It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, in this case, the picture was a cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammad.

The scandal began with a Danish comedian’s request for cartoonists to draw Muhammad for a children’s book he was working on about Islam. There were twelve respondents – each depicting the prophet as they interpreted his image. Though not all of the cartoons depicted the prophet in a negative light, some did, and when the images were republished in the European press last week Muslims around the world took a stand.

The now infamous image of Muhammad – his turban hiding a rather large bomb – has stirred up tremendous opposition from followers who have began rioting in the streets from Afghanistan to Dubai. Muslims are protesting the cartoons not only for their unflattering content, but for the main fact that the Islamic faith forbids any depictions of the prophet.

While Muslims are dying in the streets demanding respect for their beliefs, the Danish are standing by their choice to run the cartoons, saying that the Danish press has a long history of satire – no one is off limits, including Jesus who will soon be satirized in the same Danish publication.

The issue has become one beyond religious freedom, but instead has become an issue of freedom of the press, which guarantees freedom to everyone, even those who disagree with what is being published. Despite this unrestricted right to speech, there is a line where freedom cannot make up for irresponsibility. To blatantly and recklessly ridicule something that is a fundamental belief of millions is irresponsible, obviously, but it also in no way justifies the violence that has ensued as a result of these cartoons.