What's so funny about War, Hate and Misunderstanding?

The terror masters may come to regret ginning up the violent demonstrations over cartoons published several months ago in a Danish newspaper. And make no mistake, Iran and its sidekick Syria have used this controversy to send some very clear signals.

For starters, the Danish embassy in Syria was torched. Later that day, the Norwegian embassy was also torched.

In Lebanon, where Syria still has considerable influence through its agents and Hezbollah, a mob set the Danish mission on fire.

In Iran, the Danish and Austrian embassies were attacked by mobs.

Vienna, Austria just happened to be the home of the IAEA and the site of last weekend's vote referring Iran to the UN Security Council. Pure coincidence? What do you think?

In police states like Iran and Syria, mobs like this do not form and persist, let alone attack and burn foreign embassies, without the knowledge and consent of the authorities.

The demonstrations are a warning to Europe not to go get too cozy with the United States in the push to at minimum impose severe sanctions on Iran via the UN. They certainly are a warning about what might happen if Europe supports military action against Iran.

But in sending such thuggish messages, Iran and Syria may have set fire to the paper cocoon that has drawn Europe and the Muslim world into a warm embrace these past years.

In the past, Europe, safe behind the umbrella of defense provided by the US, has been free to look down their patrician noses at the cowboy Americans and decry US imperialism. European diplomats have been free to sit in golden, silken salons and praise the high virtues of diplomatic dialogue.

But these demonstrations, and they are occuring across Europe as well, coming after the Madrid bombings, the London bombings, and the active terror networks in Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium and elsewhere, may at long last be rousing Europe from its stupor, and awakening Europe to the stark realities of Muslim extremism.

Europe is keenly aware of the growing Muslim populations within its midst, and these demonstrations are a horrible glimpse of a possible future, for these populations are growing. If these populations will not assimilate into European society, if they will not coexist with European ideals, if they will foment this kind of violence any time they find offense, what does that mean for Europe's future?

A parasite cannot survive if it kills its host, but the terror masters in Iran and Syria, willing to use their parasitic networks in Europe when needed, may have made enemies where before there craven cowards.

Europe cannot blame these demonstrations on the Americans. Instead, it is their embassies on fire in the Muslim world. Europeans now are contemplating European streets on fire, as they indeed were recently in France. The nations of Europe may now be willing to be party to strong action against Iran.

European defense and intelligence and security services have certainly been aware of the threat from Muslim extremism, but their governments have been slow to act. That may now change. Iran and Syria may find they have miscalculated.