Iran Holocaust cartoon contest kicks off

[bemildred]

Siavosh Ghazi
AFP
February 13, 2006

TEHRAN -- A controversial contest for cartoons of the Holocaust was launched in Iran on Monday in a tit-for-tat move over the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that have enflamed Muslims worldwide.

The first entry was said to be from renowned Australian cartoonist Michael Leunig, according to the Website organizing the competition with Iran's biggest selling newspaper Hamshahri, triggering outrage in the United States and Germany in particular.

"As a show of solidarity with the Muslim world, and an exercise in free speech, I would like to submit a cartoon to you on the theme of the Holocaust," Leunig was quoted as saying in a statement on the Irancartoons.com Website.

Hardline President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has already prompted international anger by dismissing the systematic slaughter by the Nazis of mainland Europe's Jews as a "myth" used to justify the creation of Israel.

Middle East Times

[babylonsister]

1. This is getting uglier. I wonder who's fanning the flames? nt

[bemildred]

2. Leunig's Iranian cartoon competition entry a 'set up'

Melbourne cartoonist, Michael Leunig, says he has been the victim of a hoax involving a cartoon competition in an Iranian newspaper.

One of Iran's popular daily newspapers has started the international competition asking people to submit cartoons about the Holocaust, the Nazi genocide against the Jews in World War II.

Iranian newspaper Hamshahri says it wants to test the limits of Western freedom of speech.

According to Hamshahri, they have already received several cartoons, including one from Mr Leunig.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200602/s1569102.htm

[Violet_Crumble]

11. Yeah, it was a cartoon of his, but he didn't send it...

It was an anti-war cartoon from 2002 which the Age refused to publish. I've got no idea how dingbats like that got hold of one of his unpublished cartoons, but someone sure doesn't like him to have pulled a stunt like that...

Violet...

[bemildred]

12. I thought I had a duty to put up his complaint.

Thanks for filling us in.

[applegrove]

3. Disgusting.

[WinkyDink]

4. Sick and evil.

[PassingThrough]

5. Everyone is acting like 5 year olds. /nt

[bemildred]

6. I figure it as around grade 5 or 6, say ten yrs old.

Five yr olds don't have the ego yet.
But you got the right idea.

[Greeby]

7. Is Ahmedinejad a Bush plant?

I do wonder sometimes. Seems like he's catapulting all the propaganda necessary to drum up war support, all by himself :shrug:

[leftchick]

8. no he is a bush clone

the fundie thing and all.

[bemildred]

9. "Bush plant" is an oxymoron. nt

[Tripmann]

10. Fitting,

seeing as though * is a poxy moron.

[Bassic]

13. Yeah, because the massacre of 6 million people

is really comparable to making fun of a long dead religious figure. :sarcasm: