That editorial noted several other "outrages" that sparked a lot of controversy ( I had not heard of the statue incident here in NYC), and freedom of speech and artistic expression.

Depictions of Muhammad by non-Muslims have caused offense for centuries, whether in Dante's "Divine Comedy" (where the Islamic prophet is depicted in hell), or in a statue of Muhammad that had stood on the roof of New York City's State Appellate Division courthouse for 50 years (it was removed in 1955 after protests from Islamic countries, though a depiction in the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington remains). In 1977, a film about the life of Muhammad titled "The Message" attempted to avoid the problem by never actually showing the prophet. It didn't work: After Islamic groups took hostages in a Washington siege that left two dead, the filmmakers canceled the Washington premiere and halted screenings.