Hmm...but isn't that the case for all Biblical religions? Judaism and Christianity both have treatises on blasphemy...it's the only way these mono-theist religions can hope to keep their converted. Personally I think that there is nothing necessarily fundamentalist about demonstrating against the cartoons...because defence of the religion is part of the religion itself.

I personally don't understand the furore but a particular case study that I studied at university comes to mind...France tried to ban anti-Nazi searches/websites from French domains. European media wouldn't dream of publishing anti-Jew cartoons so why can't the same courtesy be applied to other religions? Why must free speech be demeaned by crude pictures when the written word is the single most powerful weapon we possess?

Hmm...this post is definitely food for thought.