Hundreds in Iran Protest Muhammad Drawings

Ah some further evidence of the disconnect between the Lebanese gov. and its citizens. Plus some misplaced agression, mass paranoia and agitation... seems certain to only get worse.

The saddest thing is the ostensibly freedom-loving Westerners who are so willing to defend the Muslim's world reaction. It seems some people are perfectly happy to accuse Bush's wiretapping plans of being an intolerable assault on free speech, but when Denmark fails to prosecute a newspaper for blasphemy, burning embassies and waging an unofficial holy war against a dozen cartoonists is perfectly acceptable.

You know, at least most oppressive regimes only use censorship against their own citizens. Apparently Islamic law would like to take it a few steps further.

While Muslims are protesting the cartoons that portray them as a violent people, what do they do? They go out into the streets and burn down an embassy and shoot at police and throw rocks and prove to the world that they are just exactly what the cartoons say they are. How ignorant can you be?

All this over a cartoon??!?! I guess I just don't understand religion.

This whole deal is out of control. These people, and more precisely their religious leaders, are using a minor incident to push people toward mass protests and violence. One cartoon in Europe showing some religion figure in a satire is hardly more than a minor incident. Yet the muslim leaders act all outraged, completely forgetting the fact that while it may be illegal to do that in muslim countries, it is perfectly legal in Europe. Furthermore, these same muslim countries display anti christian and anti Israel pictures in their own newspapers and media ON A WEEKLY BASIS, then act all outraged about this one cartoon? Complete utter hypocrisy. It was never about the cartoon, it's about special interest, some fanatic leaders wanting more violence and less coverage about what goes on in their own communities.

Is it still a "protest" when buildings are set ablaze, stones/knifes are thrown, and tires set on fire? Here in Seattle we call that a good-ol-fashion-WTO riot.

That'll teach 'em to mock Muslim rage!

I find the violent rioting in Muhammad's name much more insulting to the Prophet than the cartoons itself.

The Dutch Newspapers should not have printed these cartoons, they must of know this would happen.
When we see offensive materials in the west we might tell our Friends, complain to the press but the reaction in the Muslim countries has been extreme. While I do not condone this behaviour by the extreme few, we should all be asking ourselves the question, why were these cartoons allowed to be printed?

In current environment we find ourselves it is all to easy to Say "See The Muslims started it", but that is unfair, like myself we are all basically the same, many language's, many religions, yes not all off us get along, but this is to be expected, any sane person will tell you this.

Quite frankly I am sick to death of hearing about Muslim this and Muslim that and Islam, everyone get a grip and step back and think about the situation from the other side for a change.

The cartoons were designed to insult and yes attack a religion not a nationality, so in my books the dutch started this whole mess and the rest of us now have to pay for it.

As for the Saudis, they have followed much more effective tactics than violence. There is a boycott running against all Danish goods.
This is a big deal because Saudi is the distributor for the whole of the middle east, and the middle east is the biggest importer of Danish foods.
As for the comments about our news papers insulting the other religions, that is a blatant untruth, for a very simple reason: Jesus and Moses are also our prophets, and not believing in any of them (all 99 prophets in the Torah and the Bible and the Quran) constitutes blasphemy.
The reason we are all in an outrage is that the insult was thrown against the prophet- insult us all you want, but stay away from God's messenger. By the way, any one who dares insult Jesus Christ or Moses- piece be upon them- in the middle east will probably be shot in the street.
It is sad that the issue has degenerated into violence, since it is simply an ineffective means of protest- I Say hurt them where it counts- in their pockets!

As for freedom of speech that you westerners are Harping about: I say you are full of tripe! when is the last time you read anything even remotely suggesting the Holocaust was exaggerated, or that Israel has killed more than half a million people in less than ten years, or about the 79 western reporters that have been shot dead by the American army in Baghdad.....nead I go on??? Where was free speech when the president of Iran exercised free speech a month ago when he said that the Holocaust was not properly reported????it goes right out the window right???!!!!-------------practice what you preach, or stop preaching.

First of all, it was a Dansih newspaper that printed the drawings in the first place, not Dutch. Second, it was indeed supposed to provoke the Muslims - but it was only intended to provoke the Muslims in Denmark, since they are a highly marinalised and small part of the population. It was supposed to provoke an understanding of the freedom of speech forward through first rage, then debate.

I personally, as a Dane, think that the project was entirely misconcepted from the very beginning.

The following reasons apply:
1) There has been a rough and unhealthy climate for Muslims in Denmark through the past 4 years, which has marginalised the Muslim community. Jyllandsposten who published the prints has been part of this hetz against Muslims from the beginning
2) The Danish government is supported by a right-wing extreme-nationalist party, and if they loose their support the government will fall - therefore the Government was so extremely slow to come forward and take a stand. (The last 3 months they've only said that "We cannot speak about the drawings, because it would offend the freedom of speech" - something that clearly does not make any sense)
3) Muslim communities all over the world are behaving against Denmark because they need a cause to unite them in all their various conflicts between groups practising different types of Islam, not so much because they dislike Denmark. Also the governments of those nations see it is healthy because then they're not unhappy with their own dictatorships.
4) It is clear that the Danish newspaper who published the drawings had no constructive motives in doing so.

I believe that the drawings should never have been published. Not because I do not believe in freedom of speech, because I do, but because they served no purpose what so ever.

However, it is interesting that while Europe media is reprinting the drawings in solidarity with the freedom of speech - the united states media have not. Can someone tell me if this is because they are in some way afraid to, or is it because they know better not to start racial/religious wars?

Lullah, I totally agree with you, I am sick of the newspaper's and TV Media saying Freedom of Speech, I called this Freedom of Stupidity myself. I remember all the hatred that was directed to Muslims here when September 11 th happened and it was the most shameful experience I have ever seen, and yes I am white and yes I am christian, but does that make me any better than my Muslim brothers or sisters? No I think not.

Everyone must get a grip on this appalling situation, step back take a large breath and think, they have families, they have lives just like us.

By The way I am In Australia, just in case anyone is curious, VBG.