Daniel Pipes on consistency in promoting freedom of speech

This is probably the best commentary I have seen so far on the terrible events going on in Libya and Egypt. We must not kowtow to Sharia law as westerners who uphold inalienable rights such as freedom of religion, and freedom of expression.

Daniel Pipes at The National Review's  The Corner  (you must read the whole thing, it is brilliant), with my emphases:

Under such weight, Jones canceled the Koran burning, but, even so, five Afghans and 14 Kashmiris died in protests against him. The 2010 incident prompted David Goldman, then of First Things magazine, to note that “a madman carrying a match and a copy of the Koran can do more damage to the Muslim world than a busload of suicide bombers. . . . What’s the dollar value of the damage from a used paperback edition of the Koran?” Goldman speculated how intelligence services could learn from Jones and sow anarchy for a few dollars.

So far, the assaults on U.S. missions in Cairo and Benghazi yesterday have led to four deaths but, if patterns hold, more will follow. Not only can Jones (or whoever came up with the anti-Islamic video that inspired this violence) cause Muslim deaths at will with his “International Judge Muhammad Day,” but he can put a wrench in U.S.-Egypt relations and even become a factor in presidential elections.

-snip-  

Terry Jones and his imitators have figured out how to goad Muslims to violence, embarrass Western governments, and move history. The only way to stop this freelance foreign policy is for governments to stand firmly on principle: Citizens have freedom of speech, which specifically means the right to insult and annoy. The authorities will protect this right. Muslims do not enjoy special privileges. Leave us alone.

As Jimmy Carter can attest, not to stand strong turns U.S. missions abroad into sitting ducks.