Here is a new book concerning international incidents in which free speech rights run up against terrorism undertaken in the name of religion. The book is Theoterrorism v. Freedom of Speech: From Incident to Precedent (Amsterdam University Press), by religion scholar Paul Cliteur and author-editor of the very interesting The Fall and Rise of Blasphemy Laws.

“The Rushdie Affair, the Danish Cartoon Affair, the assault on Charlie Hebdo, and the earlier Carrell Affair, are examples of religious fanatics’ extreme reactions to religious satire and criticism. Perpetrators of these actions consider themselves as true believers. This book aims to understand their motives by means of the concept of theoterrorism: terrorism grounded in religious zealotry.”