Ayaan Hirsi, a Somali-Dutch member of Holland's parliament, has backed the decision of Jyllands Posten to publish the cartoons which have depicted the founder of Islam in an unfavorable light and the decisions of other papers to republish them.

Today the open society is challenged by Islamism.

Note: I think the BBC could have done a better job of translating the quote.

Ms. Hirsi describes herself as a "dissident of Islam." She has praised some of Mohammad's teachings, while condemning the founder of Islam's decree that gays and apostates should be killed.

Even the commentary of Ahmed M. Rehab, director of communications for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Chicago, offers some hope. Although the author does not adequately defend the free speech rights of the publishers, there is a recognition that the response is inappropriate.

Muslims would do well to consider angry and destructive mobs as a personal insult to the Prophet, who preached that "the best amongst you are those who can reign themselves in when angered."

One can only hope that the feeding frenzy of religious extremism will subside.