Our State Department’s condemnation of European newspapers for printing cartoons of Mohammad–in the face of Muslim death threats against this act of free speech–is a low point in American diplomatic history.
When Muslim groups threaten the West for “un-Islamic” content, it is irrelevant whether the content in question is in bad taste. The only proper response is to condemn the militant enemies of free speech, and to do whatever is necessary to make sure that they do not act on their threats. The idea that freedom of the press must be “coupled with press responsibility” means that we are only free to say things that don’t offend Muslims–which means that free speech is not a right, but a fleeting permission.
”’Dr. Yaron Brook is the executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute in Irvine, CA”’