| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran Closes One of Its Own Newspapers |
| 2006-05-23 |
| Toon rage continues to sweep the muslim world. TEHRAN, Iran -- The Iranian government closed one of its own newspapers Tuesday for publishing a cartoon that provoked riots among the Azeri minority. State television reported that the national media supervisory body had closed the state-owned Iran "due to its publication of divisive and provocative materials." The closure was indefinite, the television reported. On Friday, the newspaper published a cartoon showing a cockroach speaking Azeri, the language of an ethnic group in northwestern Iran. The cartoon touched off riots in that part of the country on Monday, and the unrest ended only after police used tear-gas on the crowd. Culture Minister Saffar Harrandi appeared on state television and apologized for the cartoon. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #4 :> SLO! |
| Posted by: 6 2006-05-23 19:21 |
| #3 ...a cockroach speaking Azeri... Is Berke Breathed or Pat Oliphant doing toons in Iran now? |
| Posted by: SLO Jim 2006-05-23 17:22 |
| #2 The subtext here is the conflict between Persian contempt for Azeris and their desire to influence and eventually perhaps absorb Azerbaijani. |
| Posted by: lotp 2006-05-23 10:29 |
| #1 ...a cockroach speaking Azeri... Who knew? Somehow, somewhere, someone should take this act on the road to the nightclub circuit. Somehow, this one is pretty funny to me. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-05-23 10:15 |