Not-so-free speech

Flemming Rose, the editor of Jyllands-Posten, which published the (in)famous Mohammed cartoons a few years back, has penned an articulate Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal noting how Islamofascists are successfully imposing a form of censorship on the West when it comes to the subject of Islam: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120303586375870157.html.

The point he raises is an excellent one. Free speech has become a complete afterthought when it comes to the subject of Islam, and the Mohammed cartoons are the perfect example of that. How many western newspapers refused to publish them, simply out of fear or out of false sense that doing so would be "offensive"? It's funny, but so many of those same newspapers had (and have) absolutely no problem whatsoever portraying Israel as if it were a modern version of the Nazi state. They don't seem to be even remotely concerned about offending "Jewish sensibilities". Artists regularly do things which offend Christians (the inane yet still offensive "Piss Christ" comes immediately to mind), and yet I don't see Christian mobs burning down buildings or killing anyone because of them.

At what point do we say to the Islamic world, "Respect is earned. It is NOT an entitlement."? At what point will we begin to realize that in a democratic society, there is no right to be free from being offended? Lord knows, as a supporter of Israel, it's rare that a day goes by without me being offended. Should I start rioting? Calling for death sentences? Demand that others censor their speech so that I am not upset? Would that be respect?

UPDATE (2/20/08, 6:12 p.m.): Thanks to blog reader Serket, who pointed out that the original article can no longer be accessed on the Wall Street Journal's website, though it can still be found on the Pajamas Media website, http://pajamasmedia.com/xpress/flemmingrose/2008/02/18/free_speech_and_radical_islam.php.