Holocaust Denial and Muslim Cartoons Word from: Mordy

"Right-wing British historian David Irving was sentenced to three years in prison Monday after admitting to an Austrian court that he denied the Holocaust -- a crime in the country where Hitler was born."

We haven't discussed the Muslim cartoons on Mimaamakim yet, but this recent article in the NY Times about Austria's penalties for Holocaust denial is a perfect entree. In the article he claimed to have since recanted, and specified that he never denied the Holocaust - merely certain aspects of it. No matter - an Austrian law which forbids "whoever denies, grossly plays down, approves or tries to excuse the National Socialist genocide or other National Socialist crimes against humanity in a print publication, in broadcast or other media."

NY Times makes the connection between this case and the cartoons themselves writing, "Irving's trial was held amid new -- and fierce -- debate over freedom of expression in Europe, where the printing and reprinting of unflattering cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad has triggered violent protests worldwide."

So the question that I have is; are the cartoons and Holocaust denial comparable? And if they are, who is who? Is the denier the Muslim community that refuses to acknowledge their violent history, much like Irving claimed that Hitler didn’t know about the Final Solution? Or is the denier the Danish, who have been charged with running the cartoons as a Hate Crime, much like Austria considers even the smallest expression of Holocaust denial. Personally, I think one has nothing to do with the other, and NY Times was pushing forward a nutt graph that didn’t really fit the circumstances.