Filipino Muslims picket US embassy over film

MANILA: Hundreds of Muslims in the Philippines protested before the US embassy on Monday, calling for a ban on an inflammatory anti-Islam film that has sparked deadly riots in other countries.

About 300 protesters waved placards saying: "Freedom of religion prevails over freedom of expression" and" "No to US double standard" during the brief rally that last just a few minutes.

Rally leader Agakhan Sharief said the protesters wanted the US government to block the film, which was made in the United States, from the Internet. Protest leaders also said they would file a petition before the Philippine Supreme Court asking for local authorities to ban the movie from being posted on the Internet.

The amateurish movie, which mocks Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, has triggered protests by Muslims in at least 20 countries since excerpts were posted online. More than 50 people have been killed in related violence.

Although the Philippines is largely Christian, it has a Muslim minority based largely in the far south, some of whom have been waging a decades-long armed struggle for independence or autonomy.