Too many in the Western world are of the belief that the Muslim outrage ignited by the cartoons of Muhammad published in a Danish newspaper is a spontaneous, heartfelt reaction to a perceived insult to their religion.
The unfortunate truth is that a group of Muslim leaders from Denmark, apparently disappointed by the tepid reaction to the cartoons' publication, decided to travel through parts of the Muslim world and inform Muslims about the latest offense against their religion.
It appears that some Muslims need to be told that they're offended.
But to make sure the unenlightened masses were sufficiently fired up, the Danish imams added some completely fabricated images that were never published in any paper. It appears the original 12 drawings were not inflammatory enough.
This would all be terribly amusing, except for the motivation behind it and the effect it has had in the Muslim world.
The effect is clear to anyone with a TV. Tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of Muslims violently rioting all over the world, even more convinced that the Western world is out to get them.
But the motivation is what I find most disturbing. What possible benefit have these Muslim leaders realized from the result of their campaign?
None that I can see, except that maybe the result fits an agenda of theirs that's rather disturbing to consider.
What's clear is that Muslim leaders around the world have chosen this issue to force a clash of wills with the West.
Eric HennesseySpotsylvania