Somebody Had to Say It

Even if it is satire. Purportedly from the mouth of Simpsons creator Matt Groening:

The controversy over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper has led the producers of The Simpsons to reconsider his appearance in a forthcoming episode. The offending cartoons included a picture of the founder of Islam wearing a turban, and have been slammed by Muslims for being blasphemous and Israelis as overly subtle.

“In light of the situation in Denmark, we have decided to withdraw our depiction of the Prophet out of sensitivity towards the Islamic community’s feelings,” creator Matt Groening said. “And also our sensitivity to our office being firebombed.”

All kidding aside, don't you get the sense that this is why so many media outlets are not publishing the cartoons, if only to provide their viewers the context of what is really causing the uproar. "Sensitivity to the Muslim community" is the face saving excuse, but I don't think that it is unfair to say that the bullying has been effective.