01/02/2007

Cartoon protestor found guilty of race hatred

A British Muslim has been found guilty of stirring up racial hatred during a demonstration in London about cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed.

Abdul Saleem, 31, of Poplar, east London was found guilty at the Old Bailey in London. He had denied the charge.

During a four-day trial, the court heard how Saleem had chanted various slogans, including one that mentioned the July 7 London bombings, during the protest on February 3. Saleem said that he was repeating the slogans because everyone else there was saying them.

Saleem has been remanded in custody until April for pre-sentence reports.

Hundreds of people participated in the protest, which marched from Regents Park Mosque to the Danish Embassy in Sloane Street.

The protest was sparked by the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed in a Danish paper. The cartoons were subsequently reprinted in a number of publications in other European countries.

Islamic tradition bans the depiction of the prophet Mohammed.

(KMcA)

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