Detailing just how isolated, though numerous, the exceptions to this cowed status-quo are, the Centre for Social Cohesion this month launches a publication (of which I am a co-author) cataloguing censorship-by-intimidation across Europe. Silent Jihad details the experiences of artists, journalists and politicians who have suffered threats, physical violence and even death, to demonstrate how widespread and invidious the extent of the new censorship has become.

Some cases — like the Danish cartoonists — have attained mythical status. Whoever thought we would be able to utter the words “cartoon crisis” with a straight face? Others have been fleetingly mentioned in the press: like the French philosopher and teacher Robert Redeker, who was forced into hiding in 2006 after writing an article critical of Mohammed for Le Figaro; and the Iranian-Dutch artist Sooreh Hera, who has been in hiding since January when both she and the exhibitors of her work were targeted with death threats for offending Islamic sensibilities.

Others cases, like that of the young Dutch comedian Ewout Jansen, are hardly known outside their own countries. Last year Jansen and his comedy partner said that they and other comics are regularly threatened by Muslim students if their material mentions the religion. The head of one of Amsterdam’s main mosques reiterated Khomeini’s infamous line that “there are no jokes in Islam”, and said that death was the only appropriate punishment if the jokes continued. Fearing the prospect of a mujahideen appearing live on stage, venues cancelled Jansen’s show.

And of course it’s not only artists and comedians who have come under threat for mis-speaking. Politicians and law-makers across Europe have had the same experience. Holland has most famously seen a number of politicians and policy-makers forced into hiding. Ayaan Hirsi Ali finally left for America, but the politician Geert Wilders recently collected a fatwa from al-Qa’eda after venturing into film-making.