I just couldn't leave this one alone. Most of you already know what I think of religion so I won't go into that.
First off: All this violence over the cartoon is unjustified criminal behaviour plain and simple. Those who take part in it need to evolve.
second: I see Islam this way - it is an adolescent religion, by which I mean it hasn't settled down to a quiet little social obligation like the world's other major religions. So, for the last few decades Islam as a whole has been throwing a collective hissy fit. The fact that it is plagueing the rest of the world is a drag but not necessarily an intrinsic feature of the religion itself.
Third: Most of what we call Islamic extremism or terrorism is more a social phenomenon than a truly religious one. Dieing for Allah starts to sound good when your life sucks and you're full of rage against corrupt and authoritarian regimes and ,less fairly, western culture. So in strides some spoiled brat like Bin Laden to take advantage of the angry and uneducated masses,whip them into a fury and proceed to kill the innocent. Eventually, I believe, more moderate muslims who care about the fate of their culture and religion will prevail- but it could take a VERY long time.
All of the things humanity does in the name of religion just makes me want to