The cartoons were published in Jyllands-Posten (The Jutland Post) a newspaper that has been criticized for its reporting on immigrants. In 2002, the Danish Council of the Press criticized the paper for breaching the Councils guidelines on racism in an article on three Somalis charged with a crime. The European Network Against Racism concluded that 212 out of 382 articles by Jyllands-Posten were negative.

Flemming Rose, the culture editor of Jyllands-Posten said "The cartoonists treated Islam the same way they treat Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions. And by treating Muslims in Denmark as equals they made a point: We are integrating you into the Danish tradition of satire because you are part of our society, not strangers. The cartoons are including, rather than excluding, Muslims."

However, in 2003, the very same paper rejected cartoons which depicted Christ - an interesting contrast to what Flemming Rose said. Clearly these cartoons were meant as a provocation, an insult.

These cartoons could provide nothing of substance to a discussion of Islam, but only inflame people - they are not something to celebrate, but something to be sickened by.

Of course, if you insult someone by insulting something so personal to them they will respond angrily, but that cannot be a human response, no they must be intolerant, they must be a fundamentalist people say.

Thus moderates who are sickened become labelled as extremists. But that is "free speech" for you.

Free speech advocates can only pat ethnic minorities on the head patroniZingly and say "There, there, we know you're upset, but the law allows you to be insulted and the law is sacred".

Add the so called "War On Terror" (or the War on Islam) and you start seeing why these cartoons are so sickening.

Therefore, we need a law against incitement to religious hatred - a law that will protect all faiths against intimidation and provocation.