Jacob Jomo Danstrøm Mchangama (born 15 February 1978) is a Danish lawyer, human-rights advocate, global expert on free speech, and social commentator.
[8] Mchangama's writings have appeared in many publications, including the Danish newspapers Dagbladet Information[9] and Berlingske,[10] the Norwegian periodical Minerva,[11] and the American journals National Review and Foreign Affairs.
[12] He has written on such subjects as the oppression of women in Islam, the 2015–16 New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany, and the danger of laws against "hate speech",[13] blasphemy,[14] and Quran-burning.
[16] In March 2013, Mchangama dismissed the "putative consensus" around UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18, which was seen as resolving divisions between free-speech advocates and those who would criminalize defamation of religion, as a "charade".
While praising the US for "standing firm on the need to counter intolerance and hatred through debate rather than censorship", Mchangama called on the US to vigorously confront other interpretations of R 16/18.
[18] In a 2 March 2015 Wall Street Journal op-ed, Mchangama lamented the "long-running pattern" in Europe "of bending to Islamist 'outrage' instead of defending free speech for all".
Mchangama warned against the rise of "offense creep", whereby jihadists were being permitted to limit debate, and urged the democratic Western world to push back.
[citation needed] At the 2011 Oslo Freedom Forum, Mchangama gave an address titled "The West's attack on free speech".
Jacob Mchangama's delightful podcast series paints vivid portraits of the lives, ideas, and struggles of the people who brought this improbable principle to life.
Interspersed throughout are expert opinion episodes, where Mchangama's talent at guiding questions leads to a vibrant, insightful talk on a particular aspect of free speech.
"[34] Mchangama received the 2013 Freedom Prize from the Danish political party Venstre for his involvement in the public debate about rights in Denmark and abroad.