February 16, 2006 Don’t Ignore the Quiet Majority of Muslims
Most Muslims -- and especially American Muslims -- cannot fairly
be accused of hypersensitivity when it comes to the Danish
cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. That's because most
Muslims have not overreacted, despite the stereotypic images
served up by the media. In fact, most Muslims have hardly
reacted at all -- even those who are profoundly offended by the
images. To put this in perspective, consider for a moment the
frieze of Muhammad installed inside the picturesque building
that houses the U.S. Supreme Court. Muhammad is pictured there
to pay homage to his role as a significant lawmaker in world
history. His statue stands next to that of Moses. In a 1997
court case, some Muslims raised concerns about the religious
insensitivities demonstrated, but Chief Justice William
Rehnquist upheld a lower-court decision to preserve this
artistic rendition of Muhammad as a major contributor to
jurisprudence. Muslim Americans did not go out on the str