[Mr Angry]

Many thanks for that.

Your "I honestly believe that you must live and abide by the rules of the country if you are visiting or living there" statement is absolutely spot on.

On the issue of the cartoons. Unfortunately (and I'm saying this as a non-muslim) I don't feel qualified to state whether they are offensive or not because I do not subscribe to or practise their faith.

In reality I don't think it's up to or appropriate for non muslims to determine what does and doesn't offend muslims - we / they are ill placed to do so. Humour, satire and political humour are very western traits. This does not, however, legitimize the actions of some of the protesters.

Tolerance and understanding are key to this core issue of mutual respect. I recently posted a satirical post on another thread, prior to the start of this thread, which was removed because the MODs thought it "might cause offence and trouble". The fact that it contained the name of the son of God in the title deemed it, according to one poster, to be "insulting to Jesus".

This goes to show that even a written, obviously satirical, message drafted by a "westerner" can be interpreted as insensitive to other westerners whereas practitioners of an alternative religion might find no harm in the statement - if you know where I'm coming from.

Anyway, thanks for your reasoned, mature and logical reply - it is very much appreciated.