An apology by Pope Benedict XVI for comments perceived by many Muslims as having insulted Islam received a mixed response on Monday but failed to quell the anger that has spread across the Islamic world.

Protesters staged sit-ins and strikes in Kashmir and Damascus, while demonstrators took to the streets in Iraq and Indonesia in scenes reminiscent of those sparked in February by reprints of Danish newspaper cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. A Jihadist website used by al-Qaeda in Iraq called for war on “worshippers of the cross”.