Borders Capitulates to Islamic Threat
March 31, 2006

IRVINE, CA-- "The fear-induced decision by Borders and Waldenbooks stores not to stock a magazine because it contains the Danish cartoons of Muhammad signals the death of free speech in America," said Dr. Yaron Brook of the Ayn Rand Institute.

"Cartoonists in Denmark were silenced, then newspaper editors around the world; now a major U.S. bookseller refuses to carry the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine, which has dared to publish four of the cartoons. This is the latest in a long, sad line of capitulations to intimidation and violence from the Islamic world. Appeasement of such aggression invites more and worse attacks on our lives and values.

"When the crucial right to free speech is under attack, it is incumbent on our leaders to defend the principle--and it is incumbent on our government to protect the exercise of this right by thinkers, writers, artists, publishers. The government should safeguard its citizens' lives, homes, printing presses, offices, shops--so that no American need fear reprisals for expressing their ideas or selling publications containing images critical of religion."

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Dr. Yaron Brook is available for interviews. To interview Dr. Brook or book him for your show, please e-mail media@aynrandcenter.org

For more articles by Yaron Brook, and his bio, click here.