Ink and pencil scratches on paper have now enraged the entire Islamic world, from Nigeria to Denmark to New York City to Jalalabad: Afghan cartoon protesters threaten to join al Qaeda.

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Hundreds of Afghans shouted support on Monday for Osama bin Laden and threatened to join al Qaeda during a protest against cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, while Pakistan Islamists vowed to broaden their campaign.

In an attempt to cool the controversy, Pope Benedict said the world’s religions and their symbols had to be respected.

The student protest against the cartoons in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad passed peacefully in contrast to a weekend of deadly rioting in several countries, including Nigeria, where 28 people were killed, and Libya where 11 died.

Two weeks ago in Afghanistan, at least 10 people were killed in several days of protests over the cartoons but the demonstrations largely petered out after that.

On Monday, students gathered in the campus of the university in Jalalabad chanting “Death to Denmark,” “Death to America” and “Death to France,” a witness said. They also chanted “Death to Karzai” and demanded President Hamid Karzai close the embassies of Denmark, the United States and France and expel their forces from Afghanistan.

“If they abuse the Prophet of Islam again we will all become al Qaeda,” the students shouted.

In the Hindu kingdom of Nepal, about 5,000 Muslims marched through the western town of Nepalgunj and presented a memorandum to the chief bureaucrat of the town. “You can’t insult the Islam. Punish the cartoonist,” some of them shouted. …

In the deadliest protests, at least 28 people died in riots in two Muslim states in northern Nigeria at the weekend.

A Red Cross official said on Monday the death toll from the riots in Maiduguri, where 21 people were killed, could rise further as some of the 207 people hurt were in critical condition. Troops patrolled the capital of the northeastern state of Borno to prevent further violence.

About a dozen churches, 200 shops, 50 houses and 100 vehicles were razed or vandalised by protesters in Maiduguri who ran wild after police fired teargas to disperse them.