani Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira. He criticized protesters for resorting to violence and suggested that various religious and militant groups among the crowd were to blame.
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