Harvard University

The 14-minute trailer for the film "Innocence of Muslims" portrays Mohammad raping a girl and shows his followers torturing an old woman and practicing extortion. In September 2012, this film sparked riots all across the Muslim world, causing dozens of deaths, including that of US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens. It follows a growing trend of religious extremism capturing global attention, ranging from Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to Terry Jones’ plans to burn the Qur’an. With the omnipresent nature of the media, which has recently been amplified by social media, marginal extremist…