Yep. And they’re free to be as incoherently angry as they please, so long as they don’t infringe anyone else’s freedoms. And if they choose that latter path, the infringed may do as they please to put a stop to it.

Poseurs.

Those of us on the vanguard of free speech are entirely unimpressed with the n00bs.

Publication of these cartoons was deliberately provocative. Guess what? Some people were provoked. What a surprise.

But I apologize for the pre-caffienated state of my opening sentence up above. It is too broad in its hyperbole and, so, unfit for civilized blog scholarship.

But you do not take over the EU offices in Gaza at gunpoint.

Deanna, in Islam it is considered idolatrous to depict any living thing artistically. Great. I have no trouble at all with that. And if the cartoonist was Muslim I am sure he would get a stern talking to – and perhaps a good old fashioned stoning – at his local mosque. However, in a liberal democracy you are not allowed to impose you religious views on people who are not members of your religion. We essentially say that free speech trumps religion.

Personally I would not be particularily offended if the Bible was set on fire or the American Constitution or flag shat upon. People have strong views and, from time to time, they think they must bring these views to the attention of others with what they believe are acts which will outrage. In my view that is their right. Just as it is my right to treat them as the publicity seeking losers they almost always are.

Until the Islamists understand this they are best off in their own, sad, countries trying to figure out how to bring the 13th century to life.

This is like dumping a bible in the toilet or setting it on fire. I think that a lot of Christians would react poorly to that, and not just the fundies either.

I guess if we were American secularists, I could compare this to someone taking a dump on the Constitution. I’m not sure we have a secular Canadian equivalent. (Which is probably just as well.)

[Note that I’m not actually against the publishing of the images – I just think that those who do should recognize the kind of pot that they are stirring – and that they are responsible for their decisions. If you set someone’s pants on fire, they’re going to be a little pissed at you.]

“”We are not terrorists, we are not anarchists, but we are against those people who blaspheme Islam,” one of the Indonesian protesters shouted outside the building, which also houses several other foreign missions. The demonstrators, who wore white Arabic-style robes, pelted the building with eggs before pushing their way past security guards into the building’s plush lobby.”

My God. Egging. Next they’ll be poisoning the water supply.