ANKARA, Turkey - Muslims in Turkey, Iraq and the Palestinian territories demanded Tuesday that Pope Benedict XVI make a clear apology for his remarks on Islam, instead of saying only that he was "deeply sorry" that Muslims had taken offense.

The prime minister of Malaysia, which chairs the world's biggest Muslim bloc, said that Benedict's expression of regret was acceptable.

Muslim veiled women holds a poster during a protest against Pope Benedict XVI's recent remarks about Islam, in Amman, Jordan, Monday, Sept18, 2006. Dozens of Muslims and Christians deputies and professional association members protested against the Pope's quoting from an obscure Medieval text, cited the words of a Byzantine emperor who characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam's founder, as 'evil and inhuman'. [AP]

In Turkey, protesters said Benedict must make full amends before a planned November trip that would be his papacy's first visit to a Muslim nation.

"Either apologize, or do not come," read a banner carried by a group of demonstrators from a religious workers' union.

Iraq's parliament also rejected Benedict's explanation of his remarks, saying it was insufficiently clear.

The parliament "demands the pope take practical steps to restore respect to the Islamic world and its religion, and a clear-cut apology for what he said," lawmakers said in a statement read at a press conference.

The top Muslim clergyman in the Palestinian territories similarly demanded that Benedict offer a "clear apology."

The mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein, urged Palestinians to halt attacks on churches in the territories, but held the pontiff responsible for the outpouring of anger.

"So far, we consider the apology of the Vatican Pope insufficient," Hussein told reporters. "We firmly ask the Vatican Pope to offer a personal, public and clear apology to the 1.5 billion Muslims in this world."

In a speech last week, the pontiff cited a Medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."

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