In many Middle Eastern cities, Muslim preachers fired up their congregations with powerful sermons denouncing the war.

At Gaza's central al-Omari mosque, Imam Mohammed Nijen said ``Arab leaders should open the borders so that fighters and volunteers can reach Iraq and defend Iraqi soil. Today jihad and the fight are a religious duty.''

The Grand Sheikh of Cairo's al-Azhar Mohamed Sayyed al-Tantawy said in his sermon:
``Whoever defends the Iraqi people and himself and dies, will be considered a martyr...Islamic sharia law says we must defend the Iraqi people and stand by them. If we fail, we have wasted the trust that God has placed in us.''

In Sanaa, one cleric wearing a traditional turban told scores of worshippers: ``We pray for victory for the Iraqi people and for the defeat of the invading forces. May an earthquake overturn the American and British forces in Iraq.'' NY Times