By Khalil Hamra, AP
Egyptian protesters run for cover from tear gas during clashes near the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Sept. 13.
CAIRO (AP) -- Egypt's president says it's up to Muslims as part of their Islamic duty to protect embassies and foreign diplomats who are guests in the country.
Mohammad Morsi made the appeal on state TV on Friday, ahead of expected protests across the Muslim world over an anti-Islam film ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad.
As he spoke, riot police fired tear gas and clashed with about 100 protesters a few blocks from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Protests in the Egyptian capital have been ongoing since Tuesday, when an angry crowd scaled the embassy's walls and took down and tore the American flag.
The film Innocence of Muslims has prompted violent protests at U.S. Embassies in the Middle East, resulting in the death of the American ambassador and three staff in Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday.
In Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the deadly attack in Libya, saying it will harm Muslims around the world.
Erdogan said Friday that Islam as a religion "condemns terror acts that harm the innocent" and exhorted Muslim believers to condemn it.
But Erdogan also criticized the film.
Erdogan told participants at an international conference in Ukraine that "insults to Islam's noble values and to the Prophet cannot be assessed within freedom of thought and faith."
In Indonesia, leaders and a prominent cleric have urged calm in the world's largest Muslim majority nation ahead of expected protests over the film.
Jakarta police spokesman Col. Rikwanto says the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta did not request any increased security, but 250 riot police have been put on alert.
The embassy issued an email to American citizens saying a demonstration with an estimated 300 people was expected after Friday prayers.
Innocence of Muslims depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Egyptian protesters run for cover from tear gas during clashes near the U.S. embassy in Cairo, Sept. 13.
CAIRO (AP) -- Egypt's president says it's up to Muslims as part of their Islamic duty to protect embassies and foreign diplomats who are guests in the country.
Mohammad Morsi made the appeal on state TV on Friday, ahead of expected protests across the Muslim world over an anti-Islam film ridiculing the Prophet Muhammad.
As he spoke, riot police fired tear gas and clashed with about 100 protesters a few blocks from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. Protests in the Egyptian capital have been ongoing since Tuesday, when an angry crowd scaled the embassy's walls and took down and tore the American flag.
The film Innocence of Muslims has prompted violent protests at U.S. Embassies in the Middle East, resulting in the death of the American ambassador and three staff in Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday.
In Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned the deadly attack in Libya, saying it will harm Muslims around the world.
Erdogan said Friday that Islam as a religion "condemns terror acts that harm the innocent" and exhorted Muslim believers to condemn it.
But Erdogan also criticized the film.
Erdogan told participants at an international conference in Ukraine that "insults to Islam's noble values and to the Prophet cannot be assessed within freedom of thought and faith."
In Indonesia, leaders and a prominent cleric have urged calm in the world's largest Muslim majority nation ahead of expected protests over the film.
Jakarta police spokesman Col. Rikwanto says the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta did not request any increased security, but 250 riot police have been put on alert.
The embassy issued an email to American citizens saying a demonstration with an estimated 300 people was expected after Friday prayers.
Innocence of Muslims depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to [email protected]. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.