News & Media: cartoons Iranian cockroaches newspapers The Columbus Dispatch
by Javod Khalaj
3 comments
Iranians Portrayed as Cockroaches
The Columbus Dispatch last week printed a controversial editorial cartoon depicting Iran as a sewer and Iranians as an infestation of cockroaches.
Niki Akhavan wrote the Dispatch to complain of what she calls an “incitement to hatred” and received a canned response from the paper, reprinted here:
Dear sir or madame:
Thank you for writing to The Dispatch.
You apparently are responding to a call from the Council of American-Islamic relations to write to me and to cartoonist Michael Ramirez to complain about a cartoon about the Iraqi regime’s support of violent extremists and terrorists throughout the Middle East.
CAIR claims the cartoon demeans all Iranians as cockroaches. But since the drain cover depicted in the cartoon is clearly labeled with “Iran” and “extremism” it is clear that the cartoon refers only to those elements of the Iranian regime who support extremism. In other words, it doesn’t come close to labeling all Iranians as cockroaches.
CAIR also likens the cartoon to Nazi propaganda. This is a remarkable display of intellectual gymnastics. Iranian President Ahmadinejad has called for the destruction of the Jewish state and questions the Holocaust, while his regime tries to develop nuclear weapons. If CAIR is truly concerned about the promotion of Nazi ideas and the use of Nazi methods, it should direct its attention to Tehran.
CAIR’s claims that its mission is to promote understanding of Islam and combat anti-Islamic information and anti-Islamic attitudes. That’s an honorable mission when it is directed at legitimate grievances.
In this case, CAIR has misrepresented this cartoon and missed the mark by fabricating a false grievance.
All the best,
Glenn Sheller
Editorial Page Editor
The Columbus Dispatch
614-461-5072
On the one hand, it’s an editor’s job to stand behind his paper and contributors, but I find his attitude combative and unprofessional. His answer is unapologetic and assumes that the letter was prompted by one organization – untrue in Niki Akhavan’s case – and ignores the writer’s remarks.
Write your emails to the editor at gsheller@dispatch.com and the cartoonist at michael.ramirez@investors.com.
What is even more interesting is that Bahrain is nowhere on the map, even though Qatar is (and we’re to their North.) It is offensive that they do not acknowledge our existence. :(
This cartoon definitely has bad and provocative implications though, everyone has the right to complain, CAIR or not.
The editor was a bit wordy. He should have just said “Piss on cair.”
What is interesting to me is that Michael Ramirez used to be the official cartoonist for LA Times for years, and depicted Iran in this manner many times in LA Times. I personally remember his depiction of Iran as a vulture, a rat, and many other animals, between 2000 to 2005 when he was fired. During this time period no member of Iranian community in Los Angeles seemed to be bothered by his works. (Maybe with the exception of myself who called LA Times, and cancelled my subscription and explained to them the reason).
Google his name and combine that with the word Iran. You will find many other “masterpieces” by him on Google Images. He is probably the most right-wing republican cartoonist in the entire country. By the way if you want to have a real impact on his work it would be better to contact Copley News Service, who syndicates his cartoons in more than 400 newspapers in the US. I am sure many other newspapers have published the same cartoon the same day Dispatch published it. Dispatch is the target of all the emails only because somebody in CAIR noticed that in Dispatch.