Yes, Amos, there was a group of Mullahs all set out to whip up hatred of the West (culture, religion, laws) and they had to work hard until it worked. Now, of course, some countries use the incident for political reasons to detract from their own failings (what's better than a a good old jihad when there is threat of internal discontent).

A group of Mullahs, but a small one. I have also seen pictures from the Lebanon where clerics tried in vain with their bare hands to stop violent protesters.

The view here by some that the caricatures should not have been published for there already was hatred simmering does forget that the hatred never needs a particular trigger. Any other incident could have been used just as well.

Wolfgang