Criticizing Islamists Is Hazardous to Your Health
by David J. Rusin
The first goal of Islamists is to silence all who counter their ideology. But while most radical Muslims in the West are content to intimidate anti-Islamists through smears or lawsuits, some do resort to violence, as in the 2004 slaying of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh.
Death threats and attacks against public opponents of Islamism have escalated in recent months. Exhibit A: the New Year’s assault by an ax-wielding Somali on the home of Kurt Westergaard, known for drawing the most recognizable of the Danish Muhammad cartoons. Shot by police, the young jihadist faces charges of attempted murder and terrorism — because, in the words of the prosecutor, “trying to kill Kurt Westergaard had a bigger purpose than just killing him.”
