Things That Ought to Have Been Said Last Week

AP: U.N., E.U., Bush Call for End to Riots---

"Islam says it's all right to demonstrate but not to resort to violence. This must stop," said senior cleric Mohammed Usman, a member of the Ulama Council —Afghanistan's top Islamic organization. "We condemn the cartoons but this does not justify violence. These rioters are defaming the name of Islam."

Other members of the council went on radio and television Wednesday to appeal for calm. It followed a statement released Tuesday by the United Nations, European Union and the world's largest Islamic group urging an end to violence.

"Aggression against life and property can only damage the image of a peaceful Islam," said the statement released by Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the EU chief Javier Solana.

President Bush called upon governments Wednesday to stop the violence and protect the lives of diplomats overseas.

"We reject violence as a way to express discontent with what may be printed in a free press," Bush said after meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, who asked demonstrators to "express their views peacefully."

In Baghdad, Iraq's top Shiite political leader criticized attacks on foreign embassies by Muslims.

"We value and appreciate peaceful Islamic protests," said Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. "But we are against the idea of attacking embassies and other official sites."

Meanwhile, a U.S. military spokesman said the United States and other countries were examining whether extremist groups may be inciting protesters to riot around the world over the cartoons that have been printed in numerous European papers.

"The United States and other countries are providing assistance in any manner that they can ... to see if this is something larger than just a small demonstration," Col. James Yonts told reporters when asked whether al-Qaida and the Taliban may have been involved in the violent Afghan demonstrations.

Just like after 9/11, it has taken much too long for Muslim "leaders" to step up and condemn Islamists' reactions to these EDITORIAL CARTOONS.

Rather than condemning the artists for exercising their FREEDOM OF SPEECH, the world leaders and Muslim leaders ought to have condemned the rioters. There are ways to disagree without looking like violent, insane terrorists (though, really, the Left in this country still hasn't figured that out).

But we all know this is the true face of Islamism: hate for anyone free, anyone with freedom of speech, who chooses to exercise that right, hate for the "Infidels." This is a "Religion of Peace?"