It's one thing to be offended

by ill-considered cartoons. It's another to hang onto one's anger and to attempt to use it as a weapon. The New York Times reports that "Muslims Express Anger and Hope at Danish Conference."

'We are here today, because we want to tell you that every Muslim in the world is very angry,' said Tareq Alsuwaidan, general manager of the Kuwaiti satellite channel Al Resalah.
'We request an official apology from your government to the Muslim nation … .'

Why does the Muslim world have such a sense of weakness about itself that it can't move on? Most of the world has acknowledged that the cartoons were thoughtless and rude. They were published without knowing about the Muslim sensativity to images of Muhammad. Having established this point—and it has been very well established—it's time to continue with our lives. Those who are attempting to provoke continued anger are not doing themselves any good. On the contrary, they are confirming the Western image of certain elements of the Muslim world that it lives by irrational and exploitative anger rather than by intellectual honesty.