But don't you think stereotypes of hopelessly weak-minded Muslims, blindly submitting their intellectual authority to their religious leaders, contributes to such phobia? Such thinking was once a crucial factor in persecution of Catholics in many places, too. ("Popery is incompatible with democracy!")
I fully agree that for Muslims worldwide to start expecting more from their leaders (especially political ones) is a necessary prerequisite for improving things. As is moving away from a Slay-the-Dragons mentality towards an approach which seeks to reclaim the "progressive values" you speak of (in some ways, not unlike what the Christian Left sees its mission as here). But I also think combating stereotypes is a two-way street, and certain influential Danish politicians, not to mention Queen Margrethe, have hardly been consistent in their own pronouncements in that regard. If we (white Euro-Americans) come out of the corner swinging and suggesting that mutual respect will be made contingent on adopting an exhaustively comprehensive program of social, cultural and political reform, then I fear respect will be a long time coming. Unfortunately, we tend to shrug off our own extremists as non-representative twerps when they're behaving badly, then turn around and give credence (and votes) to them in "weak" moments when their fears coincide with ours. It is almost entirely right-wing papers which have been reprinting these cartoons.