It’s understandable that on Election Day this small news item might have been overlooked, but it is a clear indicator of the jihadist enemy the United States faces.

A Dutch filmmaker was assassinated in Amsterdam on Tuesday. Theo Van Gogh, the great-grandnephew of the famous Dutch painter, had received death threats after his movie “Submission” aired in August. The film was critical of the way women are treated by some adherents of Islam.

According to the Associated Press, police said Van Gogh’s killer shot and stabbed his victim and left a note on his body. A total of nine suspected Islamic radicals have been arrested in the slaying.

Police declined to comment on reports that his neck was slashed and would not reveal the contents of the note.

The person charged with the murder is also accused of having ties to terrorism and of being an Islamic extremist.

Van Gogh was a lightning rod who had been accused of using his Web site and films to support anti-Jewish, anti-Christian and anti-Muslim views.

Regardless, his death illustrates an absolute disregard for free, critical speech. In the world of the radical, dissent earns a death sentence.

It’s a horrible reminder that ideas can get a person killed, and that we must continue to fight the radicals – whether they are religious fanatics like Osama bin Laden or suicide bombers targeting Israel – who threaten free and open societies everywhere.