When 2006 dawned, much of the Western world still believed in free speech. Until the Great Islamic Cartoon Riots in February.

A Danish newspaper printed a dozen editorial cartoons that were critical of Islam. Several connected Islam directly with terrorism. Worldwide Islam erupted in fury. Riots broke out on the streets of the major cities of Europe. At least 70 people were killed and 300 injured in the riots that followed.

Christians were targeted by rioting mobs and churches were burned. Fatwas were issued against European newspaper editors. The cartoonists went into hiding. The Cartoon Riots were the first of three major Islamic riots against the West in 2006.

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In America, the global bastion of free speech, newspapers either refused to publish the cartoons or they pixelized Muhammad's face to avoid inflaming Muslim tensions here. CNN announced it wouldn't show the cartoons out of "respect for Islam."

Can you imagine CNN refusing to show irreverent cartoons about Jesus out of respect for Christianity? CNN wasn't demonstrating respect, it was caving in to fear. As were most mainstream U.S. news organizations.

In the fall, Pope Benedict quoted 14th century Emperor Manuel II Paleologus' opinion of Islam. The pope quoted Paleologus' statement: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

It prompted another global Islamic riot. The pope was burned in effigy across the Islamic world. More Christians were targeted for assassination. More Christian churches were burned.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad summed up the absurdity of the Islamic reaction, saying – with a straight face – "Anyone who describes Islam as a religion as intolerant encourages violence."

Ahamdinejad then led a chorus or two of "Death to the pope" and "Death to the West" – to demonstrate Islamic tolerance.

The pope soon apologized for quoting somebody else. He assured the Islamic world that he shares the Vatican teaching that "esteems Muslims, who adore the only God." To complete his apology, the pope went to Turkey last month where he prayed in an Islamic mosque.

I predict 2007 will be the year the West formally switches tactics from offense to appeasement. The Iraq Study Group proposes abandoning Israel and negotiating ways to appease Iran and Syria in an effort to dissuade them from destabilizing Iraq. One idea being floated is to force Israel to give back the Golan Heights.

Another is to pressure Israelis to abandon ambitions for a unified capital at Jerusalem. To minimize Israeli interference, the ISG recommends excluding them from the conference.

The mainstream media have by and large already capitulated to Islamic dhimmitude. Most have banned the use of the word "terrorist."

Some even refuse to mention Islam when reporting terrorism-related arrests. When Canadian authorities broke up a terrorist ring earlier this year, the Toronto Star lamented that fact the suspects were, "from all walks of Canadian life, with no apparent connection to one another."

It managed to get through the whole report without mentioning the fact every one of them were Islamic and three attended the same Toronto mosque.

In 2007, I predict that linking the words "Islamic" and "terrorism" in the same sentence will result in some court ruling declaring it hate speech not protected by the First Amendment.

And nobody from the ACLU will even notice.

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