Munib Younan, the Lutheran Bishop in Jerusalem, sure picked an interesting time to condemn inflammatory cartoons that mock people's religious beliefs. Younan, who has offered, little, if any, condemnation of newspapers in the disputed territories that have published images portraying Israel as a baby-killing and Christ-killing nation, finally found his prophetic voice on this issue when it was Muslim, not Jewish or Christian sensibilities that were offended by the recent publication of cartoons mocking Mohamed in newspapers throughout Europe.

In an article posted at thelutheran.org on Feb. 9, 2006, Bishop Younan warned Westerners to tread lightly when responding to Muslim protesters who have burnt Danish flags or engaged in other violent acts to express their displeasure over the cartoons.

“Are we really losing our civility to such a degree that we are incapable of rational discourse and can only resort to violence and desecration of sacred symbols, prophets, writings and places?" he said, subsequently adding that it is time for Christians and Muslims to “create a code of ethics by which religions and nations should [handle] religious differences.”

Notwithstanding the Bishop's attempt to equate the burning of embassies with the publication of cartoons depicting Mohammed in an offensive manner, Bishop Younan's statements would have more credibility if he had spoken publicly about the persistent demonization of Jews, Israel and the United States in papers throughout the Middle East, oftentimes through the desecration of Christian and Jewish imagery...