Through history, there have been countless caricatures depicting Mohammad and Islam and as far as I know, there were no riots, killings, threat of beheadings, bombings, property-burnings and massive violence like the one we are witnessing right now.
Here are some examples:
“Medieval and Renaissance Christian and secular artists had no religious restrictions regarding depictions of Mohammed, and were free to show his face and body in their entirety.”
“This picture is of an early Renaissance fresco in Bologna's Church of San Petronio, created by Giovanni da Modena and depicting Mohammed being tortured in Hell.”
By the way, in 2002, Muslims tried to destroy this painting by plotting to blow up the Church. To view more of these cartoons, click on this link.
As a matter of fact, the Danish cartoonists who created these cartoons are in hiding for fear of getting killed by the Muslims. Theo van Gogh, the Dutch filmmaker whose 10 minute film about Muslim women's life -Submission- was shown on TV in September 2004, was stabbed to death by an angry Muslim who thrust a note with Koranic verses into his body.
It's laughable to hear Liberals saying how much they “respect” Islam, thus the reason for not publishing these innocuous cartoons. How much respect could the Left have for a religion that is radically opposed to the heart of the liberal philosophy, that is: feminism, gays, and abortion? They also seem to disregard the laws governing individual rights as guaranteed by the Constitution and replace it with Sharia law when it comes to these cartoons – freedom of speech being one of them.
As a free nation, we have the right to express our views, and if someone is offended by them, they also have the right to express theirs. They can protest, advertise, write letters, organize politically, and even boycott that which offends them. They are not, however, permitted to kill, bomb, rape, and destroy property to express their anger. In other words, civilized societies disagree and express their point of view peacefully.