weekend of muslim demo in london'Thousands' due at cartoons demo Thousands of Muslims are expected to join a protest in London over cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.
The Muslim Action Committee - an umbrella group for mosques, community leaders and groups - will lead a march from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park.
They will launch a charter supporting a ban on religious discrimination.
It is the third consecutive week of protests in the capital - last weekend some 5,000 people took part in a peaceful pro-Islam gathering.
Organisers from the committee say they will have 400 stewards to control the demonstration.
Protests against the cartoons, first printed in Denmark, have taken place in Muslim countries across the world.
Outbreaks of violence across Pakistan have prompted Denmark to temporarily close its embassy in Islamabad.
Last week protesters waved banners calling for unity against Islamophobia in a peaceful demonstration.
Guest speakers at that event included Respect MP George Galloway and Ben Kent, friend of British hostage Norman Kember.
The Muslim Council of Britain along with the Muslim Association of Britain and a number of Christian groups, peace organisations and the Mayor of London helped organise that protest.
The event was intended to highlight the opinions of moderate Muslims after demonstrators earlier this month carried placards threatening violence through the capital.
Among the images which have sparked outcry is one of Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban on his head.
Newspapers in Spain, Italy, Germany and France reprinted the material.
ok the facts.
The fake rally
The BBC report on the "United against Incitement and Islamophobia" rally planned for Trafalgar Square"The rally ... wasx organised by the Muslim Council of Britain, the Muslim Association of Britain and a number of Christian organisations."Well, yes. Two minor inaccuracies and a curious omission. According to main organisers the Muslim Association of Britain and the Islamic Forum of Europe, the MCB are 'supporters', not organisers.Secondly the 'number of Christian organisations' appears to be one - Pax Christi, a 'peace group' wholly focused on Palestine and the Middle East. (UPDATE - I'm sure their presence is nothing to do with the fact that a trustee of their educational arm, Norman Kember, is currently an enforced guest of the Swords of Truth Brigade in Iraq. Hat-tip to Rick in the comments).The curious omission? The appearance of the Socialist Workers Party front the Stop the War Coalition, or the state-funded Operation Black Vote is not unexpected. But surely the fact that the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament considers the suppression of cartoons of Mohammmed a part of its campaigning work is newsworthy? I'd have asked them for an interview.UPDATE - just a thought. Has the BBC website not realised yet that the cartoons were published in Egypt last October? I can't see the story anywhere.thanks Laban
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