Iraqi Protestors Set Effigy Of Pope Ablaze
Josephine Roque - All Headline News Staff Writer Basra, Iraq (AHN) - Angry Iraqis by the hundreds set an effigy of Pope Benedict XVI ablaze and demanded an apology for statements made regarding Islam. The demonstrators are members of the Ayatollah Mahmud al-Hassani, a mystic Shiite cleric who claims to be in direct contact with Shiite religious figures. The gathered group also burned German and American flags. The members of the group had also protested at the Iranian consulate earlier when an Iranian television program made negative remarks about their leader. A chain reaction of protest has spread among Muslims worldwide after the pontiff quoted a 14th-century Byzantine emperor who said innovations made by the Prophet Mohammed were "evil and inhuman". The pope said he was "deeply sorry" for the furor caused by his speech and cited that the quote does not reflect his personal opinion. So far, only a handful of Muslim groups have accepted the pope's apology and most Muslim nations have yet not yet responded.
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