According to the Associated Press an Iranian newspaper is sponsoring a contest for cartoons about the Holocaust. Are they really arguing that making fun of Mohammed is morally equivalent to making fun of the murder of 6 million Jews? And why draw Jewish people into this? It wasn’t a Jewish newspaper that printed the objectionable cartoons.
From the article:
“‘Does the West extend freedom of expression to the crimes committed by the United States and Israel, or an event such as the Holocaust? Or is its freedom only for insulting religious sanctities?” Hamshahri wrote, referring to the Prophet Muhammad cartoons.'”
Anyone who has ever watched The Daily Show knows that the West extends freedom of expression to crimes committee by the United States and Israel, and to insulting religious sanctities. This freedom isn’t always used well, but lucrative careers have been built on it.
Meanwhile, Time checks in with a piece on why the “cartoon clash” is escalating.