Anti-Muhammad graffiti sparks more conflict

JERUSALEM — A graffito sprayed on the wall of a West Bank mosque set off a series of violent clashes between angry Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. The graffito, which read “Muhammad is Swine,” was discovered Feb. 12 on the mosque of the village of Nebi Elias, east of the city of Kalkilya. Angry Palestinians threw stones Feb. 12 at passing Israeli cars, injuring a Jewish woman, and at Israeli soldiers. When rubber bullets failed to disperse the crowd, the soldiers used live ammunition, wounding two Palestinians.

The incident occurred at a time when tensions in the Middle East are particularly high, due to worldwide Muslim outrage over Danish cartoons depicting the likeness of the prophet Muhammad. Arab leaders warned that the graffito linking Muhammad with an animal Muslims regard as unclean could spark a new round of violence that could spread throughout the Middle East.