Cartoon Jihad: The Muslim Outrage Over Depictions Of Mohammed

From Western Resistance:

... the Hadiths appear to warn against idolatry, and it is mainly for this reason that all images, and particularly images of Mohammed, have been forbidden at various times in the history of Islam.

In Iran there has been less outrage against depictions of Mohammed. Traditionally he has been shown in miniatures and tapestries, and until recently, poster images depicting a smiling Mohammed were available in Iranian market stalls.

The outrage against images of Mohammed has been predominantly the preserve of Sunnis. In Saudi Arabia, the writings of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703-1792) are promoted, and disseminated to mosques and madrassas around the world. Only one full text remains from Wahhab, the Kitab at-Tawhid (Book of monotheism). For Wahhab, any reverence to a site, an individual or grave-marker is "shirk" (polytheism or idolatry).

As a result of such strict viewpoints, many archeological sites in Mecca and Medina have been deliberately destroyed by Wahhabi fanatics supported by the Saudi royal family. Signs are erected next to sites of pilgrimage, such as the Al-Nour cave where Mohammed first gained his prophecies, warning against idolatry.

If the Saudis, the Salafists and Islamists condemn images of Mohammed, they should also forbid photographs and video images, if their prophet claimed that the maker of such an image would be punished on Judgment Day. Al Qaeda representatives such as Zawahiri and bin Laden are actually defying the instructions of Mohammed when they appear on videos lecturing the world about its failure to follow "true" Islam.

Go read the whole thing.