Why is This Always One Way?

(M)ore than 500 Muslims from 13 Twin Cities mosques and Islamic center walked to express their love and devotion for the prophet Mohammed Sunday. "We are living here among people who don't know anything about us, and we have come together to educate them peacefully," (Imani Jaafar-Mohammed) told the crowd, which erupted into passionate, in some quarters tearful, chants of "Peace! No more violence!" and "Allah-u-Akbar!"

Educating Minnesotans by demanding that everyone pay homage to their prophet . . .

"We want to show solidarity with every Muslim feeling pain," (Hassan) Mohamud told the crowd. "We want the U.S. government to take a position on this matter."

Mohamud should be listening to Mohammed because he clearly doesn't know anything about the land he's moved to, like the federal government is not the arbiter of freedom and political discourse.

Farheen Hakeem, 30, the Green Party candidate for mayor of Minneapolis . . . said, "We are as much a part of society here as anywhere else in the world. We demand to be heard."

You ran for mayor. You've been all over the Star Tribune and all the mayoral debates. You are a legitimate media darling. When have you not been heard?

Mustafa Diriye, 28, of Minneapolis, said he attended because "along with 1.3 billion Muslims around the world, I feel hurt by the insult to the prophet."

Hey Mustafa, you think you might eventually get around to feeling hurt due to the people of your faith slaughtering others who had noting to do with any cartooning?

Omar Jamal of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul: "We need to create a political dialogue around these things so they don't erupt like volcanoes. Moderate, peaceful voices are so important."

Oh Omar, your command of victim-language is impressive, but when you seek a dialogue to prevent violence, you imply that non-Muslims are also responsible for the violence of Muslims, and you are wrong. More form TigerHawk:

The Christian Right and the anti-religion Left are each fairly intolerant of the other, but neither are violent and both groups prefer their own company, anyway. Resurgent Islam is changing this dynamic. The cartoon intifada has taught us that Muslims all over the world believe that they have the religious obligation to reach in to Western countries and nullify our most cherished rights. Not only does the "Muslim street" think this, but we have endured the absurd spectacle of Arab kings lecturing the Danes and other Europeans about respect.

Tolerance is a two-way street. Those who do not grant it have no right to demand it.