Nick Gillespie over at the usually reliably dhimmi Reason magazine (thanks to Amy Alkon) articulates it well:
There comes a point in any society’s existence where it must ultimately, to paraphrase Martin Luther (who himself was more than happy to see opponents put to death), dig in its heels and say here we stand, we will do no other. We don’t need to be perfectly consistent philosophically or historically or theologically to assert what is special and unique not just about the United States, with its bizarre and wonderful articulation of the First Amendment, but the greater classical liberal project comprising not just the “West” (whatever that is) but human beings in whatever town, country, or planet they inhabit. And at the heart of the liberal project is ultimately a recognition that individuals, for no other reason than that they exist, have rights to continue to exist. Embedded in all that is the right to expression. No one has a right to an audience or even to a sympathetic hearing, much less an engaged audience. But no one should be beaten or killed or imprisoned simply for speaking their mind or praying to one god as opposed to the other or none at all or getting on with the small business of living their life in peaceful fashion. If we cannot or will not defend that principle with a full throat, then we deserve to choke on whatever jihadists of all stripes can force down our throats.
And so it is Everybody Draw Muhammad Day here at Jihad Watch, as well as elsewhere. Marisol’s entries are here. My favorite among her excellent drawings is “Killjoy was here”:
This one comes from Jihad Watch reader James Snapp, Jr.:
Browsing around the web, here is Bosch Fawstin’s entry:
And one from Amy Alkon, who explains: “I don’t draw. I am one of those wacky broads who dresses up her dog. For Draw Mohammed Day, to show my opposition to religious thuggery and my support for free speech and other Western values:”
And from Urban Infidel, “because I believe in free speech and not capitulating to the threats of thugs and terrorists”:
From Jihad Watch reader Daniel:
Pamela Geller has many more here, and check out the ones on our SIOA Facebook page.
Finally, here is my own entry. When I spoke at Florida State University Law School in March, the indefatigable FSU law student Eric Giunta, who was responsible for bringing me to the campus, asked me to sign his copy of the Qur’an. I was puzzled by the request, since while I will happily sign my own books for anyone who asks, I did not write the Qur’an — contrary to the belief of al-Arabiya and Professor Khaleel Mohammed. But I complied, and took the opportunity to draw an admittedly derivative Motoon of my own (in what could just as easily be a caricature of myself as of Muhammad), with an inscription encapsulating the mildest of Muslim reactions to such tomfoolery: