http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... cart12.xml
Leader of cartoon rally warns of 'fire throughout the world'
By Ben Leapman, Nina Goswami and Charlotte McDonald-Gibson
(Filed: 12/02/2006)
A Muslim leader behind a mass rally in London yesterday gave a warning of "fire throughout the world" if the West continues to publish cartoons of Mohammed.
At the protest in Trafalgar Square, attended by 5,000 Muslims, there were no arrests and none of the inflammatory placards or costumes seen at last weekend's demonstrations.
The London protest was attended by 5,000 Muslims
However, a row erupted over comments by Dr Azam Tamimi, a senior figure in the Muslim Association of Britain, which staged the event. He told Sky News: "The publication of these cartoons will cause the world to tremble. Fire will be throughout the world if they don't stop."
Last night Louise Ellman, the Labour MP and vice-chairman of Labour Friends of Israel, said: "It is inciting confrontation when he should be calming the situation." A Muslim Labour MP at the protest distanced himself from Dr Tamimi's comments. Sadiq Khan, the MP for Tooting, said: "Speakers can get carried away, but they are just flowery words. I don't take them on board and others shouldn't."
Organisers of the rally said it was intended to show that moderate Muslims believed in peaceful protest. Coaches brought protesters from Bradford, Oldham, Luton, Leicester, Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow and imams had appealed for the avoidance of behaviour that would "shame Islam".
Thousands of official placards bore the slogans "United against Incitement", "United against Islamaphobia" and "Mohammed - Symbol of Freedom and Honour".
More than 700 police and stewards were on hand to stop the rally being hijacked.
Police, criticised last week for standing by while protesters displayed slogans such as "Massacre those who insult Islam", ordered demonstrators to remove Socialist Worker stickers saying "Blair must go".
The rally was endorsed by the Muslim Council of Britain and speakers included the Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather and Labour's Jeremy Corbyn. But while most speakers received noisy applause, there was an eerie quiet - and some booing - when George Galloway, the Respect MP, addressed the crowd.
Habibur Rahman, the president of the Islamic Forum Europe, told extremists: "When you burn the Union Jack what are you burning but the flag of your home?"