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The freedom of speech and freedom of expression are indispensable prerequisites for a free society. Without them, a tyrant can work his will unhindered, and in the modern parlance, label any opposition to his actions or policies as “disinformation” or “hate speech,” and silence or even criminalize it accordingly. How close is the West to doing that? As close as your nose is to your face.

Over in Britain, police have just arrested a man for burning the Qur’an. The Qur’an-burner was mounting a personal protest against the killers of Salwan Momika, who was murdered in Sweden Thursday for burning the Qur’an. In Britain, as in Sweden, authorities weren’t interest in the fact that so many believers in the Qur’an cite its teachings to justify oppression, violence and hatred. They moved quickly to end the protest.

GB News reported Saturday that the Qur’an burner in Manchester was arrested “on suspicion of a ‘racially aggravated public order offence.’” That illustrates not just official Britain’s refusal to face and deal adequately with the reality of Islamic jihad violence; it also shows the willful ignorance and wrongheadedness of British officials’ entire approach to this sort of thing. “Racially aggravated”? Really? What race are Muslims? What race are jihadis? What race are the people who believe that the Qur’an commands them to do violence to those who do not believe in its tenets?

There are Muslims, and jihad terrorists, of all races. The guy who burned the Qur’an did not do anything that had even the slightest connection to race or racism. Nonetheless, he “remains in custody,” and the Greater Manchester Police’s Assistant Chief Constable, Stephanie Parker, was ready with all the right multicultural blather: “We understand,” she declared, “the deep concern this will cause within some of our diverse communities and are aware of a live video circulating.”

In full-on Please-Muslims-Don’t-Hurt-Us mode, Chief Constable Parker continued: “We made a swift arrest at the time and recognize the right people have for freedom of expression” — no, you don’t, actually — “but when this crosses into intimidation to cause harm or distress we will always look to take action when it is reported to us.” Intimidation? To cause harm or distress? Really?

If someone had been burning a Bible at Manchester’s Glade of Light Memorial, it is likely that any Christians passing by would not have felt the least bit intimidated, harmed or distressed. It is also extremely unlikely that Manchester police would have arrested the Bible burner, and Chief Constable Parker would not have issued any statement about how concerned she was about the whole matter.

The difference is obvious. Muslims may riot or kill people over the burning of the Qur’an, while Christians are almost certain not to react the same way over the burning of the Bible. The British authorities are bowing to violent intimidation, which only ensures that they will get more of it.

One of the chief lessons of the murder of Salwan Momika and the arrest of the Manchester Qur’an burner is the collapse of the West’s will to defend its own values and culture. Swedish government officials hounded, prosecuted, and tried to deport Momika, and the Manchester man was arrested, for the same reason: to keep the peace and prevent Muslims from turning to violence. While that may seem to be a reasonable stance for governing authorities to take, authorities in both countries don’t seem to realize or care that when they have now made it clear to Muslims that they will not stand up for the freedom of expression. That only means there will be more challenges to it.

The British and Swedish governments have effectively sided with Islamic jihadis. This was clear from the fact that after Momika burned a Qur’an in July 2023, the Swedish government issued a statement: “The Swedish government fully understands that the Islamophobic acts committed by individuals at demonstrations in Sweden can be offensive to Muslims. We strongly condemn these acts, which in no way reflect the views of the Swedish government.”

Not a word about the importance of the freedom of expression, or about the necessity to resist erupting in violent rage if someone doesn’t like your holy book. Swedish authorities instead chose to condemn “Islamophobic acts,” as the British have also by arresting the Qur’an burner. If officials in both countries think that this supine stance of appeasement will solve their problems regarding Islam, jihad, and “Islamophobia,” they’re in for a long, long series of ugly surprises.