Madam, - Many of us in the West have difficulty reconciling the scale of the demonstrations and violence occasioned by the cartoons of Muhammad with the complete lack of protest at - indeed, often the mass celebration of - the suicide bombings and other acts of terror carried out in the name of Allah.
As Jihad Momani, editor in chief of Al Shihani, the Jordanian newspaper which published the cartoons, asked in his editorial: "What brings more prejudice against Islam - these cartoons, or pictures of a hostage-taker slashing the throat of his victim in front of cameras, or a suicide bomber who blows himself up during a wedding ceremony, or on a crowded commuter bus?" For pointing out this unpalatable truth Jihad Momani was sacked and jailed.
Perhaps the real reason for the extreme reaction can be seen by examining the contents and targets of the cartoons. Almost without exception, the terrorist attacks carried out by extremist Muslims in recent years have depended for their effectiveness on a ready supply of young men willing to blow themselves to pieces.
The cult of the suicide bomber is the terrorists' most powerful weapon. The Danish cartoons accurately satirise this evil cult with its nonsensical doctrines of heavenly bliss and an allotment of virgins. Satire is possibly the most potent weapon we can use to counteract this type of cult.
Would young men be so eager to sacrifice their lives, and commit murder, if they realised that the rest of the world sees them as deluded fools, not the noble martyrs which their masterminds would have them believe? - Yours, etc,
AIDAN McGRATH, Athlone, Co Westmeath.