The Islamic Egyptian newspaper Al Faqr published the infamous cartoons of blasphemy last October, at the height of Ramadan, in the heart of the Islamic world, with not a single squeak of outrage.

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=19143_Mohammed_Cartoons_in_Egyptian_Paper_-_October_2005#comments

Jay,

there are definitions of what prophet Mohamed pbuh looked like.
The cartoons were published few months ago and most people were either in the boycott or more interfaith dialogue.
The vandalism and rioting in my humle views are Islamists groups showing their influence on the naive. Governments there are usually asleep at the wheel.

Peace,

Graham doesn't seem to be aware that the debate between the West and the muslim world is coming to an end. With the US, UK, and France dusting off their nuclear missiles and re-orienting them toward Tehran, we can expect a Nuclear Warning to Iran in a few months along the lines of the one Kennedy gave Russia during the Cuban missile crisis. The civilisational war forecast by Huntington seems to be coming about. The smell of 1939 seems to pervade all of the Middle East. Thank heavens the allies have substantial forces in Iraq! At least, if war comes to Iran, there will most probably be no pussyfooting around with ideas of helping the Iranian people, the oil wells will be seized and pumped at maximum capacity to pay for the occupation. Churchill said that war should be avoided if possible, as no-one can be sure how they will turn out, but to me I can see no other future for the Middle East. The Israelis have made it plain that they will not be leaving the area this side of a nuclear war, and you can't blame them. Whatever the outcome, the world economy could be expected to go into a tailspin. Thank heavens we live in Australia.

Rioters with placards saying things like:
"Freedom go to hell"
"Death to those who insult Islam"
"The real holocaust is coming"
Graham,who can you possibly have dialogue with hardline,extremist zealots like that who only wish to cut your throat while your trying to talk reason with them.?
I accept it may be a minority of people who are doing this, but it is a very large and violent minority.
It seems to be beyond any doubt that radical Islamic beliefs just are not compatible with the liberal democratic lifestyle of the western world.
I dare say that radical christianity or indeed any other religion would be the same although you do not hear about too many christians or others who destroy embassies and generally riot in the most violent way as we are seeing here.

Graham,
Good article! Perhaps we need to saturate the Muslim population with humourous catroons until they learn to laugh at themselves.

plantagenet,
Could you give us some statistics on this claim.

"For balance - one could argue that many more Muslims have been killed by Western Christians in the last 10 years than the other way around."

Philo I agree.The standard of cartoons has been been appalling.I can think of some rip snorters without even trying.Why don't we do a series sending up all religions and belief systems,since no belief system is perfect.Graham could even print a censored version of "Ah Soh God of the Trogs" Well I included the Hindu Irish suicide bomber who didn't have enough DNA to be reincarnated.We could also include the Buddists,Christians ,Jews,agnostics and athieists.