Thousands protest cartoons

CAIRO, Egypt – Thousands of worshippers emerging from Friday prayers demonstrated against drawings of the Prophet Muhammad in the Mideast, Asia and Africa, clashing with police in some cities despite religious leaders’ attempts to keep marches peaceful.

In Kenya, police shot and wounded one person among about 200 demonstrators trying to march to the residence of Denmark’s ambassador.

About 60 protesters in the Iranian capital, Tehran, threw firebombs at the French Embassy, shattering nearly every window on its street facade, even after a cleric at a prominent Iranian mosque urged people not to attack diplomatic missions.

“Down! Down with France! Down! Down with Israel,” the crowd chanted. One firebomb exploded in the embassy and started a small blaze that was quickly extinguished.

Asia saw its biggest demonstrations yet; most were peaceful. But sporadic violence demonstrated the difficulty Islamic leaders face in managing what Muslims see as righteous anger over satirical drawings of their most revered figure.

The caricatures, one of which showed Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban, were published first in a Danish paper in September, then reprinted in European papers in recent weeks in the name of press freedom.

Arab governments, Muslim clerics and newspaper columnists have been urging calm, fearing that recent weeks of violence have only increased anti-Islamic sentiment in the West.