(26 Sep 2012)
The head of a hardline Islamist group in Pakistan on Wednesday accused US President Barack Obama of laying the foundations "for igniting a clash of civilisations."
Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, head of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, was addressing the "National Consultation Conference for the Prophet's Honour" in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.
The conference follows worldwide protests against a low-budget film produced in the US called "Innocence of Muslims" which denigrates the Prophet Muhammad.
The film has sparked unrest in many parts of the Muslim world over the past few days, and the deaths of at least 33 people, including the US ambassador to Libya, have been linked to the violence.
Much of the anger has been directed at the US government even though the film was privately produced in the US, and American officials have criticised it for insulting Muslims.
Dozens of religious leaders were attending Wednesday's conference, which was organised by Jamaat-ud-Dawa.
Referring to Obama's speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, in which the US president defended the principles of free speech, Saeed said the US government had "become part of this blasphemy".
Pakistan's government declared last Friday a national holiday - "Day of Love for the Prophet" - and called on people to take to the streets to protest peacefully about the film.
But the demonstrations turned violent, and at least 21 people were killed.
Meanwhile on Wednesday in Karachi, hundreds of students of the University of Karachi protested against the film.
The issue became linked with Terry Jones, a pastor in Florida who gained notoriety in 2010 when he announced plans to burn copies of the Quran, following claims that he was behind the film.
Jones is not thought to be connected to the film in any way whatsoever.
Wednesday's protest took place at the university campus where angry students hanged and burned an effigy of Jones.
One of the those taking part said Jones and the film's producer, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula (who is also known as Sam Basil), had "hurt the feelings of Muslims."
"To show how much we love our Prophet Muhammad, we have staged this demonstration. To show anger we have hanged a dummy of Terry Jones," he added.
Some of the most intense protests against the controversial film have erupted in Pakistan, where the role of Islam in society is sacrosanct and anti-American sentiment runs high.
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