Muslims 'should exercise more tolerance'

Doha: Muslims around the world should exercise more tolerance, patience and seize the opportunity to make Europe feel "ashamed", a leading Bosnian religious figure said.

Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia-Herzegovina, advised against violently protesting outside western diplomatic missions in Muslim countries to protest the Danish cartoons.

"I expect Muslims to be of higher moral standards. We should not have turned violent and burnt embassies," he said.

"In Nigeria today 16 people were killed. In Libya you have 11 people dead. Why? This is more damaging than the cartoons," he added, in reference to the demonstrations held in both countries in the past two days, as well as many other cities.

In Islam, the Mufti has the authority to issue religious fatwa (edicts).

"We should take this opportunity to make Europe feel ashamed and we have to benefit from that. And now, some Muslims have to go to Europe to apologise for what they did for their [European] embassies."

"We have to boycott the products of Denmark until Denmark realises its mistake and comes and says the magic word: Sorry," Ceric told Gulf News in an interview on the sidelines of the three-day forum on relations between the US and Muslim world.

The Danish government has announced it wouldn't apologise for something it didn't do, while the paper, that was the first to publish the cartoons, has apologised.

But later, many newspapers published the cartoons calling it "freedom of expression".

"This cartoons have not decreased our respect for our Prophet, but it didn't increase freedoms in Europe," Ceric said.

Echoing the sentiments of other religious leaders Ceric added the cartoons that were published in several European, western and Asian publications, have "united all Muslims, whether radicals or not".

US embassy property damaged

Muslim protesters destroy the window of an empty guard house at the US Embassy during a demonstration in Jakarta on Sunday.

Around 400 protesters threw rocks, eggs, and tomatoes at the US Embassy in Jakarta protesting against the cartoons.

The US Embassy called the attacks deplorable, describing them as acts of "thuggery."

Tens of thousands of people also protested against the cartoons in Istanbul on Sunday.