NEW YORK, Nov 17: Thousands of Muslims in the United States flocked over the Eid holidays to see the animated film, "Muhammad (PBUH) : The Last Prophet", in some 92 theatres across the country.

In New York, Muslim men, women and children hustled into theatres in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan throughout the day. The 90-minute movie, which recounts the story of the birth of Islam, was financed by a Saudi real estate investor, Muwaffak Alharithy.

Mr Alharithy hired famed Hollywood animated filmmaker Richard Rich, whose credits include "The King and I" and "The Fox and the Hound", to make the film at a cost of some $12 million.

Mr Rich told the New York Times in an interview that he was in the process of dubbing the film on Sept 11, 2001. "What we found out in making the film is how little anybody knows about that religion and (Holy Prophet) Muhammad (PBUH)," Mr Rich said.

Dr James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute in Washington, told the Times: "Islam is a part of America right now and America is increasingly becoming a part of the Arab and Muslim world."