Created by Egyptian-born Nakula Basili Nakula, the anti-Islamic short was never released: two versions of the 14-minute video were posted on YouTube. The tape tells regarding the life of the Prophet Muhammad in a caricature and offensive form, exposing him as a homosexual and a molester. Dressed in rags and smeared with mud, the actors initially acted out a different scenario, but then a provocative audio sequence was superimposed on top of their lines.
In September, the video was translated into Arabic and, as expected, drew criticism in North Africa and the Middle East. On September 11, riots began at the US Embassy in Cairo, which immediately spread to other countries of the Islamic world – Yemen, Tunisia, Sudan, Libya, Pakistan. Protesters attacked American diplomatic missions, burned flags and staged pogroms. The riots were accompanied by clashes with police and numerous victims, a total of regarding 700 were injured, more than 50 people died, including US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. One of the Pakistani government members promised $100,000 for Nakula’s murder.
The American authorities have officially condemned the video, and YouTube has voluntarily blocked it in most Islamic countries. On October 1, 2012, the Tverskoy Court of Moscow recognized the video as extremist and banned the distribution of the film in Russia. A Cairo court sentenced Nakula and six other filmmakers to death in absentia.
