Theoterrorism V. Freedom of Speech: From Incident to Precedent

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.

Paul Cliteur is professor of jurisprudence at the University of Leiden. He has been visiting professor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, and at Ghent University. He is the author of The Secular Outlook (2010) and coeditor of The Fall and Rise of Blasphemy Law (2016).