STICKS AND STONES...

Does anyone else think there's something fundamentally wrong with Islamic Fundamentalists?

Many have been calling for the Pope's execution. Yes - they want the Pope dead because of some remarks he made about the prophet Mohammed - remarks the Vatican says were taken out of context. It was actually a quote from some 13th century know-it-all no one's ever heard of. No matter - it gave Mulsims another excuse to hate westerners and declare Jihad on the non-Muslim world. Another day in the life...

This political cartoon captures the irony perfectly.

It seems to me a good chunk of the nation of Islam is perpetually on the verge of violent protest. They seem to thrive on it. At first, the Pope's remarks, which were delivered in a speech (he wishes he could take back, I'm sure) last week, only invited rebuke. Top clerics merely demanded an apology from the Pontiff. But once the apology came, suddenly it wasn't good enough. Now, nothing short of his execution will suffice. "Sorry, you quoted a dude who, centuries ago, had some disparaging things to say about Mohammed, and for that you must die." They're burning effigies of the Catholic pointman in streets all around the world. Why can't these folks just settle down already?

Now that Christianity is in the crosshairs, why don't we see bloodthirsty Roman Catholic protesters burning pictures of Mohammed in the street? Where's the call to execute radical Muslim clerics? Is this a media bias? Or is it possible that one of the fundamental differences between Islam and other world religions is an emphasis on the sword? These folks are a sensitive bunch, and passionate about their protests. Remember the cartoon controversy? Pictures and words. If I were an image consultant hired to clean up the reputation of Islamic zealots, my advice would be:

"Settle the fuck down already. This isn't good PR for you folks. You keep telling the world that Islam is supposedly a "peaceful" religion, but the proof is in the protest. Every time someone says something you don't agree with, there's worldwide outrage and chants of death to [fill-in-the-blank]. You're promoting the perception that you're not a reasonable bunch. You need a new approach here. From now on, here's your sound byte: Sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us. That's it. No more death threats. No more riots in the street. No more holy wars. Only sticks and stones."