Hot Air » Blog Archive » Iranian defends Holocaust cartoons on free speech, tolerance grounds

Iranian defends Holocaust cartoons on free speech, tolerance grounds

posted at 10:21 pm on August 16, 2006 by Allahpundit
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You can sincerely hate Islamists while also sincerely admiring their shamelessness in using progressive rhetoric to sell fascism. It’s straight out of Orwell’s playbook, and they’ve mastered all the plays. It’s also right on the cusp of satire, almost as though they’re pushing the envelope just to see how far over the top they can go before western liberals will call BS on them. Ahmadinejad getting weepy with Mike Wallace the other night over “social justice” was the high-water mark thus far, but this guy’s giving him a run for his money:

Organizers say displaying more than 200 entries from Iran’s International Holocaust Cartoons Contest aims to challenge Western taboos about discussing the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews died but which Iran’s president called a “myth.”

“This is a test of the boundaries of free speech espoused by Western countries,” said Masoud Shojai-Tabatabai, head of the Cartoon House which helped organize the exhibition, as he stood next to the Statue of Liberty drawing…

“We wanted to challenge European taboos. Why should questioning the Holocaust be a taboo?” he said. “Why should anyone who talks about it (the Holocaust) be fined or jailed?”

Liberation through Holocaust denial. It’s not about minimizing the Nazis’ crimes, you see; it’s about radical, transgressive self-expression. Like the Vagina Monologues, or Burning Man.

Well, maybe not Burning Man. We’re not at that stage yet.

Funny thing, though: some of the attendees at the exhibition came away with a slightly different message.

The contest was welcomed by some visiting youths who were at the exhibition on Wednesday, two days after it opened.

“After the Holocaust was questioned by the president, now I have real doubts about it,” said Maryam Zadkani, a 23-year-old graphic artist as she wandered around the exhibition.

Some of the submissions are available online, virtually all of them displaying the trademark moronic Islamist ambivalence that denies the Holocaust out of spite while simultaneously using Nazis as a symbol of consummate evil. There’s nothing there we haven’t seen before — although this excrescence, from the site’s front page, did pull me up short.

It’s by an Italian, but if you can find a starker visual representation of the Muslim victim complex, I’d love to see it.

Here’s the list of contributors. Twelve from the United States.

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i say a bunch of jewish groups should start protesting and burning embassies in the same contrived outrage that the fascists had when they protested the cartoons.

p0s3r on August 16, 2006 at 10:58 PM

So much for being sensitive over the mass murders, and atrocities commited by other mad men. Some people have no shame at all.

I wonder how long until they try to remove real pictures of the holocaust from the net.

DannoJyd on August 16, 2006 at 11:00 PM

Jesus, I didn’t realize the contributors were from all over the world. I swear I will physically harm the next person I hear say anything about world opinion or being hated by the world or whatever.

Sadly, that person will be on my television screen, so I will probably just hurt myself and my television, the two things I cherish most. But still.

Alex K on August 16, 2006 at 11:43 PM

So, let me get this straight: We cannot create any images of Mohammed because it is taboo, but they are allowed to confront our taboos? Its almost like dealing with children.

Is it time for a time out, yet?

JasonG on August 17, 2006 at 12:34 AM

Personally I also think no one should be fined for speaking of the holocaust as a fantasy as long as they don’t libel or slander. I also think no one should be punished or prevented from calling an islamic racist where they see one.

But I think naturalized citizens carrying ‘death to the US’ or ‘Jew nazis’ signs should forfeit their citizenship and be deported, with their U.S. citizen children. Non-citizens with ‘this is our country not yours’ signs should be kicked in the rear, and then deported with all the kiddies.

We need a law now, that when a naturalized citizen loses his citizenship, his kids lose theirs too and go home with him. Children belong with the parents. I learned that from Elian.

We need a law that when naturalized citizens support terrorist organizations, they lose their citizenship and get deported with offspring. We take back citizenship from SS guards who snuck into the US; these new nazis need to lose theirs too.

I want them to show reveal themselves to us. It is better to know your enemy. I also want the right to clean these SOBs out of our country.

I do not consider it a right to wear a burka in America. I do not consider it a right

entagor on August 17, 2006 at 12:55 AM

oops. Last sentence. I do not consider it a right to migrate here, put a sheet over your head like the KKK, and demand to be accepted in public venues even to rhe risk of the people around you.

entagor on August 17, 2006 at 1:03 AM

Free speech?? Tolerance!!?? Muslims!!!!????? Those words don’t EVER belong together.

StephC on August 17, 2006 at 2:09 AM

Here, Iran- Free Speech THIS.

Benthoven on August 17, 2006 at 2:14 AM

Who cares? We should completely ignore this. Does anyone rmember the cartoons from an Oregon University? Jesus with an erection on the cross. These cartoons should get about as much attention. We are civilized, we recognize their right to do whatever they want. The less we react the more egg Iran has on their face.

Theworldisnotenough on August 17, 2006 at 2:47 AM

Screw that, theworldisnotenough. To the streets, people! Protest! Vandalize! Beat some people up, and kill a few!

On second thought, your idea may be better.

Kevin M on August 17, 2006 at 7:57 AM

Hmmmmm … according to this logic, Jews and anyone else offended by these cartoons should have the right to attack any Iranian embassy worldwide and destroy it, as well as demand the deaths of the artists, as well as calling for the destruction of Iran.

Well, here’s our chance.

darwin on August 17, 2006 at 8:03 AM

Well, maybe not Burning Man. We’re not at that stage yet.

Fallujah says yes, we are. But don’t expect these cowards to self-immolate unless they can take many others down with them.

Kid from Brooklyn on August 17, 2006 at 8:17 AM

I wonder how long until they try to remove real pictures of the holocaust from the net.

One minute after the U.S. gives up control of ICANN.

Kid from Brooklyn on August 17, 2006 at 8:19 AM

Free speech, what a farce. Sounds like something my father used to say about old Model A Fords (probably not original). “They came in any color you wanted, as long as it was black.”

In Iran you can say anything you want, as long as it’s OK with the government, otherwise they kill you.

High Desert Wanderer on August 17, 2006 at 9:19 AM

I think Christians should declare holy war on the Middle East, forcing those it captures to either convert to Christianity, pay a heavy fine and live as a second-class citizen, or die.

And after centuries of war and death, we’ll be like “See? Ok, we’ve proved our point.”

JamesVersusEveryone on August 17, 2006 at 9:25 AM

*update* ?

Site says Service Unavailable.

JamesVersusEveryone on August 17, 2006 at 9:26 AM

It’s interesting that the page the List of Contributor link leads to says “Service Unavailable.” Would someone hack a site like that. Nah, surely not.

btw, Cox & Forkum contribution isn’t exactly anti-Semitic.

bdfaith on August 17, 2006 at 10:33 AM

To duly honor "Iranian Cartoon Day" I just reposted the original 12 Mohammed cartoons at Old War Dogs >> Yo, Ahmashiithead! I gotcher cartoons right here.

bdfaith on August 17, 2006 at 10:56 AM

It’s all fun and games until someone get nuked. Ahmadenejad would be scary if he wasn’t just a puppet for the much more scarier Mullahs. Pay no attention to the fool in front of the curtain.
Any Democrat who pipes up that we should be reasoning with the decidely unreasonable Muslims, ask him what he would do or say to convince the Muslim to give up jihad and hatred for Jews and the West. And then bring him face to face with a jihadist, and watch what happens.

Doug on August 17, 2006 at 11:44 AM

Allah,
I found an interesting site about the American cartoonists. I’ll link it here.

What’s interesting is actually what is written in the comment section from one of the cartoonists.

xoxo

pullingmyhairout on August 17, 2006 at 4:24 PM

ok, that didn’t work. let me try it again. sorry about the bad post.

pullingmyhairout on August 17, 2006 at 4:25 PM

ok, i’m a total idiot again.

pullingmyhairout on August 17, 2006 at 4:25 PM

I CAN’T DO IT!!!

http://dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2006/03/14/iranian-holocaust-cartoon-contest-draws-6-americans/