Bill

I don't really think Islam is crazy but what's going on right now is insane.  The riots, sparked by a crappy dubbed over movie, are completely and utterly crazy. There is really no other explanation for them.  Some people will say they have nothing to do with the movie - that they are really just protesting any number of other things (like our ongoing support for Israel, our war in Afganistan, our drone strikes in Yemen and Pakistan, or who knows what else).  I think these apologists are crediting the protestors with more sophistication than they deserve.  The more likely excuse is that they are just caught up in the mob mentality of being angry about a stupid and poorly made movie.
Their passions are wasted.  Usually I think that protesting one thing and another aren't mutually exclusive.  But when you're protesting and destroying things with this much energy your actions can't help but exclude opportunites to get involved with something more important - such as the Syrian problem.
Tonight, on NPR, I heard an inteview with some of the rebels who are fighting to remove Assad.  They are disgusted and outraged at the behavior of their neighboring Muslims.  These leaders want to know why all of this outrage isn't being directed at Assad who is supposedly destroying mosques, burning korans, and attacking women.  The rebels were mocking the Islamic protestors saying that Syria was too real and thus, if it takes a little fake movie to get them riled up, the rebels would make a movie.  It's weird.  Syria was the source of the biggest uprisings, protests, and greatest destruction after the danish cartoons were published a couple years ago mocking Mohammed.  I'm sure there is a word for that; something more powerful than irony but mostly it's just sad.
Supposedly our press is the problem - it is just focusing on the angry face of Islam.  We are supposed to remember that it is a religion of peace.   We shouldn't paint the billions of muslims based on the actions of the few thousands that are protesting.  Well, at this point if you want me to believe that Islam doesn't condone this behavior how about the Islamic people put a stop to this behavior.  I've heard plenty of tut tutting about it the violent protests, I've heard the apologies for the killing of our ambassador, but it always ends with something like "but this movie should be illegal, the people who made it should be punished" or some other redirection of blame.
Yes, the movie sucked, we get it, so did all follow ups to the Matrix but geeks the world over didn't kill people and then blame the Wachowski brothers. I know, I'm being flippant now - but just barely - I don't really think any more highly of the story told by the koran than I do the Matrix.
Today I also heard, I believe it was the Indian prime minister (or President, sorry I don't really know the poltical structure of India) calling on the UN to pass a resolution that would ban hate speech in all member nations.  Sorry, but that is absurd.  How about, as a more pratical matter, the UN pass a resolution that bans the people in all member nations from losing their minds over trivial stuff.  Why exactly should religions get special protection just becuase the practitioners of one can't behave like adults when their religion is mocked?  Or should we also ban any speech that might make anyone angry enough to get violent?  Thus "Your Mamma" jokes would then be outlawed.  As would most political punditry - well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad (I'm joking).
Actually, I'm offending kids by saying these pissed off muslims are not acting like adults.  Instead their acting like mindless and violent bullies.  I don't think any nation anywhere should be working to improve the lives of mindless bullies so perhaps the Indian prime minister should reconsider his request.
Our culture is one where people can say almost anything they want.  There are some restrictions on that such as we can't publish lies about someone without the possibilty of a libel suit, we can't yell "FIRE!!" in a crowded room, and it turns out we can't incite violence at a gathering of people via our speach.  That last one was  new one to me but I heard about it the other day when a constitutional scholar was being asked about the demans for the "Innocence of Muslims" film maker to be punished.  The way that ruling has normally worked is I can't get on a stage and get a local crowed fired up to be violent.  If I start doing that the police can come in and shut me down and take me away.
But this crappy movie wasn't something that was designed to "incite violence" - it was designed to insult islam.  The muslims chose violence as their response to the movie.  Had the movie been designed to get christians fired up to go attack muslims then I could maybe, just barely, understand the desire for the guy to be punished for the movie.    But, supposedly, there are about 990 million Muslims out there who aren't being violent becuase of this movie. So clearly violence isn't a normal response to the film.
I don't mind our government saying they condemn the movie - but at this point they need to stand up and start telling the world that we won't be considering outlawing movies of it's kind.  We need to be responding instead that they need to get their act together and to stop acting like animals when they are feeling offended.  It's an elementary school lesson here; "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."  It's time for the middle east to learn it or to at least act like they already did.
If you are from the middle east or live there now and are thinking "this is bull, I'm not out protesting, this is just western bigotry.." Well, get your comrades to shut up and to stop destroying stuff.  Show the rest of the world you don't tolerate this kind of violent behavior and stop asking us to tip toe around your fragile eggshell-thin egos.  If Mohammed was so much of a bad-ass that God decided to talk to him and make him the LAST prophet then he probably has a strong enough spine to handle some insults thrown his way.  If he doesn't then shouldn't Islam have started a holy war on Mormons by now? (Again I joke - please, no holy wars.)