The depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in Western media and the burning of Qurans have long been sensitive subjects among devout Muslims, who view artistic expressions of the prophet and burnings as blasphemous and highly offensive. 

The subject is making headlines again after protesters, angry over a depiction of the prophet in "Innocence of Muslims," a video posted on YouTube, attacked the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, killing U.S. Ambassador John Christopher Stevens and three other embassy staff members. Yet, that video is hardly the first Western reference to the prophet to incite religious backlash.

Here are several other incidents that inflamed the Muslim world, whether it be strong condemnations or violence:

Denmark Cartoons:

In 2005, Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, a Danish daily newspaper, published cartoons depicting Muhammad, including one with the prophet wearing a turban with a lit fuse, indicating a bomb about to go off.

The cartoons spawned protests in the Muslim world from Africa to the Middle East that led to 200 deaths when embassies and churches were burned in response to the drawings, the New York Times reported at the time.

The cartoons were also cited by al-Qaeda as its motivation to ignite a bomb outside the Danish embassy in Pakistan -- an attack that killed eight people, the newspaper reported.

Terry Jones:

In 2010, Florida pastor Terry Jones had planned to burn Qurans outside his church, arguing that Islam is a violent religion. The Obama administration persuaded him not to follow through on the act.

Although Jones did not burn the Qurans, the sentiment still sparked a protest in Afghanistan, where at least 30 people, including seven United Nations workers, died in an attack on the U.N. Assistance Mission. Two of the workers were beheaded, the Daily Mail reported.

Jones said Islam, not his plans, were to blame for the attack.

Quran burning by U.S. troops:

In February 2012, about 30 Afghans were killed during a week of protests following the burning of a stack of Qurans by five U.S. service members.

The Quran burning was also cited as the cause for the killing of six military personnel at the time, the Washington Post reported.

Salman Rushdie:

Indian-born author Salman Rushdie's controversial 1988 novel, "The Satanic Verses," inflamed the Muslim world over what some called Rushdie's blasphemous depiction of Muhammad.

Rushdie was forced into hiding in 1989 after Ayatollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran, issued a fatwa, calling on the author to be killed over his work.

Despite Rushdie's apology, the novel's release sparked several repercussions, including book burnings, riots, bombings and violence against the non-English publishers of the fictional work.

South Park:

In April 2010, South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker were warned about their depiction of Muhammad in the 200^th episode of the animated series.

A caricatured version of the prophet, wearing a bear suit, was seen as offensive to Muslims.

The Muslim website, RevolutionMuslim.com, had cautioned the South Park creators about how the depiction of the prophet would be seen in the Islamic world. The website stressed it was not threatening Stone and Parker, but warning them the image might incite violence.

"It's not a threat, but it really is a likely outcome," Abu Talhah al Amrikee, a poster on RevolutionMuslim.com, told Fox News at the time. ""They're going to be basically on a list in the back of the minds of a large number of Muslims. It's just the reality."

Stone and Parker were not harmed after the airing of the episode, which was censored by Comedy Central. The network bleeped out Muhammad's name and censored the character with a  black box, according to USA Today.

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