Many Muslims are easily offended. Muslims were offended the presence of a carving of the Prophet Muhammad in the inner chamber of the US Supreme Court, even though it attempted to honor Islam's contribution to the legal system. We're also offended by things like outdoor underwear ads. A few years ago, there was an episode of South Park that some Muslims were upset with (it was actually a very funny commentary on evangelical Christians that went over their head). This week, Muslims are being offended by a church sermon on converting from Islam (even though we revel in conversion stories all the time). In fact, we're getting quite the reputation for being offended all the time.

And we're especially offended by Muslims who are off the beaten track, like those who perform standup comedy or have unorthodox political or social views. And woe to those on the fringe of Islamic belief - that seems to offend quite a few Muslims.

Sometimes, a subset of the offended are provoked into acting upon that offense. And an even smaller subset of people are provoked into taking such a drastic action based on that offense that incalculable damage is done to the rest of us - things like the murders of Theo van Gogh, throwing acid on the faces of women who don't wear hijab, or slicing off the heads of people because they come from a country whose foreign policies Muslims don't like.

There are quite a few things that Muslims can be rightfully offended by - workplace discrimination, trampling of civil rights, etc. But when we get offended all the time, and worse, when even a few take the law into their own hands, our offense becomes cheaper and is sometimes outweighed by the crimes committed in its name. These days, Muslims around the world could use a thicker skin. Being offended all the time gets tiring, and it isn't an example of people who are confident in the strength of their faith and community. Let's save our "Muslim rage" for when it really counts, and channel that anger in the most productive way possible.