Last update - 00:00 20/09/2006
Palestinian sheiks march in W. Bank to protest Pope's speech
By The Associated Press
Dozens of Muslim clerics in black and blue robes marched Wednesday against Pope Benedict XVI in the West Bank city of Hebron, demanding that he make a clear apology for comments that Muslims around the world say insulted their religion.
"All this anger will not stop unless the pope apologizes to the entire Islamic world about what he said about our Prophet Muhammad," said Sheik Taissir Tamimi, a leader of the protest as the head of the Islamic court in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Muslims around the world have reacted angrily to a lecture given by the pope last week in Germany in which he cited a Medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."
In the West Bank and Gaza, several churches were attacked and burned after the pope's comments, though the violence has subsided in recent days.
Benedict said Sunday that he was "deeply sorry" about the reaction to his remarks, and the quoted text did not reflect his own opinions. But many Muslims have said that was not enough.
"Nobody can touch our prophet," chanted the sheiks in Hebron as they held copies of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in the air. "The Pope must apologize." They marched from the center of Hebron to the Cave of the Patriarchs, where Muslims, Christians and Jews believe the biblical forefathers are buried.
Tamimi urged his fellow Muslims in the Palestinian areas not to attack Christians or churches.
The pope said Wednesday that he has "deep respect" for Islam and hopes that his recent remarks lead to dialogue among religions.
"I hope that ... my deep respect for great religions, in particular for Muslims ... has emerged clearly," the pope said during his weekly audience at the Vatican.