The Satanic Verses

September 17, 2024 | Janatan Sayeh |

Iran’s Assassination Plots Against Jews Persist Despite the West’s Leniency on Regime

The French police recently charged a French-Algerian dual citizen and his partner for allegedly conspiring to assassinate Israelis and Jews in Paris, Munich, and Berlin — all at the behest...

July 26, 2024 | |

U.S. Citizen Who Attempted to Assassinate Salman Rushdie Charged with Aiding Hezbollah

Latest Developments Federal prosecutors charged the man who attempted to assassinate the celebrated author Salman Rushdie in 2022 with “attempting to provide material support” to Iranian-backed...

March 8, 2023 | Jonathan Schanzer, Natalie Ecanow

Biden’s State Department ignores Iranian death plots inside America

It took quite a bit longer than it should have, but the State Department finally released its 2021 Country Reports on Terrorism. As ever, the document covers the countries that experienced attacks, those...

August 25, 2022 | Reuel Marc Gerecht |

How the Salman Rushdie Fatwa Changed the World

Khomeini’s decree stoked Muslim anger and paralyzed the West’s response to Islamic fundamentalism.

August 18, 2022 | Mark Dubowitz, Saeed Ghasseminejad

The Republic of Fatwas

Last week, a Shiite American of Lebanese origin, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, attempted to murder the Indian-born British-American author Salman Rushdie. Matar’s social media posts display staunch support...

August 13, 2022 | Jonathan Schanzer |

Rushdie attack reveals — again — true nature of Iranian regime

Excerpt On Feb. 14, 1989, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, condemning author Salman Rushdie to death for blasphemy. Rushdie had recently...

August 12, 2020 | Clifford D. May |

The tyrants’ reach

Despots now threaten free speech even in free countries

April 5, 2017 | Clifford D. May

Letting freedom fade

Whatever happened to Charlie Hebdo? For years, the French satirical magazine threw spit balls at polite society. Its writers and cartoonists particularly delighted in ridiculing religions and pie...

April 12, 2016 | Sheryl Saperia |

The Rushdie Affair and the Outsourcing of Murder

The recent attacks in Brussels, for which ISIS took credit, reminded the West that no country is immune from Islamist terrorism. All democratic nations must match action to rhetoric in decisively...

May 13, 2015 | Clifford D. May |

The Fine Line Between Free Speech and Provocation

Rights are like muscles. If not exercised, they atrophy. Freedom of speech, a right guaranteed by the First Amendment, is the most fundamental of rights. Without it, how do you even defend your o...

January 8, 2015 | Clifford D. May National Review Online

Reacting to the Massacre in Paris

What’s the proper response? What should we be reflecting on? Some ideas.

January 7, 2015 | Benjamin Weinthal National Review Online

An Assassination Targeting Europe’s Freedom

Berlin — The horrific Islamist-animated terrorist attack today in Paris resulted in the murders of twelve people. The Islamists could be heard on video yelling “Allahu A...

December 23, 2014 | Clifford D. May |

The War on Free Speech

Last Friday, in his end-of-the-year press conference, President Obama scolded Sony Pictures. Cancelling the theatrical release of “The Interview” following cyber-attacks from North Ko...

February 27, 2013 |

A Nasty Piece of Work

A tawdry new book accuses the late Christopher Hitchens of plagiarism—and worse.

October 1, 2012 | Emanuele Ottolenghi Standpoint |

Confronting Islamic Intimidation

In 1988, The Last Temptation of Christ, the movie by Martin Scorsese, based on a novel by the Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis, caused a storm of protests. Many  Christian groups foun...

September 20, 2012 | Reuel Marc Gerecht

Living with Islam

Begin with Western strength and confidence in our principles.

June 25, 2012 | James Kirchick World Affairs Journal |

Read Me If You Can: Censorship Today

You Can’t Read This Book: Censorship in an Age of Freedom Nick Cohen (London: Fourth Estate, 2012) If I complacently accept the idea that...

March 12, 2012 | Emanuele Ottolenghi The Weekly Standard |

A Power Struggle in Iran

Every time trouble has erupted in Iran against the regime—1999, 2003, and, most recently, 2009—university students have been at the forefront of protests. This is partly why Iran&rsqu...

January 12, 2012 | Clifford D. May

Muslims Attacked!

It’s funny, in an Orwellian way, that in Europe there are now militant groups with such cutesy names as Sharia4Belgium and Sharia4Holland. Less funny, but perhaps more Orwellian, is this: L...

January 20, 2011 | Clifford D. May Scripps Howard News Service |

Canada Stands Up to Iran

 Last week, Canada’s Free Thinking Film Society — love that name — was scheduled to screen Iranium, a new documentary about the regime that has ruled Iran since 1979, its d...