For an American one of the most disconcerting things about Islam in Middle Eastern public life is that it seems like conservative Muslims have no tolerance for any sort of criticism. If a Qur'an is burnt, or an image of the prophet or god is shown on TV, there is the very real threat of violence. In the west, religion is constantly criticized, as is the lack of religion, and all religions different popular forms. There is a constant back and forth, but no one expects to be physically harmed as a result.
This may be because we are in a very lucky position of religious plurality, where there is so much diversity of belief that one group could never get away with violently attacking another without making all the other groups insecure and hostile to that one group. That plurality may be very deeply ingrained due to the United States being home to many different Christian sects even before other faiths where widely introduced. In many parts of the Middle East Islam is the only religion, and religious conservatives may thus feel more secure in acting violently.
This may be because we are in a very lucky position of religious plurality, where there is so much diversity of belief that one group could never get away with violently attacking another without making all the other groups insecure and hostile to that one group. That plurality may be very deeply ingrained due to the United States being home to many different Christian sects even before other faiths where widely introduced. In many parts of the Middle East Islam is the only religion, and religious conservatives may thus feel more secure in acting violently.
Regarding your first line "For an American one of the most disconcerting things about Islam in Middle Eastern public life is that it seems like conservative Muslims have no tolerance for any sort of criticism." in the short time we have been examining Muhammad I have been very conscious of what I write because I don't want to offend anyone who may stumble upon my blog. There culture is very different than ours but does my fear of offending them come directly from them or from the misconception that movies/media may plant?
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