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argosciv ago

(4/9)

Let's revisit Innocence of Muslims in relation to the "Battle of Bengazi" & other media-related controversies relating to the Islamic prophet Muhammad:

[6]:

At the behest of the CIA, top U.S. officials initially described the [Benghazi] attacks as the results of a spontaneous protest triggered by the recently released anti-Muslim video, Innocence of Muslims.[11] Subsequent investigations showed that the attack was premeditated – although rioters and looters not originally part of the group may have joined in after the attacks began.[12][13][14]

[7]:

Innocence of Muslims[1][2] is an anti-Islamic short film that was written and produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula.[3][4] Two versions of the 14-minute video were uploaded to YouTube in July 2012, under the titles The Real Life of Muhammad and Muhammad Movie Trailer.[5] Videos dubbed in Arabic were uploaded during early September 2012.[6] Anti-Islamic content had been added in post-production by dubbing, without the actors' knowledge.[7]

What was perceived as denigration of the Islamic prophet Muhammad resulted in demonstrations and violent protests against the video to break out on September 11 in Egypt and spread to other Arab and Muslim nations and to some western countries. The protests led to hundreds of injuries and over 50 deaths.[8][9][10][11] Fatwas calling for the harm of the video's participants were issued and Pakistani government minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour offered a bounty for the killing of Nakoula, the producer.[12][13][14][15] The film has sparked debates about freedom of speech and Internet censorship.[16]

[8]:

Mark Basseley Youssef, formerly known as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula (born 1957), is an Egyptian-born Coptic Christian, a U.S. resident[1] who is a writer, producer and promoter of Innocence of Muslims, an anti-Islamic video which denigrate Islam's prophet, Muhammad.[1][7][8][9][10]

On 2 July 2012, a "Sam Bacile",[11] who was later identified as Nakoula, posted English-language promotional trailers for Innocence of Muslims on YouTube. The videos were later dubbed into Arabic and posted on the Internet in September 2012. Demonstrations and violent protests against the video broke out on September 11 in Egypt and spread to other Arab and Muslim nations and some western countries. The protests led to hundreds of injuries and more than 50 deaths.[12][13]

On 27 September 2012, U.S. federal authorities stated that Nakoula had been arrested in Los Angeles and charged with violating terms of his probation. Prosecutors stated that the violations included making false statements regarding his role in the film and his use of the alias "Sam Bacile".[5]

According to the official State Department record of that call (obtained by Judicial Watch), Hillary Clinton clearly told Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Mohamed Qandil, “We know that the attack in Libya had nothing to do with the film. It was a planned attack — not a protest.”

On 7 November 2012, Nakoula pleaded guilty to four of the charges against him and was sentenced to one year in prison and four years of supervised release.[14][15]

[9]:

*For the attack on the American diplomatic mission in Libya, see 2012 Benghazi attack.


Date September 11, 2012 – September 29, 2012

Location Worldwide

Caused by Innocence of Muslims

Methods

  • Demonstrations
  • Riots
  • Raids
  • Arson
  • Assault

Deaths and injuries

Over 50 deaths

At least 694-695 injured


On September 13, 2012 protests occurred at the U.S. embassy in Sana'a, Yemen, resulting in the deaths of four protesters and injuries to thirty-five protesters and guards. On September 14, the U.S. consulate in Chennai was attacked, resulting in injuries to twenty-five protesters.[14] Protesters in Tunis, Tunisia, climbed the U.S. embassy walls and set trees on fire. At least four people were killed and forty-six injured during protests in Tunis on September 15.[6] Further protests were held at U.S. diplomatic missions and other locations in the days following the initial attacks. Related protests and attacks resulted in numerous deaths and injuries across the Middle East, Africa, Pakistan and Afghanistan


Protests at diplomatic missions

Widespread protests followed screening of excerpts of the trailer in Egypt. Many of the protests were focused on United States embassies and consular posts, with some leading to violent confrontations.

~~

Yemen

In Yemen, the protests started on September 13, after Abdul Majid al-Zindani, a cleric and former mentor to Osama bin Laden, called on followers to emulate the attacks in Egypt and Libya.[49]~~

The U.S. responded by sending a Marine FAST unit to Yemen.[52]

~~

Benghazi

Main article: 2012 Benghazi attack

In Benghazi, Libya, heavily armed attackers killed the U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans on September 11. Some U.S. officials, speaking under anonymity, said that they believed the Benghazi attack was coordinated and planned in advance, and not prompted by the film.[72] Al-Qaeda has indicated responsibility and said it was in revenge for a U.S. drone strike which killed Libyan Abu Yahya al-Libi, an al-Qaeda leader.[73] The role of the video in motivating the attack quickly became an ongoing dispute in the American political arena. Numerous eyewitnesses reported that the attackers said they were motivated by the video.[41][74][75][76][77][78] Though Libyan officials initially stated that hundreds of protesters had been present before the attack, later investigations by the U.S. government concluded that no protest took place prior to the attack.[79][80][81][82] These investigations indicate that the notion of Benghazi protests originated from within the intelligence community and the Central Intelligence Agency due to the concurrent worldwide violence and protests resulting from the film Innocence of Muslims.[citation needed]


Let's update the timeline again:

Note that according to reference 8, 'Innocence of Muslims' was uploaded on July 2, 2012; not July 1, 2012. The timeline will now reflect as such.

2005:

  • Sep 30: Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 editorial cartoons depicting Muhammad.[19]

2006:

  • Feb 9: Charlie Hebdo releases issue with front page showing a cartoon of a weeping Muhammad, also reprinted the twelve cartoons of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy and added some of their own.[27]

2010:

  • Sep 8: Angela Merkel honours cartoonist Kurt Westergaard with M100 media prize. The Central Council of Muslims in Germany criticized the award ceremony.[26]
  • Sep 10: A small explosion at Hotel Jørgensen in Copenhagen was described by the police as an accident with a letter bomb that was meant to be sent to Jyllands-Posten.[26]

2011:

  • Feb 15: Libyan Civil War begins.[10]
  • Feb 17: Commemorating the demonstrations in Benghazi on 17 February 2006 that were initially against the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons, but which turned into protests against Gaddafi, the National Conference for the Libyan Opposition plans a coordinated protest by all anti-Gaddafi groups. The ensuing "Day of Revolt" or "Day of Rage" against Muammar Gaddafi develops into the Libyan Civil War.[26]
  • Mar 5: Basit Igtet founded the Independent Libya Foundation (ILF) together with New York-based businessman Adam M. Hock.[3: ref 3]
  • Jun 14: President of Panama officially recognized the NTC as, “the legitimate representative of the Libyan people.”; Panama became the 14th nation worldwide to recognize the NTC in this manner.[4]
  • Aug 25: Basit Igtet met with the president of Colombia to lobby for official recognition of the NTC; Colombia became the 54th nation worldwide to recognize the NTC.[3(citation needed)][4]
  • Sep 4: Basit Igtet was appointed as Special Envoy to the Libyan National Transitional Council for humanitarian aid from the area of North America and South America.[3: ref 1]
  • Oct 20: Muammar Gaddafi captured and killed in Sirte, Libya.[10][11][12]
  • Oct 23: The National Transitional Council "declared the liberation of Libya" and the official end of the Libyan Civil War(2011).[10]
  • Nov 2: Charlie Hebdo's office in the 20th arrondissement was fire-bombed and its website hacked. The attacks were presumed to be linked to its decision to rename the edition of 3 November 2011 "Charia Hebdo".[27]
  • Nov 19: Basit Igtet organized an ILF delegation in Benghazi, Libya to present strategies for rebel re-integration.[3: ref 7]
  • Dec 20: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announces the formal establishment of the U.S.-Libya Chamber of Commerce, under the direction of its first president, Adam Hock.[18]

2012:

  • Jan 16: Richard Griffiths appointed Vice President of the Chamber of the U.S. Libya Chamber of Commerce.[4]
  • Jul 2: "Innocence of Muslims" uploaded to YouTube.[8]
  • Sep 4: Arabic-dubbed version of "Innocence of Muslims" uploaded to YouTube.[9]
  • Sep 11: Protests against "Innocence of Muslims" begin.[6]
  • Sep 11 - Sep 12: "Battle of Benghazi"[6]
  • **Sep 13: Protests started in Yemen, after Abdul Majid al-Zindani, a cleric & former mentor to Osama bin Laden, called on followers to emulate the attacks in Egypt & Libya.[9]
  • Sep 19: Charlie Hebdo publishes series of satirical cartoons of Muhammad, some of which featured nude caricatures of him - days after a series of attacks on US embassies in the Middle East, purportedly in response to the anti-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims.[27][28]

Yemen | Abdul Majid al-Zindani cleric & former mentor to Osama bin Laden

Continued ahead in comment 5...