If one lives in a free and open society, while not perhaps the wisest use of one’s freedom of expression, they are or at least should be. When news of NEA-sponsored art exhibitions involving a crucifix in a glass of urine, or a painting of the Virgin Mary covered in elephant dung were published, you didn’t see Christians all over the US burning flags and autos, did you? Of course not. And, what about one of my favorite films, Monty Python’s Life of Brian? Sure, there were scattered protests outside movie theaters by various Catholic groups, but no violence took place, and, in fact, served to provide the best publicity Monty Python could ask for.

The ongoing controversy in Denmark over cartoons published involving the prophet Mohammed that have raised such a stink in the Muslim world has now escalated with the news that French and German newspapers have begun printing them as a way to show Muslims just what having a free and open society means. Good for them! Michelle Malkin has a great roundup of news and commentary.

UPDATE #1 – 2/2/06: Now even Drudge has gotten into the act. Funny.

UPDATE #2 – 2/2/06: This Washington Post article says the uproar is spreading, in particular:

More than 300 students demonstrated in Pakistan, chanting “Death to France!” and “Death to Denmark!” _ two of the countries where newspapers published the drawings. Other protests were held in Syria and Lebanon, while officials in Afghanistan, Iran and Indonesia condemned the publication. In Paris, the daily France Soir fired its managing editor after it ran the caricatures Wednesday…

…Foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers began leaving Gaza as gunmen there threatened to kidnap citizens of France, Norway, Denmark and Germany unless those governments apologize for the cartoon.

…Gunmen in the West Bank city of Nablus entered four hotels to search for foreigners to abduct and warned their owners not to host guests from several European countries. Gunmen said they were also searching apartments in Nablus for Europeans.

Ya know, this whole controversy is starting to pi$$ me off. We Christians here in the US have to co-exist with anti-religion and anti-Christian zealots like the ACLU and suffer through offensive tripe from Hollywood like the now-cancelled Book of Daniel, and you don’t see us going postal. Heck, in parts of Africa and Asia being a Christian is truly a life-threatening existence, but you don’t see Christians anywhere in the world doing this type of stuff.

What the mainstream media (who loves to promote this kind of stuff – remember the Newsweek article with the so-called Guantanamo “Koran flushing” charge several months back?) doesn’t like to advertise is the fact that the Muslim world is filled with morally-bankrupt oil despots and a well-educated but corrupt minority that ignores a poorly-educated and jobless majority with nothing better to do than protest and threaten violence every time someone in the slightest way offends their intellectually-bankrupt religion and its mullah zealots in any way. It’s a very sad state of affairs, and one, I’m afraid, that will only get worse in a region of the world already prone to neglect, exploitation, violence and poverty.