Part Three: Why Be Strident?

Here in the united states, we enjoy a cornucopia of freedoms. we have freedom of speech, religion, press, the right to protest....and the list goes on. Not if the UN has anything to say about it though. in December 2010, a measure sponsored by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) proposed banning speech that was disrespectful to religious groups. while the US has continued to oppose the measure, other nations have been unilaterally adopting it over the past year. Its important to point out that the nations in the OIC are governed by Sharia and only outlaw speech that is insulting towards Islam.
this is what we can expect if we allow the religious play the hurt feelings card. It wont stop with speech either. Just ask Denmark's political cartoonists.
If we stand up and support women's rights in Muslim countries.....we have offended them by telling them that they are mistreating women by keeping them in cloth bags and stoning them for getting raped. If a Koran is accidentally burned in a rubbish pile then you can expect the yokels to raise hell rather than their voices. and list of examples goes on and on. If you want to keep from offending the religious, then you should be willing to concede just about everything.
On the other hand, if you don't particularly care whether or not believers get their panties in a bunch over a book, then you can go about combating the worst parts of said book. I think that if you oppose the ridiculous and dangerous beliefs of the faithful at face value, then you cannot avoid pissing of the pious. We should be willing to offend, if only to defend and perpetuate enlightenment values, and give a much needed shove, in forward direction, to those who are a few centuries behind.