Copenhagen, Denmark ? The fury over caricatures of Prophet Muhammad published in European papers has exposed the widening cultural divide in Europe, where many Muslims are torn between their faith and the Western values of the countries they live in.

The drawings offended Muslims across the world and set off angry protests Friday from London to Asia and in the Arab world.

The caricatures were first published by a Danish newspaper in September. Liberal-minded European editors, intent on making a point about freedom of speech, reprinted the drawings this week.

The U.S. and British governments defended the principle of free speech but criticized publication of the caricatures, raising questions whether the newspapers may have crossed a line between freedom of speech and incitement.

Summing up the cultural rift between Islam and the West, imam Ahmed Abu Laban told worshippers at Friday prayers in a Copenhagen mosque: “In the West, freedom of speech is sacred; To us, the prophet is sacred.”

The Islamic reaction in Europe has been relatively muted compared to scenes of rage among Palestinians and in countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

But many here wonder how long the calm can last. There is concern the controversy could further stoke cultural tensions between Europeans and the Muslim minority in their midst, already aggravated by last summer’s bombings in London and last fall’s riots in France.

Meanwhile, some Western media experts have taken up the cause of the caricatures, responding to Muslim anger by sending out a message about democracy: The right to offend is enshrined in free societies.