IRISH CITIZENS have been advised not to travel to Libya following violent protests there over a film insulting the Muslim prophet Muhammad.
US ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three embassy staff were killed earlier this week in violence in the eastern city of Benghazi.
The US-made film Innocence of Muslims has also sparked violent protests in Egypt, Yemen, Sudan and the Lebanon and there are fears the demonstrations could spread to other Muslim countries.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said further violent incidents were possible across Libya.
“We advise all Irish citizens [in Libya] to take extra precautions and to continue to avoid political gatherings and demonstrations,” it said. It also advised citizens to be alert to developments elsewhere in north Africa and the Middle East that might trigger public disturbances.
It advised “extreme caution” for Irish people travelling to or already in the Lebanon. The department said they should avoid all demonstrations and public gatherings.
Reacting to the film in Ireland, Dr Ali Saleem, spokesman for the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland, described it as “a red line that nobody should cross”.
Muslims in Ireland condemned the movie, he said, but they also condemned the violence, which was “politically motivated”.
Speaking on RTÉ radio, Dr Saleem offered condolences to the victims of violence. He criticised US secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who appealed to religious leaders to draw a line at violence.
“So she was asking them to take responsibility for actions taken in their countries, yet on the other hand she said the state has nothing to do with that [film] and classified it as freedom of expression,” he said.
“It is classified as transgression, and not freedom of expression.”
