More examples could be given of regulated speech in the West, including laws that prohibit publicly denying the Holocaust in countries such as Austria, Belgium, and France. The very existence of these laws illuminates the contradiction in ridiculing Muslims for not embracing freedom of expression while praising the West for its unyielding commitment to it. We can certainly debate the prudence or necessity of regulating certain forms of expression, just as we can argue about whether the less restrictive position on freedom of expression in the United States is preferable to the European tendency to impose greater regulations on hate or defamatory speech. But we should not pretend that Muslims who complain about being ridiculed for their religious convictions or who want existing laws to protect them from such ridicule are somehow violating cherished Western norms and values.

XREF: Connects to debates about blasphemy laws, the Rushdie affair, and the Charlie Hebdo controversy over double standards in free speech.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 428