| 
Wide awake
Mahmoud's molla cartoons By Jahanshah Javid
August 9, 2003
The Iranian
I woke up this morning in a particularly
bad mood. No particular reason. I sat behind the computer and
I knew
that
I did NOT want to update the site. There was nothing in my immediate
view that looked remotely tempting.
So I started talking to my fiance and at the same
time tried to find something bloody interesting and original. She
said I look so angry I could bite
her head
off. I forced a smile.
Suddenly I
got an email from Mahmoud, one of my favourite cartoonists:
I have a surprise for you. As you know I don't
have many cartoons about
political figures, because politicians are the last people I
like!
But here I had to laugh myself. I am sending you 3 emails, each
with 3 new cartoons, all about Iranian
Akhoonds. Figures are not so important,
but the
dialogues and conversations. So it is more text than cartoon.
I kissed my fiance. She gave me that look: Why the
sudden outburst of joy from depths of darkness?
I love Mahmoud's cartoons. It's pulp
cartoon, if there is a such a term. And it oozes the kind of cheese
only
we
can taste to the fullest. So I was thrilled to get the new cartoons.
I thought they would be perfect for a cover story.
First of all
they're funny, and I had begged Mahmoud to send me a large
set of cartoons for a cover story on ANY subject. Second,
he's making fun of mollas, which there's too little of in iranian.com
for
my own
pleasure
and
comfort. I mean really... who else deserves to be lampooned more?
If you're Iranian, it's a sure bet you dislike (or how about
care less for, detest, oppose?) mollas more than any
other group of people you can think of. This is not just a disgruntled
former IRI supporter speaking. It's gone way beyond that. It's
as
close
as to certain reality as you can get.
And finally, I want to use Mahmoud's cartoons to
make a point.
In recent months the Islamic Republic has blocked
access to many of the most popular Iranian web sites and
weblogs. Two days ago, some 200 journalists in Iran went
on strike to protest the
murder
of
a photographer
in
judicial custody, continued clampdowm on the press and the
imprisonment of more than a dozen prominent writers
and
journalists. I just
want to let them know that I'm exercising the free speech they
so wish for and deserve and
will have. And it feels really good.
But it has come at a cost. My fiance has gone
to sleep -- and I miss her.
>>> See
Mahmoud's latest cartoons * Send
this page to your friends
|
