Isn't the link to Islam the depiction of Mohammed?!
I agree it's less obvious and far more subtle than the other images, but given the voltatility of some religious zealots who seemed so incensed to go as far as BURNING THE DANISH FLAG, oh and death threats etc... the Larson comic seems to have got off lightly.
Probably because the Far Side's either less well read or less well known in it's cultural niche that those who would flick through the book would have a certain modicum of reasonableness and just found it amusing as you point out without resorting to rampage, protest and effigy making/burning.
You ever done an image search for him?
There are scant few pictures around, and even less recent ones.
They won't be able to cobble together enough reference material to make a half decent effigy.
In hindsight of recent posts, we should flood the net with images of David Hassellhoff tagged as G. Larson.