--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Recently , crowds of thousands gathered…" description: "\"Recently , crowds of thousands gathered throughout the Muslim world - burning European embassies, issuing threats, taking hostages, even killing people..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/sam-harris-457_atheist_recently-crowds-of-thousands-gathered-th_1987894.jpg" --- # Recently , crowds of thousands gathered throughout the… ![“Recently , crowds of thousands gathered throughout the Muslim world - burning European embassies, issuing threats, taking hostages, even killing people - in protest over twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad that were first published in a Danish newspaper. When was the last atheist riot?” quote by Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/sam-harris-457_atheist_recently-crowds-of-thousands-gathered-th_1987894.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/sam-harris-457_atheist_recently-crowds-of-thousands-gathered-th_1987894.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/972/sam-harris-457_atheist_recently-crowds-of-thousands-gathered-th_1987894.jpg) > “Recently , crowds of thousands gathered throughout the Muslim world - burning European embassies, issuing threats, taking hostages, even killing people - in protest over twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad that were first published in a Danish newspaper. When was the last atheist riot?” [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mass protests erupted over cartoons, showing how religious offense can trigger violent backlash. **In simple terms:** Religious offense sparked violent protests. Key Takeaway Recognize sensitivities in religious contexts. Themes religion politics media violence freedom of expression Mood tense concerned Type political controversial When to use this quote - journalism - political activism - public safety - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts cultural clash identity provocation Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance free speech with respect for religious beliefs? - What mechanisms reduce escalation after offensive content? A Different Perspective Violence may arise from perceived blasphemy, not just political motives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atheist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) [Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Muhammad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muhammad/) [Newspapers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspapers/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prophet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prophet/) [Protest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protest/) [Riot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/riot/) [Threat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/threat/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [ I can hardly believe what these 12 caricatures \[about Prophet Muhammad\] have caused in the world. We Danes feel like we have been placed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-fogh-rasmussen/i-can-hardly-believe-what-these-12-caricatures-about-prophet-muhammad/) [Anders Fogh Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-fogh-rasmussen/) > [“I desired to praise the Chosen One and was hindered By my own inability to grasp the extent of his glory. How can one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-juzayy-al-kalbi/i-desired-to-praise-the-chosen-one-and-was-hindered-by-my-own/) Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi > [It's a tremendous responsibility to be direct descendants of the prophet Muhammad. This family has had the burden of leadership on its shoulders for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-a-tremendous-responsibility-to-be-direct-descendants-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[The Jews\] tried to kill the principles of all religions with the same mentality in which they betrayed Jesus Christ and the same way… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/the-jews-tried-to-kill-the-principles-of-all-religions-with-the-same/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [“If I were in his(Prophet Muhammad) presence, I would wash his feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hercules/if-i-were-in-his-prophet-muhammad-presence-i-would-wash-his-feet/) [Hercules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hercules/) > [The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Do you know who will go first on the Day of Resurrection to the shade of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ibn-isa-at-tirmidhi/the-prophet-muhammad-peace-be-upon-him-said-do-you-know-who-will-go/) [Muhammad ibn Isa at-Tirmidhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ibn-isa-at-tirmidhi/) > [The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked what type of earning was best, and he replied: " A man's work with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ibn-isa-at-tirmidhi/the-prophet-muhammad-peace-be-upon-him-was-asked-what-type-of-earning/) [Muhammad ibn Isa at-Tirmidhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ibn-isa-at-tirmidhi/) > [“Unable and crippled I am As I gaze into the vastness The vastness that harbors your praise And glories of the best of creation...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anila-aboo/unable-and-crippled-i-am-as-i-gaze-into-the-vastness-the-vastness/) Anila Aboo > [“He(Prophet Muhammad) laid the foundation of a universal government. His law was one for all. Equal justice and love for everyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rev-b-margoliouth/he-prophet-muhammad-laid-the-foundation-of-a-universal-government-his/) Rev. B. Margoliouth > [ “As the Tawrat \[Torah\], the Zabur \[The Psalms of David\], the Injil \[Gospel\] and the Quran are divine books, the Veda \[written in about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/md-ziaul-haque/as-the-tawrat-torah-the-zabur-the-psalms-of-david-the-injil-gospel/) [Md. Ziaul Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/md-ziaul-haque/) > [“The Most Excellent Jihad is the Conquest of One’s Self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prophet-muhammad-saw/the-most-excellent-jihad-is-the-conquest-of-one-s-self/) Prophet Muhammad (SAW > [By declaring our Prophet infallible and not permitting ourselves to question him, we Muslims had set up a static tyranny. The Prophet Muhammad attempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/by-declaring-our-prophet-infallible-and-not-permitting-ourselves-to/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [“Wishful thinking about the peaceful tolerance of Islam cannot interpret away this reality: hands are still cut off, women still stoned and enslaved, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/wishful-thinking-about-the-peaceful-tolerance-of-islam-cannot/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [In Islam, we believe Jesus is a prophet and respect him and follow his teachings and put him beside the Prophet Muhammad - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haaz-sleiman/in-islam-we-believe-jesus-is-a-prophet-and-respect-him-and-follow-his/) [Haaz Sleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haaz-sleiman/) > [“A fundamental aim of Mawlid al-Nabi a is to attain love and proximity of the Prophet and to revive the believer’s relationship with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-tahir-ul-qadri/a-fundamental-aim-of-mawlid-al-nabi-a-is-to-attain-love-and-proximity/) [Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-tahir-ul-qadri/) ## More by Sam Harris > [“Moderates in every faith are obliged to loosely interpret (or simply ignore) much of their canons in the interests of living in the modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/moderates-in-every-faith-are-obliged-to-loosely-interpret-or-simply/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [There is no question but that nominally religious scientists like Francis Collins and Kenneth R. Miller are doing lasting harm to our discourse by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/there-is-no-question-but-that-nominally-religious-scientists-like/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [We have Christians against Muslims against Jews, and no matter how liberal your theology, merely identifying yourself as a Christian or a Jew lends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/we-have-christians-against-muslims-against-jews-and-no-matter-how/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Your principal concern appears to be that the Creator of the universe will take offense at something people do while naked. This prudery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/your-principal-concern-appears-to-be-that-the-creator-of-the-universe/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“As manuals for contemplative understanding, the Bible and the Koran are worse than useless. Whatever wisdom can be found in their pages is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/as-manuals-for-contemplative-understanding-the-bible-and-the-koran/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. If our polls are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/about-120-million-of-us-place-the-big-bang-2-500-years-after-the/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“If your golf instructor were to insist that you shave your head, sleep no more than four hours each night, renounce sex, and subsist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/if-your-golf-instructor-were-to-insist-that-you-shave-your-head-sleep/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The fact that one can lose one's sense of self in an ocean of tranquility does not mean that one's consciousness is immaterial or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-fact-that-one-can-lose-one-s-sense-of-self-in-an-ocean-of/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“But the reality of consciousness appears irreducible. Only consciousness can know itself—and directly, through first-person experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/but-the-reality-of-consciousness-appears-irreducible-only/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“Whether or not one likes Huntington's formulation, one thing is clear: the evil that has finally reached our shores is not merely the evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/whether-or-not-one-likes-huntington-s-formulation-one-thing-is-clear/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The problem is that religion tends to give people bad reasons to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-problem-is-that-religion-tends-to-give-people-bad-reasons-to-be/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Muslim moderates, wherever they are, must be given every tool necessary to win a war of ideas with their co-religionists. Otherwise, we will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/muslim-moderates-wherever-they-are-must-be-given-every-tool-necessary/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [The idea that any one of our religions represents the infallible word of the One True God requires an encyclopedic ignorance of history, mythology,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-idea-that-any-one-of-our-religions-represents-the-infallible-word/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [“What could possibly cause billions of human beings to reconsider their religious beliefs? And yet, it is obvious that an utter revolution in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/what-could-possibly-cause-billions-of-human-beings-to-reconsider/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) [Explore all 543 Sam Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) ## More Atheist quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [That the world is in a bad shape is undeniable, but there is not the faintest reason in history to suppose that Christianity offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/that-the-world-is-in-a-bad-shape-is-undeniable-but-there-is-not-the/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [“The atheist joined his hands. It wasn't against the Gods. He smiled, with his hands folded, saw his daughter's in-laws approaching near.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhavik-sarkhedi/the-atheist-joined-his-hands-it-wasn-t-against-the-gods-he-smiled/) [Bhavik Sarkhedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhavik-sarkhedi/) > [I am surprised that anyone can profess to be an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-am-surprised-that-anyone-can-profess-to-be-an-atheist/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [An Atheist wandering down a road where he meets up a four road junction , he asks a passer by hey !, where does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/an-atheist-wandering-down-a-road-where-he-meets-up-a-four-road/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/an-ineffably-holy-god-who-has-the-utmost-abhorrence-of-sin-was-never/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [If all the Atheists & Agnostics left America, they'd lose 93% of The National Academy of Sciences & less than 1% of the prison population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/if-all-the-atheists-agnostics-left-america-they-d-lose-93-of-the/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [I am an atheist. I don't think there's anything divine. Beautiful, impressive, awe-inspiring - sure, but not divine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/i-am-an-atheist-i-don-t-think-there-s-anything-divine-beautiful/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) [Browse all 2,434 Atheist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atheist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Recently , crowds of thousands gathered throughout the Muslim world - burning European embassies, issuing threats, taking hostages, even killing people - in protest over twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad that were first published in a Danish newspaper. 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