Must read article about the Danish cartoons

by the guy who published the cartoons. "Why I Published Those Cartoons." It is a must read, from start to finish (and it spans two web pages), regardless of your particular take on the the cartoons.

One point, among many, of note:

One cartoon -- depicting the prophet with a bomb in his turban -- has drawn the harshest criticism. Angry voices claim the cartoon is saying that the prophet is a terrorist or that every Muslim is a terrorist. I read it differently: Some individuals have taken the religion of Islam hostage by committing terrorist acts in the name of the prophet. They are the ones who have given the religion a bad name. The cartoon also plays into the fairy tale about Aladdin and the orange that fell into his turban and made his fortune. This suggests that the bomb comes from the outside world and is not an inherent characteristic of the prophet.

Read it here, in the Washington Post.