It’s all fun and games until an angry mob storms the embassy

I’m a big advocate of free speech. I think people should be able to express themselves openly on any topic without fear of reprisal. I like healthy debate, I enjoy hearing alternate views and I think society is best served when everyone has a chance to give their say. With that being said there is also a downside to free speech which has been on full display over the last few days in the Middle East. Namely that any moron with a video camera and access to the internet can upload an incendiary video about the founder of Islam and cause full-scale riots in multiple nations.

In case you haven’t been following the news of late here is a quick recap: A mystery individual created a trailer for a low-budget movie about the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims strictly forbid any visual depiction of Muhammad even if it is in a positive light. This movie is far from positive, in fact it shows the founder of Islam as a violent homosexual child molester. Once this trailer was posted to YouTube it garnered the attention of Fundamentalist Muslims. They were not amused and called for protests. Angry mobs then converged on the U.S. Embassies in Egypt and Libya and in the case of the latter they stormed the building and killed the Ambassador and three members of his security detail.

I’m not sure who is at fault for this incident. Do you point the finger at the people who made an inflammatory movie or the people who reacted to it with violence? Perhaps you could cast the blame on the internet and modern technology for making all of this possible.  Regardless of who is at fault there are definitely no winners. Four innocent people lost their lives over an amateur video. The diplomatic relations between the United States and a number of Middle Eastern nations are going to be severely strained. The person who made this video as well as all of actors in it are going to have to go into hiding for their personal safety. Perhaps the biggest casualty in all of this could be the Arab Spring movement. What looked like such a positive force for democracy in the region could easily be corrupted by extremists quick to take advantage of any slight to their religion. In fact we might be watching that unfold on live TV  over the next few days.