The cartoons were first published in the Danish paper, Jyllands-Posten,nearly five months ago, in September. The initial protest was limited to Denmark’sMuslim minority but was brushed off by both government and civil society. Thisis when some of the ultra- conservative Danish imams took matters into their ownhands and set off for Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with a dossier containing theinflammatory cartoons. Last week came the diplomatic explosion: Saudi Arabiarecalled its ambassador in Denmark and Libya shut its embassy. There followedthe boycott of Danish goods, demonstrations, strikes, flag-burning, and nowfires set to embassies in Damascus and Beirut.