The European jihadis are succeeding in at least one goal—threatening and murdering European officials and media into silence: Fear and self-censorship. (Hat tip: MJ.)

One of the consequences of the murder of Theo van Gogh has been that many people in the Netherlands have become more cautious about making statements about subjects such as Islam. Fear of threats, or actual threats, have seen columnists, politicians and entertainers and satirists become more likely to exercise self-censorship. This restriction on the freedom of expression is therefore not government imposed but a response to the fear of violence.