out of respect, or, out of fear

One of the strangest aspects, and to me, unexpected, was the strange new respect that newspapers and news channels show for religion.

James Pinkerton of Newsday and Bill Donohue of the Catholic League have
identifed it.

Fear guides media response to cartoons : Catholic League

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented today on the controversy over the Danish cartoons that lampoon Muhammad:

"The decision of most mainstream media outlets not to reprint or show the controversial cartoons is the right one: the Catholic League sides with the U.S., Britain and the Vatican in denouncing the inflammatory cartoons. Regrettably, the decision by the media not to offend Muslims is motivated by fear, not ethics. Worse than this by far is the violent reaction, and calls for violence, that have sprung up all over the Muslim world. This is pure barbarism."

There's a long tradition of insulting religion in this country in the name of religious and press freedom. I don't know when the last successful conviction for blashphemy was obtained, but I doubt there's been one since 1900.

I wouldn't join a violent protest of an insult to the Catholic faith, and I simply cannot imagine that Cardinal Egan or Bill Donohue would ever call for one.

In an odd way, the protests confirm the cartoons subtext: that the reaction to an outrage permitted in a free country like Denmark is mob violence.