The vice appears to be closing on Europe. As Patrick Goodenough reports on Townhall.com:

Islamic groups and governments are pressing ahead with a campaign to have international organizations take steps, including legal ones, to provide protection for their religion in the wake of the Mohammed cartoon controversy. In a drive pursued largely away from the headlines, the Organization for the Islamic Conference (OIC) is promoting the issue at the United Nations and European Union, and having some success.

The executive council of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) this month approved an agenda item entitled ‘respect for freedom of expression, sacred beliefs, values and religious and cultural symbols.’ Introduced by more than 30 Islamic states and the subject of considerable debate, the motion explicitly tied freedom of expression to ‘respect for cultural diversity, religious beliefs and religious symbols.’

...The UNESCO move is just the latest illustration of the way the OIC and its 56 member states are using the cartoon episode to apply pressure on the West to comply with Islamic norms… In another development, it was reported last week that E.U. bureaucrats are drawing up a ‘lexicon’ of terminology to use when referring to Islam. Words like ‘Islamist’ and ‘jihad’ are under review, as is the phrase ‘Islamic terrorism.’

So we are about to be censored, stifled, gagged, prevented from naming and discussing the greatest contemporary threat to our lives and liberty. All thanks to the cravenness of the Europeans. But there is one country more craven still: Britain.

As the Daily Mail reported today, UK ministers are considering extending the blasphemy law to cover Islam. At present, this law only covers Christianity, on the grounds that this is the religion of the country and therefore must be protected. In practice, it has fallen into disuse because any attempt to suppress freedom of speech about Christianity would create uproar. If there is a case for reform it is surely to abolish this law; it serves no useful purpose. To actually extend its reach would be an entirely retrograde step, and raises the spectre that – after the proposed law against incitement to religious hatred which could have criminalised debate about Islam was restricted following ferocious opposition (and a bungle in Parliament) -- censorship of debate about Islam will be brought in by a different route.

And what do we learn has provoked this? A desire by the British to appease Turkey, whose aim is to belong to the EU. Thus the Mail tells us that Turkey

...wants EU-wide blasphemy regulations...

Is this the same Turkey which, we are told, is a worthy candidate for EU membership because it is so, ahem, moderate and European? It would appear that being a good European, in Turkish eyes, means that Europe must bow to Islamic requirements. The Europeans themselves apparently

...flatly refused the Turkish request...

But Britain would not lightly pass up an appeasement opportunity; and so

Home Office Minister Baroness Scotland said she would be ‘content’ to listen to their case. She invited Muslims and other faith groups to come forward and lobby the Government.

The phrase turkeys voting for Christmas comes to mind; but no doubt that would be banned by an EU regulation.