Muslim anger in the Middle East over European newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed has spiralled out of control. It has gone well beyond the offence caused. The destroying of embassies in Lebanon and Syria by outraged mobs is vandalism, not retribution.
Governments and religious leaders must do their utmost to bring reason to an issue that has been hijacked by fanatics with self-interest, rather than the good of their communities, at heart.
Editors who published the images in the name of free speech gave little thought to the consequences; they were putting their own ideals before the feelings of the members of a faith that has been marginalised in societies claiming to be secular.
The editor of the Danish paper that first printed the cartoons five months ago took the move in response to what he believed was a culture of fear and self-censorship that had taken hold following the murder of a Dutch filmmaker for criticising traditonal Islam's treatment of women. His action even gained the support of some Danish Muslims. But while his objective of standing up to political correctness and extremism is admirable, his method of doing so - by breaking such a sensitive religious taboo - is not.
A handful of publications have since also crossed that line. Like the organisers of the protests in Syria and Lebanon, they, too, were acting in self-interest rather than with the communities they serve in mind. They did so knowing that the 'wars on terrorism' and in Afghanistan and Iraq have led some Muslims to believe that it is their religion that is being targeted by the west. The editors concerned would surely have known that the Muslim faith does not permit images of the Prophet.
Some of the governments in the countries where the cartoons were printed have apologised. Their words have fallen on deaf ears, as the ransacking and setting on fire of embassies at the weekend has shown. They must continue to reach out to Muslims, at home and abroad, to let them know that the actions of a few are not the views of the nation.