Where's the Outrage?

Why are Muslims not protesting the Swiss minaret ban like they did the Danish cartoon controversy?

The Swiss ban on Minarets has certainly stirred a lot of commentary, but as Uli Abshar Abdalla argues, not much outrage in the Muslim world:

The ban itself might not qualify to be an “explosive” issue that strikes the Muslim nerve. Apparently the incident pales in comparison to Salman Rushdie Affair, for instance.

However, the fear circulating in Switzerland right after the referendum is that it will provoke an aggressive response from the Muslim world as people learn of the past incident of the Danish cartoon on the Prophet Muhammad.

Abdalla goes onto speculate why the response has been so muted:

Another possibility is that the Danish cartoon controversy taught Muslims a good lesson. The whole mess that has been conducted in the name of defending the Prophet after the outbreak of the Danish cartoon controversy seemed to tarnish the image of Islam.

Instead of doing a good service in Muslims’ interest, it turned into a “dirty” game played by many right-wing movements that have mushroomed in Western countries recently. It also fuels the existing image of Muslim as a “riotous ummah” (community).

There does appear to have been protests, but could it be that the response has been more pointed from Western Europeans (see Timothy Garton Ash's piece on the home page today, for instance) than by Muslims at large?

(AP Photos)