So the whole depicting Muhammed as a cartoon thing. I'm not going to say much, but it is hitting strangely here. I have not experienced direct discussion of it by Egyptians to me. But Paul, a friend of Nicole's (my friend from Arizona) is Norwegian. The recent hostility towards Norwegians and Danes is pretty upsetting for him. Perhaps it's because he is from a country generally considered to be neutral. I am used to being from a hostile country, a country far from neutral. I am used to deflecting comments about my government's aggressive policies. But Paul isn't. While Nicole and I were sitting peacefully at a cafe listening to the beautiful call to prayer resound throughout the city from hundreds of loudspeakers, Paul texted her telling her that the Danish embassy in Syria has been burned to ashes, and as we spoke the Norwegian embassy was burning... I am pretty conflicted on the issue, free speech vs. respecting a faith. But the hostility is frightening. I suppose I'm not saying much. Like I said, I prefer to save these sorts of comments for private conversation. But from this vantage point things appear differently and the affects are more real.