DHAKA, Oct 4: Thousands of Bangladeshis took to the streets of the capital on Friday, burning US, British, Israeli and Indian flags and denouncing the “persecution” of Muslims worldwide.

“Muslims are being killed in Israel and India almost daily while the United States and Britain are conspiring to kill more Muslims in Iraq,” Maulana Mohammad Mashud Hossain, a leader of Islami Front, told protesters.

Some of the 5,000 protesters carried portraits of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.

They chanted slogans against President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair.—Reuters