Several Churches in Niger’s capital Niamey were set on fire on Saturday during protests against French magazine Charlie Hebdo’s cartoon depicting Muhammad.
The protests began outside Niamey’s grand mosque with police using tear gas a day after at least four were killed in the second city of Zinder, BBC reported Saturday.
The French embassy has warned its citizens to stay indoors during the protests.
Last week Islamist gunmen killed 12 people at the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, which frequently mocks Islam and other religions in its satirical cartoons. The gunmen were heard shouting “we have avenged the prophet!” and “God is greatest” as they fled the office.
Another five people were killed during later attacks in Paris, four at a Jewish supermarket.
The magazine’s latest cover following the attack featured a caricature of Muhammed weeping while holding a sign bearing the phrase “Je suis Charlie,” which became a global statement of support for free speech after the attack.
SEE ALSO: Anjem Choudary, British radical cleric: ‘Muslims do not believe’ in freedom of speech
The magazine sold out shortly after news stands opened on Wednesday and distributors announces Saturday that the magazine would print an additional seven million copies to meet demand.
Islamic protesters took to the streets on Friday in Pakistan, where protests turned violent in Karachi, the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and the Algerian capital, Algiers, BBC reported.
Protesters in Somalia joined in to express their outrage on Saturday, holding signs reading “Je suis Muslim et j’aime mon Prophete: I am Muslim and I love my Prophet.”
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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