Thousands protest in Nigeria’s north over Prophet Muhammad film

KANO, Nigeria – Thousands of people are walking through the streets of Nigeria’s largest city to protest a film that Muslims say is offensive about the Prophet Muhammad.

The protests began Saturday in Kano in Nigeria’s Muslim north. The crowd grew larger as it left the mosque and people marched toward the palace of the Emir of Kano, the region’s top spiritual leader for Muslims.

The crowd was peaceful though vocal about their anger over the release of the video called “Innocence of Muslims,” which ridicules the Prophet Muhammad by portraying him as a fraud, a womanizer and a child molester.

Last week thousands marched in the northwest city of Sokoto. Another crowd of angry youths in central Nigeria were dispersed by troops firing gunshots into the air.