Caving In To a Rebellious Adolescent

I’m a little late to the party on the Cartoon Jihad, but does it seem like parts of the conservative blogosphere, especially Christians, another one here, are engaged in a kind of moral preening in their desire for the European and American press to self-censor in deference to the fragile sensitivities of Muslims?

Let me be clear, I don’t seek a "clash of civilizations", nor do I agree with the unfettered "right to blaspheme". I don’t seek vengeance for the portrayal of Jews and Christians in the Arab press. I don’t seek vengeance for the western press’s willingness to denigrate Christianity at every opportunity.

I see this strictly as a child-rearing problem.

Christianity, Judaism, the west in general, and Hinduism all have a stake in seeing Islam finally pull out of its 600-year adolescence and join the adult world. The first conversation any parent has with a rebellious adolescent is "as long as you live under this roof, you will follow my rules." Well our rules, even the indulgent parent Europe’s rules, include freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Period. You don’t like it, move out, but we are not changing the rules.

The radical Muslim world has been throwing tantrums for decades and until now the only adults willing to enforce the rules have been the wicked uncle Israel and the stern but forgiving United States. Finally, Western Europe may be on-board as a willing partner in child rearing, so why should anyone lose their nerve now? Because the tantrums are getting louder and longer?

Also, Hugh Hewitt's (at Radio Blogger, scroll down) insistence on seeing it as a strategy issue, i.e. what happens if Pakistan becomes too radicalized thanks to these cartoons and stops being our ally, doesn’t recognize the larger issues. Pakistan is already radicalized. They’ve been burning US flags for years to protest our presence in Afghanistan and Iraq. The country is loaded with radical madrassas and imams. How is western civilization showing a united front on free speech and free press going to further radicalize them?

If we’re constantly worried about what our children’s friends think of us, we’ll never make it as parents. Why should a bunch of grown-ups, however boorish their behavior, subject themselves to the rule of violent adolescents?

Richard John Neuhaus get it right.