Double standard for freedom of expression

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4673908.stm (also many other sites)

Today, there was serious media and political unrest. Over ... cartoon drawings in newspapers. Of the prophet Mohammad, founder of the Islamic religion.

I have a problem with this. The whole point of critical awareness and examination of things is to accept criticism, providing that it is not inciting hatred or violence, and does not specifically attack one person who could then be harmed personally by those remarks.

Islam seems to be removing itself from the arena of comedy and artwork, enforcing the old law that Mohammad may not be depicted in art.

Images of Jesus which are often highly rude and suggestive of various non-christian things are frequently presented throughout global media, and are left un challenged almost entirely. It seems Christians, who are seen as a soft, loving majority who'd better shut up and not complain, are allowed and even expected to be silent in the face of highly critical and sometimes down right mocking (see a recent confession by the National Secular Society concerning their desire to mock religious people and their faith using free speech) attacks from secular folk as well as folk of other faiths.

There should quite blatently be one, global rule for everyone, for all depictions of anything or anyone - whether they support or deride a school of thought.

Of course people should act with respect. I have never disrespected a religion using images or lies. But freedom to do so in order to allow free criticism of all things equally must be in existance, otherwise what we have is a two tier system. A suspicious mind may say that a 'religion of peace' needs to back up that claim by not having gunmen surround an embassy to persuade governments to stop their press drawing cartoon images of Mohammad.