The violent protests around the world in reaction to the video trailer of the movie the “Innocence of Muslims” have led to calls for laws prohibiting the criticism of Islam’s prophet. The 56 country Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is calling for all countries to pass laws against “hate speech,” and the “denigration of venerated personalities.” Such speech constitutes “flagrant incitement to violence” and should not be protected speech. Similar calls are coming from Muslim delegates to the UN general Assembly. Husham Al Husainy, an Imam in Dearborn, Michigan, has called for laws restricting such speech for the sake of public safety declaring “They should put a law in place not to insult the spiritual leader.” New Jersey Imam Mohammed Oatanoni has called free speech that mocks Islam a national security threat. The Los Angeles Times has published two editorials, one by Nathan Lean and another by Sarah Chayes, arguing for restrictions on speech that leads to violence. But these violent reactions, that so far have led to at least 50 deaths worldwide, are the responsibility of the people involved not the producers of the film! The saying “Our responses are our responsibility” applies here. People have a moral responsibility to control themselves in spite of the provocation. We don’t buy the excuse of the rapist who says, “She made me do it because of the way she was dressed” so why should consider the movie makers responsible for the violence in response to it? Is the wife beater justified because he was “provoked”? Were the peaceful civil rights marchers of the 1960’s responsible for “provoking” the violence done against them by white supremacists?