Pakistanis protest Muhammad cartoon contest

Thousands of Islamists continued to march toward the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Thursday to protest a planned contest in the Netherlands featuring cartoons depicting Muhammad. About 10,000 marchers supporting the Tehreek-i-Labaik party called on Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to cut diplomatic ties with the Netherlands over the contest held by a far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders, known for anti-Islamic statements. Wilders announced the cartoon contest, which is scheduled for November at his political party’s offices in The Hague and has already received about 200 entries. Islam forbids depictions of Muhammad.

In Islamabad, government authorities put out shipping containers to block major roads. Tehreek-i-Labaik leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi called on the prime minister to remove the obstacles. “We are on the roads to show the world that we can die to protect the honor of our prophet,” he told demonstrators. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal called the contest a “deliberate and malicious attempt to defame Islam.” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte called the event disrespectful, but maintained Wilders could hold it on grounds of free expression.