A Brief History of Apologies and Olive Branches

President George W. Bush:

“The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace.”

President Bush’s State Dept.:

“Anti-Muslim images are as unacceptable as anti-Semitic images, as anti-Christian images, or any other religious belief.”

Yale University Press explains why they won’t publish cartoons:

“And the cartoons are deliberately grotesque and insulting, gratuitously so. They were designed to pick a fight. They meant to hurt and provoke. At best, they are in bad taste. The Press would never have commissioned or published them as original content.”

Dutch Prime Minister Balkenende:

“The film equates Islam with violence. We reject this interpretation. The vast majority of Muslims reject extremism and violence. In fact, the victims are often also Muslims.”

Jimmy Carter, U.S. President, 1977–81:

“Rushdie’s book is a direct insult to those millions of Muslims whose sacred beliefs have been violated ... The death sentence proclaimed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was an abhorrent response.”