Very nice questions touching the sour nerve as we say.
my contribution to these Qs, hope some other forumers reply too.
1) the cartoon was originally published in sep 04 , and re-published last september, why now ?
This issue took the snow ball effect, started small started to get bigger and bigger. First the isalmic community in denmark decided not to over react, they protested and asked for an apology with no reply from the newspaper and even the government said that it is "freedom of speech". Even the Danish Prime minister refused to meet 11 Ambassadors from Arab/Muslim countries.......!!!!!!!
This lead to the snow ball effect of people telling each other, talking to home countries about the destress they are in, and then the exponential curve started to hit the sky and here it is.
The Danish prime minister is asking to meet the Muslim/Arab countries ambasadors. (what an asshole)
The same man appologized about an "anti-jewish" topic was in Danish media. (FREEDOM OF SPEECH MY ASS)
2)check this out my friends :
http://www.islamcomicbook.com
where is everyone from boycotting the US ? lets see Saudi stop exporting oil to the US. hypocrites.
US is a super power, or THE Only super power and the big bully now on earth, you can't have the same conforntation like with the Danes. Stop exporting oil, well, there are alot of things and this is the biggest part of it. but this would lead into a REAL WWIII. For god's sake they hit Afghanistan to have a base to be able to attack Iraq to have their oil, so imagine what they would do if they found that all arabs will not give them oil.... mmmmmm secret word (NUKES)
3)Why hasnt the Muslim public react half the way they have reacted to this issue on other more serious offenses by the west ?
Like what??? but these days the middle east is having a huge transitions, not in their forign policies and this politica bullshit, but in the real people. people are getting closer espcially after the Afhghanistan and Iraq invasion. they know that this is the start of the big plan. (yeah, think i'm paranoid???? this is known scheme from before. yeah conspirecy theory, well guess what you want, it is happening, next syria then Iran)
People in the middle east and the masses are now seeing the danger closer, what happened to the people in Afghanestan and Iraq made them see the danger next door, saw the suffering of their fellows in Abu Gheirb and Guantanamo and even people from their own countries being held there and have actually experienced these suffereings and came home to tell these stories.
And when it come to religion, people are willing to loose their lives, it is more important than the land or countries.
anyway, These are my thoughts, might be right or wrong, but i'm there i'm here in the middle east, i lived all my life in all categories of the Arab/Muslim society and there are my two Cents
Cheers
May God give us the strength to save the dignity of our religoin.