Academics, writers and artists “can’t talk about Islam,” writes Youssef Ibrahim, “not really. Those transgressing are hounded like hunted animals.”
The truth of this was vividly on display at the recent Summit on Secular Islam, where numerous Muslim and ex-Muslim attendees, such as Afshin Ellian, a law professor at the University of Leiden in Holland, were described as having been forced by jihadists into hiding or in need (as in Ellian’s case) of round-the-clock police protection.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal, Bret Stephens rightfully criticized the U.S. government, and in particular the National Endowment for Democracy, for failing to provide funding or support for this conference or its courageous participants (subscription required).