Stay safe, Filipino workers in Muslim countries told

INQUIRER PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines—Be respectful of your host government’s state religion and its symbols.

This was the advice given by a migrant rights’ group to Filipino workers in the Middle East amid escalating violent protests by Muslims in the region against the movie “Innocence of Muslims” that was made by an American and uploaded on YouTube.

Migrante-Middle East urged Filipino workers, particularly those in Yemen, Libya and Egypt to steer clear of street protests.

“Stay clear of protesting crowds, especially near the diplomatic outposts of the United States and similar places that are targets of massive protests. Take the necessary precautions and limit any unnecessary movements within these countries,” advised Migrante regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona in a statement.

Monterona said his organization believed that the protests could spread to other Middle Eastern countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates where there are large concentrations of Filipino workers.