Murder in Amsterdam—The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance

The Open Society Institute hosted a panel discussion to mark the publication of Ian Buruma's book Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance (Penguin Press).

"Islam," Ian Buruma writes in this timely book, "is now a European religion. How Europeans—Muslims as well as non-Muslims—cope with this is the question that will decide our future." At a time when the United States has largely abandoned its leadership of the global push for human rights, some look to Europe to take up the challenge. But how can it do so when it is so profoundly conflicted in how it responds to its changing demography and the threat of terrorist violence within?

Panelists:

• Ian Buruma, Henry R. Luce Professor of Human Rights and Journalism, Bard College
• Saskia Sassen, Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology, University of Chicago, and Centennial Visiting Professor, London School of Economics
• Robert Leiken, Director of the Immigration and National Security Program, Nixon Center, and Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution

James Goldston, Executive Director of the Open Society Justice Initiative, moderated.

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