Back in July 2001 (pre 9/11), South Park portrayed Muhammad in its cartoon. Why no hubbub back then? South Park was surely much more widely broadcast that those Danish cartoons. What's going on? Were Muslims in the Middle East wholly unaware of South Park's portrayal, so a firestorm of protest didn't even get started? Are the Muslims going backwards in their Westernization? Are they just more sensitive now to all things non-Muslim, since they know we tend to view them as barbarians due to 9/11? Is it all Bush's fault for invading Iraq? Are these Danish cartoon riots orchestrated for reasons other than true outrage? Are the Danish/European Muslims more militant?
I'm not trying to be flippant or lazy here by asking a question and not answering it. I honestly don't know. The best I could is hazard a guess, and y'all can do that as well as I.
