There are two parts to this issue, the most minor of which being that depictions of mohammed are forbidden. Indeed depictions of any prophet are frowned apon by

There are two parts to this issue, the most minor of which being that depictions of mohammed are forbidden. Indeed depictions of any prophet are frowned apon by the majority of muslims. Disney's 'The Prince of Egypt' was banned in many predominantly muslim countries for example. The reasoning behind this is that the worshiping of stone idols was the religion of the day in Mecca before Mohammed started evangelizing. It was the desire for Islam to be far removed from these practices. Yet for any rules that are in place for muslims, non-muslims are not required to adhere to them, hence no-one at Disney was threatened or murdered. There is some cross-over of course, where a non-muslim cannot for example walk around half-dressed in a muslim country but making depictions of mohammed in a Western publication is certainly not one of them. I cringe when I hear people say something like 'Mohammed's image might be sacred to muslims, but not us'. Muslims are, you could argue, some what responsible though as mohammed has been elevated to something far above a human being in some of their minds, ironic when his one message was that God alone is worthy of worship. The real issue and what is being continuously glossed over when this brouhaha boils over is that some muslims take deadly issue with mohammed or Islam being mocked. There are a few accounts of poets in mohammed's lifetime who slandered either him or Islam and were subsequently murdered. Most muslims doubt these accounts are factual, believing perhaps they were made up to suit someone's agenda after mohammed died. after all Mohammed was constantly berated by a multitude of detractors while he was alive and he didn't call for their deaths, but rather peace treaties. Some muslims though - the dangerous ones - see them as valid and regard them as instructions as to how to conduct themselves when a similar situation arises. If you managed to watch the video clip revolutionmuslim created, you will hear that the audio which plays over the montage is of an imam discussing some of these stories. So this is why the Danish cartoonists are being threatened, not because they made an image of mohammed but because they slandered him. This is why Theo Van Gogh was murdered and this is why the South Park creators are being threatened. Behind the mask of these veiled threats of course lies a sub-section of muslims who wish to rouse their brethren to engage in a full-on assault of the west. The vast majority of muslims will ignore them but those already holding a vendetta might give them ear.