Why the Cartoon Clash is Escalating. One of the reasons for the escalation is that Muslim and Western officials have deadlocked over how to resolve the original grievance. Muslim leaders insisted that the Danish paper had no right to publish images of the Prophet and demanded an apology; Danish officials, while expressing regret at the hurt feelings, have refused to apologize for what they see as the fundamental right of newspapers to freely publish their views. Time Online

Muslim protesters target embassies. Demonstrators in Syria set fire to Norwegian and Danish embassies over a cartoon run in newspapers in those countries

Publish and Be Damned

IT WAS always intended to generate a debate about freedom of speech but, buried innocuously in the culture section of a newspaper, no-one guessed it would spark global protests, the burning of effigies and the unlikely cry of "Death to Denmark" Scotsman By ARTHUR MACMILLAN

The Last Word: Flemming Rose. Igniting More Than Debate

Why do you think Muslims are expressing such outrage now, when other religiously offensive cartoons have been published in the past?
"I think you have to separate this story into two parts. One part [is the debate inside Danish borders - that has been going on for four months. On the [one] hand, what does freedom of religion imply, what does respect for other people's feelings and religions imply? You have different points of view, and I think it's problematic if any religion - it doesn't matter if it's Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, any religion - tries to impose its own taboos on the public domain." Newsweek International Edition