By Washington Post

TEHRAN, Iran � Iran�s top leader is urging the West to show it respects Muslims by blocking a film that mocks the Prophet Muhammad and has touched off rage across the Islamic world.

State TV quotes Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying Western leaders must prove they are not �accomplices� in a �big crime.�

But such an appeal falls into the major cultural divides over the film. U.S. officials say they cannot limit free speech and Google Inc. refuses to do a blanket ban on the YouTube video clip. This leaves individual countries putting up their own blocks.

Ayatollah Ali�Khamenei noted Monday that some nations place restrictions on expression, such as banning Nazi-related sites.

Iranians have staged several demonstrations against the film, but none have been violent.

 

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