the furor over these cartoons is such a sad spectacle.
as if god or prophet could really be offended by, or anyone's faith eroded by, a cartoon, no matter what its content.Ã?â??Ã?  the sacred is not so fragile as to be affected by a lampoon, even a mean-spirited one.Ã?â??Ã?  it is like water washing over the eternal rock, like rain being absorbed into the earth. faith is about the innate strength of the sacred; its gift, an unfailing acceptance of and compassion towards others in ALL circumstances.Ã?â??Ã?  people do not embrace faith by being forced, intimidated, coerced, shamed, or terrorized, nor do they strengthen it through violence, intolerance or vengeance, but come to it through love and compassion in their hearts.

how is militant islam a way of peace and compassion? please, if i have missed something here, open my eyes. if it is a minority radical fringe, such as evangelical christian extremists, or hardline zionists, how can the majority of followers of islam endorse this kind of extremism, violence and bloodshed within their own societies? whatever their feelings about the west, what about these extremist elements within their own societies? why do they not speak out against them and condemn and marginalize such over-the-top zealotry? where is the voice of peaceful, tolerant, moderate islam to oppose and condemn the hateful voice and violent actions of militant islam? if i've missed it, please open my ears.

these cartoons are not an attack on islam or its followers. they are a commentary, a barb, on MILITANT islam. furthermore, they are a western commentary, from a western perspective and within a western forum, where freedom of the press, freedom of religious dissent (including blasphemy) and separation of church and state are not a courtesy, they are LEGALLY ENFORCED, the reason being to PREVENT RELIGIOUS TYRANNY AND FASCISM. they are the same freedoms that guarantee muslims or followers of any religion the right to lampoon jesus or moses or elvis, and to practice their religion openly. in saudi arabia a christian cannot even walk down the street carrying a bible in open view.

what kind of religion requires an enforced cultural bubble, keeping the outside out and the inside in, lest any corrupting influences should undermine or threaten to pop the bubble? that is us-and-them, tribal religion. if one is secure in one's faith, what does it matter if others do differently? a faith that cannot withstand living side by side with others and celebrating diversity is a weak faith, a faith based on repression and fear rather than acceptance and tolerance. i can wear my ritual garb and pray as my faith dictates, but i can also allow those people who like to wear the purple chiffon tutus and dance naked around the ten foot tall golden penis the freedom to do what they want to do. and you know, if it looks like they're having a lot more fun than i am, maybe there's something to that.

cartoons like these valuably serve to challenge tyranny through the high road of humor, and to relieve hot air out of an overly-sanctimonious sphincter.Ã?â??Ã?  they are a time-honored (and persecuted) tradition, and an essential part of a healthy society. the more tyrannical a regime or fundamentalist a religion becomes, the more self-righteous and unable to laugh at itself it becomes, and the more rigid, repressive and punishing of other views and those who express them.

is this wave of fury really about these cartoons?Ã?â??Ã?  or it is
about countless thousands of frustrated, angry,
disempowered and disenfranchised people (especially young, unemployed men), trapped in chaotic, war-torn, militarized economies, ghetto-ized, impoverished and discriminated against, dominated by corrupt and inept ruling elites, by foreign intervention, by institutionalized classism, racism and bigotry?

if there were peace between sunni and shia, between israelis and palestinians, syrians and lebanese, iraqis, turks and kurds, moderates and extremists, with stabile, vibrant ecomonies, civil liberties, and a strong middle-class, would there be any need for flag burning, suicide bombing or calls for butchery of infidels?