Football fans protest against anti-Islam film

NOVI PAZAR A protest gathering against an American film deemed to be insulting to Muslims has been held on Friday in the town of Novi Pazar, ending without incidents. This southwestern town and region is home to Serbia's largest Bosniak (Muslim) population. Football fans protest against anti-Islam film The "protest walk" was organized by supporters of a local football club, and the police in Novi Pazar approved it, saying there were "no appraisals that would lead to the banning of the gathering". Aida Corovic of the Urban In NGO, told Radio B92 ahead of the gathering today that while the protest was "a completely legitimate act", she did not expect it would be organized in this town. While a trailer from the film, dubbed "The Innocence of Muslims", caused anger and violence in Muslim countries, Corovic noted that there had never been protests before during similar controversies: "I don't expect anything to happen in Pazar. I expect a small number of people who are, how should I put it, somewhat nationally and religiously awakened, and I don't believe there will be any excesses. Of course, they're not naive either, we've seen many things happen in the past years - but if it is in somebody's interest for clashes to happen - they will." Corovic also stated that the protest was "just another in a series of events obscuring essential topics, such as the catastrophic economic situation". She further noted that while "the right to an artistic expression was one thing", the film in question and the drawings showing Muslim prophet Mohammed in the French newspapers "were after all a provocation". This NGO head concluded by saying that she "did not understand" why after so much violence and protests caused by the subject during previous years, "somebody was still insisting on it". A view of Novi Pazar (parlament.gov.rs, file) B92

Football fans protest against anti-Islam film

The "protest walk" was organized by supporters of a local football club, and the police in Novi Pazar approved it, saying there were "no appraisals that would lead to the banning of the gathering".

Aida Ćorović of the Urban In NGO, told Radio B92 ahead of the gathering today that while the protest was "a completely legitimate act", she did not expect it would be organized in this town. While a trailer from the film, dubbed "The Innocence of Muslims", caused anger and violence in Muslim countries, Ćorović noted that there had never been protests before during similar controversies:

"I don't expect anything to happen in Pazar. I expect a small number of people who are, how should I put it, somewhat nationally and religiously awakened, and I don't believe there will be any excesses. Of course, they're not naive either, we've seen many things happen in the past years - but if it is in somebody's interest for clashes to happen - they will."

Ćorović also stated that the protest was "just another in a series of events obscuring essential topics, such as the catastrophic economic situation".

She further noted that while "the right to an artistic expression was one thing", the film in question and the drawings showing Muslim prophet Mohammed in the French newspapers "were after all a provocation".

This NGO head concluded by saying that she "did not understand" why after so much violence and protests caused by the subject during previous years, "somebody was still insisting on it".