The Cartoon Wars

If someone had written a novel with a chapter that had the world getting enflamed over political cartoons, nobody would buy it because it would be too absurd to believe. But the truth keeps getting stranger and stranger:

IRAN'S largest selling newspaper announced today it was holding a contest on cartoons of the Holocaust in response to the publishing in European papers of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. "It will be an international cartoon contest about the Holocaust," said Farid Mortazavi, the graphics editor for Hamshahri newspaper - which is published by Teheran's conservative municipality.

He said the plan was to turn the tables on the assertion that newspapers can print offensive material in the name of freedom of expression.

I am quite certain that these cartoons are going to be grotesque, but at least they (Hamshahri) aren't advocating violence or censorship. Maybe some will even learn the difference between denouncing something and lighting embassies on fire.