I am bringing this out of the diary about South Park, because the cartoon itself is not everyone's cup of tea, and Comedy Central, though completely cowardly, has the right to edit/censor what they show.
Some Muslims are asking for respect towards their religion. For many people that is asking too much. There is a lot of disrespect towards Christianity, especially fundamentalist Christianity on this site, and rightly so. For me, it has nothing to do with having no respect for Christians. As an American, I have plenty of Christian friends and they are great, but to me their beliefs are absurd, and I like the ability to be able to speak out and state that their beliefs are absurd.
If Christians want to argue with me and offer proof, they are welcome to, but they also know that it is my right to look down at their beliefs. Just as it is their right to believe that I am going to hell for being a non-believer.
If Muslims want to argue with me and offer proof of Prophet Muhammad being the Prophet of God, they are welcome to, but they have no right to demand respect for their beliefs - making their beliefs somehow an excepted and protected line of thought. I respect all good Muslims who do not attempt to impose their beliefs on me, just like I respect all good Christians who do not attempt to convert me. But I do not respect Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and just about any other religion (well I have a little bit of respect for Buddhism and Confucianism for not being proselytizing or focused on some invisible Man in the Sky) and I reserve the right to make fun of them, even if it is just to make a point.
I personally have no intention to go out of my way to offend people. I do not come up to a Christian or Muslim or a Jew and laugh in their face and speak ill of their beliefs. But I will defend someone else's right to speak out forcefully and ridicule beliefs that have helped oppress a vast majority of Humanity for the last 3-4 thousands of years, fueled wars that killed untold millions, and triggered Dark Ages that have slowed/reversed human progress.
Asking for respect for human beings is cool. Asking for respect for particular religious beliefs is too much and would be hypocritical to observe.