Violent mobs set afire six cinema houses in Karachi, Peshawar
Protesters torch a cinema in Peshawar, Pakistan on Friday, Sept 21, 2012. — AP Photo
PESHAWAR: Angry demonstrators set fire to at least six cinemas in Peshawar and Karachi on Friday amidst violent protests as the country marked a day of protests against an anti-Islam film.
Protestors attacked Capri, Nishat and Prince cinemas in Karachi, as they marched on the main M.A. Jinnah road in the city’s downtown area.
According to DawnNews, Capri and Nishat cinemas were partially damaged while Prince cinema was set afire by violent mobs.
Pakistani police inspect a burnt-out cinema complex following violent protests against an anti-Islam film in Karachi on September 22, 2012. — AFP Photo
Meanwhile, one protester was wounded when a cinema guard opened fire as angry crowds armed with clubs and bamboo poles converged on the Firdaus picture house, smashing it up and setting furniture ablaze, police officer Gohar Ali told AFP.
Witnesses said a rampaging crowd stormed the Shama cinema, smashing windows and setting it on fire.
When the protestors reached Arbab Road in the provincial capital, they attacked Capital cinema. The mobs broke down the cinema’s main gate and set fire to its screen.
Pakistani Muslim demonstrators prise a hoarding from a wall as they attack a cinema complex during a protest in Peshawar on September 21, 2012. — AFP Photo
Tens of thousands are expected to take to the streets across the country after the government called an impromptu public holiday to let people protest.
Security in the country was tight, with shops and businesses closed and usually busy streets deserted, after calls from all the major political and religious parties for a day of protest.
The authorities shut down the mobile phone network in major cities across the country in an effort to avoid violence. - Files from AFP and DawnNews
Protesters torch a cinema in Peshawar, Pakistan on Friday, Sept 21, 2012. — AP Photo
We have a scidal tendency and the enemies know it. We excel in destroying ourselves. I saw the TV coverage about protests. For he youth it seemed le a carnival they were enjoying burning and looting. So much for the love of Islam—- If you can’t hurt e culprit, kill your own people. We are a storage people, we don’t to,erate even the Muslims of other firqas.
If nation wants to protest , boycott USA rather than destroying your own peoples property
If we had to declare a day “for the love of the Prophet(pbuh)”, does this mean that we don’t have to love him now for the rest of the year?
..Peace
Pakistan badly needs secular education in their curriculum. For decades they have taught to hate other religions and minorities. For years, there has been a fanning of extremism and a lack of affirmative action against these fundamentalism by the Government. This has led to Pakistan being considered among the failed nations of the world today.
As a non-muslim, whatever I have learned about Prophet Muhammed, I can say emphatically that this is not the kind of reaction he would have liked his followers to show against some crazy person who is bent upon distorting facts. The best way is to completely ignore the bigots who produced the film, and took advantage of free speech in America. The kind of voilence and destruction, unfortunately, helps the bigots’ cause. Let cool heads prevail.
Makes no sense when Pakistanis ask for and get U S financial aid, ask for them to buy products made in your country, and then burn their flag and riot in the streets crying out ” DEATH TO AMERICA DEATH TO THE U S A.”. Many ignorant sheep following dangerous lunatics.
Although nothing new, what a sad day! I hope the nation can see through the right lense here.
What hapenned today was not the result of hurt feelings caused by blasphemous content. It was the inevitable outburst from years of living frustrated lives. You can not expect a society to be positive after years of deprivation from the basic necessities of life. Blasphemy and raymond davis and what not, are just the catalysts. The real ingredients at play here are the abscene of those basic human rights that are being denied in our country at every other step of an average pakistani and nurturing all this hostility in their minds.
Here’s what’s hapenning – Our enemies know very well what kind people are running the country. They also know that because of those leaders, the people pf our nation have all the ingredients to damage ourselves. So every now and then, they add a bit of that ‘catalyst’ and watch the reaction.
I wish that we can divert our attention to the more critical on-going agenda at hand and work on the ‘Ingredients’ if we can sucessfully remove those, the catalyst won’t be able to do much!
Right said Khan
Let us pray to ALLAH TAALA, the Ultimate Forgiver, for the normalization all around!
Be it on any piece of Mother Earth, violence in any form ought to be despised, condemned and refused a place in heart. Such horrible eruptions are a conglomerate of opportunistic intentions, deviant psyches, brainwashed innocent mentalities and unresolved prejudices.
The ultimate bearer, the common man !
This is not the first time it happened to the peaceful and moderate people. Indeed this is the second time. The first time it happened was on the moderate and peaceful civilization of Gandhara of Pakistan. We only now see the ruins of it. The ruins of modern day Pakistan is not near if we are not careful enough.
Few more videos and we will be wiped out as a country
Agree, Could not be said any better.
I hope God give us guidance to understand what is right and what
is wrong when it comes to protest. Damaging property and country’s infrastructure will only bring us more misery. Let us hope we can understand and follow
a path of non violence and still be able to get our point across.
Not an iota of Islamic teachings or the teaching of our beloved nabi (PBUH) reflect in these crowds, wonder what they are bringing mayhem for ?
religion of peace.
Once again you paint the whole religon because of actions of the few
Yeah Moez, kind of like burning down consulates and burning KFCs because of the actions of one little known movie director.
Apt!
It is always the action of the few which dictates the direction of a Nation
Sarcasm wont help. Before pointing our fingers at our neighbors let us introspect: are we any better? Given the political liberty and religious freedom in India, which are almost on par with western countries and which we boast, are 1000 times better than in Pakistan , are we behaving any better?
One can easily understand that this is not the mood of 99% pakistanis..Why 1% of the population is destroying a country ? Why people are not burning anything in the UAE ? Pakistanis should think about that.
how would burning the cinemas going to help their cause? Also, how can we blame outsiders of trying to hurt our country, when we ourselves are doing a pretty fine job ourselves? I never thought i will ever get to see my beautiful country “Pakistan” being destroyed by my own people. It surely hurts. Only a miracle can turn this country around and God knows – we need that miracle now!!
Pakistani moderates are a majority, why are they allowing the country to be overrun by this minority of lunatics ?
Things are getting worse every day now
Madness is not a love; its destruction. When we Muslims do something bad and don’t care about others then its OK. where are Saudies and Iranian. Where we were sleeping from JULY. To whom agenda we are following. If we ourselves say Muhammad (PBUH) is just like us then he can act like us then why we are angry if other saying so.
Unfortunately west is playing with Jazbaat, only Muslims are facing losses and killing by such violent acts. the west laughing to see our burning homes. O my Muslim brothers, please dont indulge yourself in such violent acts.
How many places did the Prophet burned when he was insulted? Answer = 0.
If you love the Prophet then FOLLOW his teaching and remember destroying public and private property was NOT his teaching.
so the circus has began, well done Pak Govt and Pakis