I'm not sure that I've seen 'all' the cartoons. The ones I've seen are rather mild, even by Islamic standards. I think there is an attempt to flex political muscle and in fact induce terrorism by other means. Or it could be simple mass idiocy. Mass idiocy runs a gamut through all cultures and histories. One might think that the causes which drove men women and children to participate in certain Crusades, mass demonstrations, rock concerts, and football tournaments were little more intelligent than a handful of perceptive cartoons.

Compare to the Nigerian riots during the Miss World competition alleged to have been instigated due to a rather innocent remark from a webzine:
Miss World Moved To London

Since then, the country has instituted Sharia law to be imposed on Muslim residents, but not Christian:
Nigeria

Mark Twain, in "Huckleberry Finn", incorporated an episode wherein a town drunk lambastes a serious member of the community, who tolerates the taunts and threats to a certain extent, then shoots the fellow dead. The community, which has amused itself at standing by and watching the events, takes umbrage and decides to lynch the shooter. They surround his house but he comes out on his porch with a shotgun and tells 'em what a bunch of cowards they are, and chases them away. This is a powerful insight into the nature of humanity and while we may look at the current events of the day as an indictment of a particular culture and faith, we are only assuming the temporary position of the monkeys in the cage which are laughing at the other monkeys until the situation is reversed.

As to this thread, it's less incendiary than many I've seen in Mudcat, but I have little respect for people posing as GUEST s dropping in to drop their little bombs and moving on. At the very least they should assume an ID to distinguish themselves from other 'GUEST's, refrain from initiating threads, and resist the attempt to defend themselves from the charge of 'cowardice' while still hiding under the fig-leaf of 'GUEST'.

I am also trying to remember the phrase: "The world is a comedy to those that think and a tragedy to those that feel" Or is it: "comedy to those that feel and a tragedy to those that think?" Seems to me it can be true either way.