Supreme Leader Blames US, Zionists for Anti-Islam Movie

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Iranian supreme leader said the US and Zionists' hands can be seen behind the move, and said if Washington statesmen claim to be not involved in this sacrilege of Islam and Islamic values, they should punish those who have designed and orchestrated the move.

"The filthy hand of the enemies of Islam once again revealed its deep-rooted malice by insulting the Grand Prophet [Mohammad] (PBUH) and with an insane and deplorable measure showed the fury of the evil Zionists at the daily-increasing radiance of Islam and Holy Qur'an in the present world.

"Behind this evil move lie the antagonistic policies of the Zionists and the US and other heads of the global arrogance, who in their vain delusions want to knock down the Islamic sanctities from their lofty position in the eyes of the young generations in the world of Islam and to extinguish their religious sentiments. Had they not backed the previous links in this evil chain, namely Salman Rushdie, the Danish cartoonist, and the US pastors who burned the Holy Qur'an and had they not made orders for [production of] tens of anti-Islam movies to companies affiliated to the Zionist capitalists, things would not have lead to this great and unforgivable sin today," said the statement.

"The number one suspects in this crime are Zionism and the US. If the American politicians are honest that they had no role, then they must punish those who committed this heinous crime and their financial backers, who have wrenched the hearts of Muslim nations, in proportion to this great crime," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

"Muslim brothers and sisters must know that this desperate move by the enemies in the wake of the Islamic Awakening is a sign of the grandeur and importance of this uprising and heralds its increasing growth," it added.

Also on Thursday, a large number of Iranian university students staged a protest rally in front of the Swiss embassy in Tehran - which hosts the US interests section in Iran - to condemn the blasphemous movie against Islam, joining tens of thousands of protestors in Libya and Egypt who have taken to streets to condemn the insulting movie against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), named "Innocence of Muslims".

In a final statement issued at the end of the rally, the students said, "Based on article 7 of the UN Charter, any country which endangers the global security should account for its acts and we urge international organizations to seriously ask the US to present explanations."

The Iranian students also warned about the enemies' warmongering plots which seek to create rift among the Muslims and Christians, and said the followers of different religions will foil the enemies' plots by their vigilance and unity.

They called on all the world Muslims to condemn the blasphemous movie and its producers and boycott Youtube for its refusal to remove the trailer of the movie from its footages.

The angry Iranian students chanted anti-US and anti-Israeli slogans and burnt the US flag to voice their protest against the sacrilege of Islam in the US movie.

They also chanted "Death to the US" and "Death to Israel" slogans, and expressed disgust at the US and the Zionist regime's anti-Islam policies.

Security forces prevented the crowd from approaching the diplomatic compound.

Iranian people in Tehran and other cities across the country also plan to stage protests on Friday to show their wrath at the film.

Outrage is growing across the Muslim world over the five-million-US dollar movie that was financed by more than 100 Jews.

Egyptians held a fresh demonstration against the blasphemous movie outside the US Embassy in Cairo in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Security forces scuffled with demonstrators and fired tear gas at the angry protesters.

Egyptian protesters held similar demonstrations outside the embassy during the past two days.

On Tuesday, thousands of Egyptians stormed the embassy, scaled its walls, pulled down the US flag and called for the expulsion of the US ambassador to Egypt. They also asked the US government to apologize to the Muslim world over the release of the movie.

A few hours later, clashes broke out at the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi after a group of people held a demonstration to protest against the anti-Islam movie. US ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three staff members of the US consulate were killed during clashes at the consulate building. According to a US official, at least five other Americans were also wounded during the clashes.

Washington has been evacuating most of its diplomatic staff from Libya to Germany following the attack. The US has also stepped up security at its diplomatic missions in other countries.

Innocence of Muslims, previously called Desert Warriors and Innocence of Bin Laden, is a 2012 anti-Muslim film about Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

The film was made in the United States by a man initially reported by US media to be an American-Israeli who relied on funding from 100 Jews.

But subsequent reporting found that figure to be fictitious, likely invented by a Coptic Christian living in California and identified as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. The film was being promoted by a Florida pastor, Terry Jones, known for previous Koran-burning stunts that angered Muslims in various countries.
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