Tolerance For Thee, But Not For Me

An Opus Dei-linked magazine, Studi Cattolici, has kicked off some predictable outrage by printing a cartoon making fun of, but not depicting, the prophet Mohammed. Those ink-stained Danish wretches have nothing on this:

The drawing in Studi cattolici takes its inspiration from Dante's Divine Comedy, in which the 14th-century poet imagines being guided through hell by the Latin poet Virgil, and sees the prophet cut in two as his punishment for spreading division. In the cartoon, Virgil points out another figure to Dante, saying: "And that one there with his pants down, that's Italian policy towards Islam." The caption uses a play on words to suggest Italy has chickened out in its attitude to Muslims.

Do you feel the stiff winds of freedom blowing? Then get a windbreaker, because Opus Dei is simultaneously demanding that the fictional Hollywood movie (which is based on a novel) "The Da Vinci Code" carry a Catholic-boosting disclaimer.

UPDATE: As noted in comments, the cartoon doesn't portray the prophet. That has no doubt helped this stay a low-level controversy. Here's a link to the cartoon.