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Akhtar Soomro / Reuters
Protests ignited by a controversial film that ridicules Islam's Prophet Muhammad spread throughout Muslim world.
News analysis
Updated at 7:53 a.m. ET: CAIRO — It's been just over a week since hundreds, perhaps a thousand, angry and offended Egyptians gathered outside the U.S. Embassy's gates in Cairo. They carried Islamist banners and chanted, "The only God is God and Muhammad is his Prophet."
At one point perhaps two dozen of the more brazen protesters scaled the wall and breached the embassy grounds. They lowered and destroyed the U.S. flag and raised a black, Islamic flag in its place. They fled when security guards (not the Egyptian police) fired warning shots over their heads.
This amounted to little violence, but the act itself was the psychological equivalent of taking a beachhead. Within hours reports emerged that a similarly sized group had stormed the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Some were calling it a copycat protest, but it was much more perilous: Four Americans were killed in the melee, including the U.S. ambassador.
Within 48 hours the world would witness angry protests unfolding at U.S. embassies, businesses and symbols of power in more than 20 countries.
Protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and pulled down the American flag during a protest over what they said was a film produced in the United States that insulted the Prophet Muhammad. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
This paroxysm of protest — and violence — had begun in Cairo. But what, really, began there?
Much of the mainstream media has played it as a spontaneous reaction to a disgusting film clip which denigrated Muslims and happened to be made and promoted in the USA.
But New York Times editorialist Ross Douthat argued it had nothing to do with a "genuine popular backlash," but everything to do with old-style power politics. For Jim Clifton, chairman of the pollster Gallup, it wasn't about religion or politics, but rather the desperate expression of young Arab males, deeply humiliated because they couldn't find jobs.
'Political manipulation'
Egyptian analysts seem to be more in agreement: Many protesters outside the U.S. Embassy were genuinely offended by the film. But the real driving force behind the protest — in Cairo and Benghazi — were radical Islamist groups who know how to exploit rage for political gain.
Actors and the assistant director of the film "Innocence of Muslims" told NBC News that the original spoken lines in the screenplay were dubbed over without their knowledge. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
"There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered," said Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian journalist. "For instance, why after two months of being on YouTube did this film suddenly explode on the anniversary of 9/11? That is political manipulation and manufactured outrage that the right wing is all too happy to use.''
Egypt issues arrest warrants for Terry Jones, Coptic Christians over anti-Islam video
By "right-wing" Eltahawy means ultra conservatives – often called Salafists – who practice a strict, puritanical form of Islam and make up the fastest-growing Islamic political and social movement in the world. On the night of the Cairo embassy attacks, the Salafists saw an opportunity to flex their muscles.
"A lot of people went to the U.S. Embassy not just because of the film, and after the film died down, it wasn't about the film anymore," Eltahawy explained. "They went because of anti-U.S. sentiment, because they know in this region how easy it is to fan the flames of anger."
French officials are preparing for a potential violent backlash as a satirical magazine defends its decision to publish cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad. NBC's Michelle Kosinski reports.
Dr. Gamal Abdel Gawad, a highly respected Egyptian political analyst, agrees.
"I don't think it was spontaneous," he told NBC News. "People were gathering in one place at a certain time of day, so there was some mobilization behind it.''
Actress sues, says she was fooled into appearing in anti-Muslim movie
And it's clear to Gawad who did the mobilizing. "Radical Salafist groups orchestrated it to express their views and embarrass the [more moderate] Muslim Brotherhood because of competition between Islamic groups."
Post Arab-Spring power play
What's enfolding in Egypt – and to a large extent in Libya — is not just a series of isolated power plays. In both countries the leaders who emerged from the Arab Spring are struggling to eke out a political center in order to govern their new democracies, while under extreme pressure from more radical Islamist — sometimes jihadist — forces. Everything is still at stake.
This has led some Egyptians — like Eltahawy — to worry that their 18-month-old revolution will be hijacked by the extremists.
"I'm hoping that this right-wing drive of the past days is the dying pangs of a group that understands that the revolution was started by us, the majority, and we remain very much the majority."
Crowds of angry protesters showed up in Kabul, Afghanistan and Jakarta, Indonesia. The violent uprising followed a deadly weekend marking the deaths of eight International Security Assistance Force members. NBC's Atia Abawi reports.
Gawad is more sanguine about the future. "The revolution is over. The president is in power, and Egyptian political parties are busy preparing for elections and campaigns. The radical groups can't get significant numbers elected," he said. Still, as dramatic scenes over the past week have shown, those groups — often armed — can wreak havoc.
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi seemed to give ground to the Salafists, even leaving the country at the height of a standoff between stone-throwing protesters and riot police for diplomatic meetings abroad.
Finally, last Saturday, he gave the order to clear out the protesters and appeared on TV calling on Muslims to protect foreign citizens and property. Some called it a turning point.
Now that a Paris-based satirical magazine has published cartoons of a naked Prophet Muhammad, will Egyptians respond with silent indignation, peaceful marches or be the first to storm their French Embassy?
Jim Maceda is an NBC News foreign correspondent based in London and currently on assignment in Cairo. He has covered the Middle East since the 1970s.
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Leave a Comment:
Republicans are full on board with these nutbags by exploiting the protests for political gain here in the US too.
Dale I have been a registered democrat since 1972 and have to say that people like you prove that the democratic party is not the party that I registered for in 1972.
I think and vote independently from the ultra liberal democrats. Your point is stupid. To discuss the truth is not for political gain, it is however for the purpose to educating the gullible such as yourself.
Your post was an attack on the opposition party but does not go to the heart of the issue, which is the protests had little if anything to do with the film and more to do with the fact that the radical muslims hate our culture and what we stand for. They want to force all non-muslims to convert to muslim and impose sharia law over the planet.
Now where is the political gain there other than to alert the American citizens what is really happening between the radical muslims and the rest of the world.
This country[the good ole usa] can't continue to force its way of govment on a people that don't want anything to do with us.It is way overdue for us to get the hell out of the middle east.These people will continue to fight til the end of time.
I do love it when the mainstream media tries to explain the painfully obvious...even more amusing are the moronic libs who try to apply a GOP conspiracy to all this...
Some members of the human race explore other planets. Some burn flags and shake their fists in the air.
Not sure how well the protests are working as intended. Honestly it makes me believe less in your god that he needs people like this to defend him...
The point here is that there are still a few political and news people still pushing that it was the film and not the fact that the radical muslims will never accept non muslims societies to co-exist.
Gee what a suprise, Lord Obama's plans are backfiring, does this mean he will go on another Apology tour? If he dose, maybe this time they will Keep Him! Just take Joe with ya this time...
Hey NBC - where's your story about this administration being in negotiations with Egypt to release the blind sheik? You know, the guy who engineered the 1998 WTC bombing and who was planning to bomb all of the bridges and tunnels into NYC? You know, the guy currently serving a life sentence in this country for his terroristic activities?
I guess, when Obama get's "more flexibility" after this election, it's not only his plans for Russia that we have to worry about. Obama will release this sheik just like the Lockerbie bomber was released. I guess he's still trying to "extend that hand so they will unclench their fist."
mominj... NBC would like nothing better for the blind sheik to be released. You will see not story that would alert the American citizen voter to the fact that this president in an appeaser to the muslim religion.
The Christian religion has not attempted to forcibly convert people to the Christian religion in hundreds of years, nor have they called for war against the muslim religion, however the muslim religion does call for forcible conversion to the muslim religion. They have also been at war over religion since the creation of the religion.
When president obama extends his hand in friendship the radical muslims will chop off the hands of America.
He announced when we were leaving Afghanistan and looks what happening right now. We have had our soldiers attacked by the Afghanistan police/military who were plants by the Taliban.
I think it was almost that obvious, that all of that expressed rage and fury against the United States, had less to do with a movie - The general population in those places are so oppressed, deprived and misled to such a degree, that they're walking emotional time-bombs, easily trigger by anyone with an agenda against America and the west!
"I live my life for Muhammad" is an illusion most of them live - If that was so, they would not be acting that way in light of any criticism against Prophet Muhammad (saw) - During his life while preaching the message of AL-Islam, he was attacked, criticized,and pelted with feces many times, but did nothing in retaliation against his attackers - That was his "practice" and "example" (Sunnah)...Why aren't those people doing the same? Myself, being an American Muslim covert, knows that!
Uneducated... is the best way to explain the sentiment of these protestors. The US has taken advantage of Middle Easterners lack of visibility of the rest of the world and the half-baked, insensitive civil livelihoods of these culturally challenged nations and their puffed-up leaders, which is now finally coming to head because the US now has a leader who is "not" puffed-up, and who has a demonstrated respect for all of humanity, and the dam is finally unable to contain the flood of middle east disdain for "US" democracy. It's ridiculous that the US 'says' it wants to promote democracy when the elected officials of this country, such as boehner, mcconnell, cheney and the likes of romney, ryan, trump and the cronies they smooze, outwardly and hatefully defy the most prestigious office in this country. They are HYPOCRITES! Everyone of them... and they are as racially prejudice as the southern slave owners of days past. They may claim they are not with their words, but their actions, and the privacy they believe they have in certain circles, say otherwise. They may claim it's all fair in the political game... but not when it's consistent throughout the cycle of the elected official. The Americans that have been in charge of this country in recent years have had the most powerful nfluence over the unrest throughout the rest of the planet. If we were supposed to be the world's example of democracy, we were not even poor teachers because no other nation was able to learn anything of sustaining value from us except how to be liars, deceivers, underminers and racists. I hope the fever does break when President Obama is reelected so that we can finally begin to demonstrate what a true civil society should look like... one that considers "ALL" of the people, native and foreign, and treats them with respect and dignity.
Interesting comment and perspective.
I share a good bit of your sentiment, however, unless I am misreading, the contention that the Democrats are somehow not as corrupt as the Republicans is a little hard to buy into. The Democrats cow tow and play into the hands of the Corporate Elite and the Moneyed Few that buy and sell our polititions on a daily basis. Mr. Obama and his corp of miscreants are no exception. Although somewhat off topic, I would ask that you consider the current "techno war" that is being touted as the saviour of our booted troops. The Drone War is currently giving Eisenhower's "Military Industrial Complex" the billions of dollars a year that he warned of way back in the early sixties. Yes, we still ignore the facts and buy into the spin. The White house reviews and approves every attack we engage in and the White house reviews the tapes and video of every attack and DOES NOT release them. It is Middle East sentiment that these attacks have never been defensive but rather used to target political opponents of puppets we have installed and supported.
Now I wish to iterate that yes politically I tend to align with the Republicans. Not this year, and I do not believe that Mr. Obama has the best interests of what I consider to be my United States of America on his agenda. In my opinion the American People simply do not have a candidate.
Terrorism feeds the rich.
Yes.
It does.
Banksters! The 1%! The "Party of NO"! The "War on Women"!
Ringing any liberty bells?
when you protest know what you are protesting against and know what you are protesting for
The simple fact that this country keeps ignoring is that the Islamic culture cannot and will not EVER be able to support a Jeffersonian style democracy. They don't believe in freedom - not of religion, not of speech, not of ANYTHING.
Every time these cultures have a chance to get out from under a secular, dictatorial leader, they vote in an Islamist regime that will no doubt be even more dictatorial.
It's what they want. Let them have it just keep our missles pointed towards them so that they know an attack on America will mean total destruction of their entire, miserable country. It's what we should have done in Afghanistan - bombed them into glass.
the most stupid thing ever seen. for a crime to be a crime there must be a criminal, the victim and the injuries
here we only have the criminal and the the supposed injuries but not the injured party, what a fkg none-sence. why not the supposed offended party shows up and do something if () at all exist
They murdered an Innocent man just trying to do his job!! We should leave these %ucked up countries and let the $ssholes kill each-other! I don't care about a religion that kills for an insult..so every time they burn our flag..that is not an insult to us? How would they like it if we started to do the same $hit to them every time they burn one of our flags? An insult is not the same as a bullet my friends and we need to start to put foots in #sses!
The Muslims murdered 4 men....they also raped the ambassador for an added insult...The fact that the ambassador supported the revolution didn't matter to the pious Muslims...as usual they wanted blood...
Obama is a right wing muslim. Have you seen the leaked video of him saying he believes in a government that controls the media? This isn't the only "unamerican" thing he says.
Obama says Islam is a religion of peace...
Obviously it doesn't take much to get these pea brain Muslims into a frenzy. Let me clue all the Muslims in on something, if you're ever close enough to me when you start this @!$%# I will have no problem and letting you give your life for Muhammad...in fact, I'll give you the express pass. I'm so tired of hearing about the poor misunderstood Muslims it makes me sick. You idiots are following some dead prophet and your killing thousands in his name; how sick can you get. You deserve no sympathy, understanding, nor tolerance because you provide none of those things in return to those who don't believe in this trash.
Come on folks, a couple thousand years ago the Jewish religion out of fear, had a guy nailed to a cross and to this day regret it, twelve years ago the Muslim religion caused some planes to fly into two buildings...WTF over?.
Government is an attempt to control and organize people, as a group, in a civilized manner (my definition) where as religion is a total mind f**k (also, my definition).
And can someone tell me about the 72 virgin's deal, like the lady suicide bomber the other day, am I to believe she gets 72 male virgin's...naw, I don't think so.
Basically "what we have here, is failure to communicate"!
To bad Jimmy Jones (humm, another religious genus) didn't set up camp in the mid east years ago and make huge vats of kool aid!
Actually, it was the Roman army which occupied Israel at that time in history who "had a guy nailed to a cross" but don't let facts get in your way Noche Jester.
...
This is geat news.
The white house position, that that the war on terror is over and we won thanks to the president, is validated.
...
No, you're mistaken. That was Junior that said "Mission Accomplished". Obama has said no such thing. He has, however, taken out Bin Laden and many other key terrorists that Junior and his draft-dodging buddies couldn't.
@Valid....You should join the military so you can learn what a mission is. Should you ever join the service you will learn that in the time of war units are given missions/objectives, and when the mission is accomplished it doesn't mean the war is over. The left wing extreemist talking points are so lame and pathetic it's not funny!. Did obama ever sign up for the selective service system as was required by law????????????.
Don't you have to be a U.S. citizen first before you are required to 'sign up'? ;)
@Noche....You have a valid point there!.
The military accepts non citizens...many non citizen soldiers become citizens after they become soldiers...Obama encourages the relaxation of US rules and laws to allow more jobs for non citizens...
I have seen this so called Arab Spring destroy much but build nothing. Not one positive thing has come of it. It has provided the radicals an opportunity from which to cause death and destruction in the guise of social evolution. The focus is on hatred of all that is not Islamic. How embarrassing it must be to be led from one destructive escapade to the next by which ever religious nut is in charge of the plebeians at the moment. The very way of life they claim to be preserving is being destroyed by the mindless following of radicals who hate the fact that there are other ways of life.
Did the Salafists read the Koch brothers playbook when they orchestrated the town hall protests in Democrat town hall meetings? Sounds like chicanery can occur anywhere in the world.
Desecrating our flag is as offensive to me as a cartoon or movie is to the radical Muslims. They want the rest of the world to bow to their sensitivities, yet totally disregard the sensitivities of the rest of the world. Perhaps we should publish more cartoons and movies, not fewer.
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That is not true.
They really are very sensitive people.
They do get a little carried away when they insist on ripping the clitois' out of young women.
And, of course, it is true that if you are not moslem you cannot get into Mecca.
But those are just little quirky things.
...
"The only God is God and Muhammad is his Prophet". A prophet that tells its people to kill. Muslims live in a complete fantasy world. They might as well join Scientology.
It is apparent that the uprising was not related to the video. There are deeper problems. A failed foreign policy and the old sleepy osama is dead everything fine now attitude. Simply, Obama's foreign policy is a "complete failure". Hillary Clinton 2016 just went up in smoke. The run and cover operation of the obama administration is clearly in view. They must have gotten some of that lieing talent from the VP. Another fine being that was booted from college. (At least that's what the rumor is)
Now, for the media. I really wonder about Brian Wiliams. It would be a great contribution to the world of news if this "clown" was removed form his job. I'm beginning to wonder if the obama media would cover for Adolf Hitler. They are doing an awful good job covering for the socialist failure obama.