Evening Echo: Iran denies inflaming prophet cartoons violence

The Iranian government has hit back at an accusation by US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice that it has inflamed violent protests over caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Mohammad and demanded an apology. Rice, meanwhile, said Iran and Syria should be urging citizens to remain calm - not encouraging violence such as last week’s attacks on Western diplomatic missions in Tehran, Damascus and Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. Nearly a dozen people were also killed in protests in Afghanistan. “If people continue to incite it, it could spin out of control,” she said yesterday on ABC’s This Week as anger mounted over the cartoons of Islam’s most revered figure that first appeared in a Danish newspaper four months ago. The drawings – including one that depicts the prophet wearing a turban shaped like a bomb – have been reprinted in several publications in Europe, the US and elsewhere in what publishers say is a show of solidarity for freedom of expression. The images offended many Muslims as Islam widely holds that representations of the prophet are banned for fear they could lead to idolatry. siehe auch: Iran enraged by accusation of inciting violence. Some point out protests don't happen in Syria and Iran without official permission, Tehran wants Rice apology, Leader says Iran can take sanctions. Iran can withstand whatever punishment the United Nations may impose next month over its nuclear program, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with USA TODAY