What's the war about?

Here's something I read concerning the Danish cartoons controversy. Reza Aslan writes in Slate.com:

"And that is why as a Muslim American I am enraged by the publication of these cartoons. Not because they offend my prophet or my religion, but because they fly in the face of the tireless efforts of so many civic and religious leaders—both Muslim and non-Muslim—to promote unity and assimilation rather than hatred and discord; because they play into the hands of those who preach extremism; because they are fodder for the clash-of-civilizations mentality that pits East against West. For all of that I blame Jyllands-Posten. We in the West want Muslim leaders to condemn the racial and religious prejudices that are so widespread in the Muslim world. Let us lead by example."

I think that the degree of Islamophobia in the world today warrants extreme care when it comes to freedom of speech.

People got really offended when Prince Harry dressed up in a Nazi costume. Respect and acknowlegement for such a horrendous event has dictated societal norms such that there is a common consensus that people just don't do things like that.

Why isn't this the case when it comes to these Danish cartoons?

"As international human rights law recognizes, in any democratic society freedom of the press must be properly balanced with civic
responsibility, particularly at a time when the world seems to be engaged in a "war of ideology," to use President Bush's words."

WWII was seen as a clash between fascism and democracy -fascism was eliminated. The Cold War, a clash between communism and democracy -communism was eliminated. So what kind of war is it now. There is a need to define that this is a war against religious extremism and not a West vs all Muslims one.