It doesn't matter if it was Muslim-baiting or not (and that's just your opinion), that doesn't excuse the behavior of Muslim extremists threatening violence. Goddamn it, all the man did was write one fucking book--ONE FUCKING BOOK--and they want to kill him over it.

Bearded Bruce is right. You people excuse their hatred and violence (and you do so don't bother denying it) but condemn it in yourselves. That is patronizing. That is saying that you are morally superior to them and hence you do not EXPECT them to understand anything as clearly as you do and so we must not do anything that will irritate the little buggers.

While my own moral ground is weak when I say that Muslims over here need to behave better and understand I don't give a shit about sharia when we're invading their lands and blowing the shit aout of everything that moves, I still expect the Muslims over here to behave. They're people, they're adults--I expect them to act mature and civilized even when I don't. And I expect them to expect the same of me.

If the Queen wants to knight Salman Rushdie, then so be it. Just accept it because that's how it is. This idea that I'm going to kill him or pay somebody to kill him because a book I don't like is bullshit and it's inexcusable and abominable behavior. It's unacceptable in any country that considers itself civilized.

Yes, America and Britain need a good arse-kicking and they are getting one. But civilized human being needs to act like a civilized human being no matter where he lives or under what circumstances.