Muslims in different parts of the world staged rallies to protest alleged desecration of the Quran at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba. Pakistani police yesterday detained 50 protesters who were protesting against the alleged desecration.

Riot police in the southern port city of Karachi moved in to break up around 250 demonstrators linked to the powerful Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) alliance of Islamic parties.

In Lahore, protesters torched effigies of US President George W Bush along with the US flag and shouted anti-American slogans, witnesses said.

Lawyers in the central city of Multan also torched effigies of Bush and of his key ally in the 'war on terror', Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf.

In Gaza Strip, hundreds of Palestinians burned Israeli and US flags during a protest against desecration of the Quran, at a prison in northern Israel.

The marchers, including about 30 Palestinians carrying rifles in one hand and Qurans in the other, demanded Israel put the alleged perpetrators on trial and apologise.

Hundreds of Indian Muslims chanted anti-US slogans protesting against abuse of the Quran in Bombay.

More than 3,000 people took part in a rally in Bahrain yesterday protesting against the desecration of the Quran by US soldiers in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The rally in Duraz was organised by the Youth Awareness Society, which is a part of the Islamic Enlightenment Society.

Demonstrators, led by clergyman Shaikh Isa Qassim, also denounced recent reports that Israeli soldiers too desecrated copies of the Quran belonging to Palestinian prisoners.

Palestinian prisoners at the Israeli Megido prison announced a hunger strike on Tuesday, in protest against the desecration.

Israeli guards reportedly tore three copies of the Quran while searching Palestinians and their possessions. Israeli authorities have denied this.

PHOTO CAPTION

Members of Raza Academy, a Muslim organization, hold anti U.S-placards during a protest outside a mosque against the alleged desecration of Islam's holy book Quran at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo, in Bombay, India, Friday, June 10, 2005. (AP)