HHOUSTON, United States: Muslim Shia and Sunni men, women and children rallied at City Hall to criticize Danish cartoons insulting to holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (p).
Organizers said they wanted Houstonians to understand who Muhammad was and what he means to Muslims.

"On the one hand (the cartoons) are an insult, like a punch in the stomach," said Hyder Ali Syed, a pharmacist and one of the organizers of Houston's Muslims for Peace and Justice, a newly formed coalition.

"On the other hand, the reverence we have for him stems from the fact that he taught us a way of life and all the positives that you can imagine," Syed said. "He reformed society and brought in so many changes for the good."

The coalition includes the Islamic Education Center, the Al-Ghadeer Education Foundation and Al-Murtaza.

Participants, who included both Sunni and Shias, chanted and marched around City Hall.

"We had one insult to our holy personality the prophet and now the holy shrine, where the descendants of the prophet are buried is destroyed," he explained.