Four people were killed on February 8, including two shot dead by police in the Afghan city of Mihtarlam when demonstrators attacked security forces. Two others were killed in the capital Kabul when the crowds intended to storm the Bagram military base.   

A 14-year-old boy was also killed when demonstrators attacked Somali security forces.

Earlier on February 5, a demonstrator lost his life after jumping from the third storey of the Danish Embassy in Beirut which was set on fire by other demonstrators.  

Over the past few days, demonstrations against newspapers portraying the Prophet have spread throughout the world. Initially, demonstrations only broke out in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran and Palestine before spreading to other Muslim countries in Africa and Asia, including Somalia, Afghanistan, Indonesia, India and Thailand.

Notably, clashes between Muslims and Catholics in Lebanon raised special concern among world leaders as previous similar conflicts have sparked civil war in this country. Muslim demonstrators’ hurling stones into Catholic shrines would rekindle resentment between the two religious communities, which could result in unforeseen consequences unless measures are taken to stop the conflicts.

Realising the danger of the crisis, world leaders have called on concerned parties to stay calm and resolve the situation through dialogues. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan voiced his support for freedom of the press, but said the press should be respectful of religions and beliefs. He called on concerned parties to conduct dialogues in the spirit of mutual respect.

In a statement, the US Department of State said that the publication of cartoons, which has sparked racial and religious resentment, is unacceptable.

Other world leaders also criticised the publication of cartoons that caused outrage throughout the Muslim world. However, they renounced the violence by Muslim extremists. Lebanon Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said that his country does not accept rioters’ acts affecting other religions and badly damaging Islam’s image.

Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai also condemned the publications of caricatures, as well as the violent demonstrations.

The conflicts came after Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten published 12 cartoons portraying the Prophet Muhammad, including one showing Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban. The case seemed to be forgotten until the Danish newspaper re-published the cartoons in January 2006, sparking outrage across the Muslim world.

Other newspapers in France, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Ukraine inflamed the tense situation after re-printing the caricatures of the Prophet. The situation is now difficult to control as Muslim extremists have made use of the row to stir up religious resentment.