Controversy
In Free Inquiry's April–May 2006 issue, the magazine published four of the cartoons that had originally appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and that had sparked violent worldwide Muslim protests. Kurtz, editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry said, "What is at stake is the precious right of freedom of expression". The Borders Group refused to carry this issue in their Borders and Waldenbooks stores because of the cartoons. The reason given by Borders for their decision was not sensitivity to religion but fear of violence.
The story made national and international news and the implications of this self-censorship were widely discussed, including by CBS News, the Washington Post and the New York Times. The "blogosphere" widely condemned the decision of Borders to ban the magazine and columnist Christopher Hitchens lamented the action in an article. News of the affair spread as widely as The Times of India.
Read more about this topic: Free Inquiry
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