Yes, Virginia, Islam is the “Religion of Peace”

Muslims worldwide protested after Danish, Norwegian and French newspapers printed a series of cartoons about Mohammed, the prophet of Islam. Muslims believe physical depictions of Mohammed are blasphemous because they lead to idol worship.

Muslims continually complain Islam is unfairly depicted as a violent religion, when instead it is a “religion of peace”.

Protestors worldwide showed that Islam is indeed the “religion of peace” when:

1) Armed Palestinian gunmen stormed a European Union office in the Gaza Strip and threatened to kidnap European workers if Denmark and Norway did not apologize.

2) Demonstrators took to the streets chanting “Death to France” and “Death to Denmark”.

(It’s refreshing to hear them wishing death to someone other than the United States.)

3) Protestors set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus, Syria.

4) In the West Bank, Palestinian demonstrators burned a Danish flag and chanted "We will redeem our prophet, Muhammad, with our blood!".

(Sounds pretty peaceful to me. I think they got this idea from Gandhi.)

Muslim leaders have stepped forward to calm the teeming masses.

Here's an example of their soothing words:

"We should have killed all those who offend the prophet and instead here we are, protesting peacefully," said Mahmoud Zahar, a leader of Hamas.

I’m glad he’s showing restraint. (Note: Hamas won control of the Palestinian government in recent elections.)

Apparently, the concept of “peace” means something different in the Arab world than it does to us.

Fearing for their lives, the cartoonists have gone into hiding.

After the riots in France and this furor over a bunch of cartoons, Europe is finally waking up to the the violent incompatibility between Islam and not only freedom of speech, but other freedoms European societies provide for their citizens.

Because of this changing attitude, it is probably becoming less and less likely Turkey and its predominantly Muslim population will be allowed into the European Union. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.