There is nothing wrong with depicting the prophet Muhammad. Muslims claim that it is forbidden so as to avoid idol worship. However, the Muslims already idolize Muhammad and this is a fact. While Quran says that the believers love God the most, and their hearts cringe with reverence when God's name is mentioned, what we see in the mosques is exactly the opposite. When God's name is mentioned there is silence, but when Muhammad's name is mentioned they kiss their fingers and touch their eyes.  They address Muhammad with 'aap' and 'huzoor' and God with 'too'.  You even find his name on a plaque sometimes placed higher than God, when it should not be there in the first place.  Association of anyone alongside God is shirk.

Indeed the very word idolize means excessive reverence.

All this is abhorred by those who really love God the most.

The real reason they do not want to depict him is because that would bring him down to a human level. Then they could not worship their super hero.

There are only two verses in the Quran where Muhammad is told to say 'I am no more than a human being like you'.  Both verses end with warning us about idol worship.

Freedom is the greatest gift given to us by God Almighty. The objectionable nature of these particular cartoons, some of them, is the implication that the founder of Islam was a terrorist therefore his religion and followers are the same. The consequences of this would be more violence, hate crimes and persecution of Muslims.