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Indonesians protest Muhammad drawings

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Associated Press - February 23, 2008

Surabaya – Muslims protested in two Indonesian cities Saturday over drawings in Denmark portraying the Prophet Muhammad, with some calling for the artist to be put to death.

"Enough is enough. They have to stop insulting Islam," said Muhammad Djabir, one of about 1,000 protesters in the mostly Muslim country's second-largest city, Surabaya. Others in the crowd outside the Danish consulate shouted "Death sentence for the cartoonist!"

The drawing, reprinted in 17 Danish newspapers earlier this month, shows the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban and was one of 12 drawings that sparked protests in Muslim countries when they were first published in 2006, including Indonesia.

The newspapers said they were reprinting it in support of free speech after three men were arrested in an alleged plot to kill the cartoonist.

Protesters also gathered in Medan, Indonesia's third largest city. "There is a big agenda among enemies of Islam to discredit the faith and we cannot just keep quiet," said protester Zainuddin, who goes by a single name.

The republication of the drawing has prompted protests in several Muslim countries.

Indonesia is home to 190 million Muslims, more than any other country. Most practice a tolerant brand of Islam, though in recent years a long-existing radical fringe has grown louder.

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