CAIRO, Feb 13: Thousands of people flocked to southern Egypt on Monday to seek blessing from a calf they believe was born as God’s reply to the publication in Europe of the irreverent cartoons.

Some 20,000 thousand people had gathered in front of Mohammed Abu Dif’s house in the village of Tunis to see the holy mammal, whose skin folds when he was born reportedly formed the words ‘There is no God but Allah’, a police official said.

He said the villagers flocked from all over the southern governorate of Sohag to the farmer’s house and had to be dispersed by police, who feared the gathering could get out of control.

Witnesses said they believed the calf was ‘Allah’s response to current attacks against Islam’, the official said. —AFP