I wish I could say that I take a slight bit of pleasure in Columbus Dispatch editorial page editor Glenn Sheller’s present misery, but I don’t, seeing as Ahmad Al-Akhras and CAIR has called out their cultural stormtroopers to wage jihad against their media establishment dhimmi for violating their always-fluctuating and perpetually hypocritical standards. The First Amendment is what they have in their sights. Still, as much as the Dhimmi Dispatch and Mike Curtin shills for CAIR and the free print space that Glenn Sheller gives to Al-Akhras and his CAIR thugs on a constant basis, karma is at work in this situation. (If only for those First Amendment considerations, consider dropping a note of support to the Dispatch: gsheller@dispatch.com).
The dreaded cartoon of blasphemy of the week appeared in Tuesday’s edition of the Columbus Dhimmi Dispatch, and pictures terror cockroaches scurrying across a map of the Middle East out of an Iranian sewer identified with the word “extremism” (link is to CAIR’s own reprint of the cartoon, so it will be interesting if they accuse me of incitement and/or racism as well — UPDATE: CAIR has removed the cartoon from their website, so we are reposting it here):
For Al-Akhras and his stormtroopers, the First Amendment is a one-way street: they are free to seethe and spew their extremist venom as much as they want, but no one is free to criticize their jackboot thuggery or their terrorist associates.
There is cause to feel some sympathy with the establishment media, however, because they are almost in the same relationship with CAIR as a battered spouse: no matter how much the Dispatch will try to please CAIR and its stormtroopers, the more demanding and violent CAIR will become. They are playing a game they can never win.
The real issue at hand is: will the Dhimmi Dispatch pay CAIR’s propaganda jizya by apologizing for the cartoon to placate their Islamic extremist pals? Will they agree in obeisance to allow CAIR to clear all of their editorial cartoons in the future, or will they just be mindful not to publish anything to inflame their Muslim Brotherhood overlords?
CAIR has posted an action request up on their website:
Incitement: Cartoon Portrays Iranians as Roaches Fleeing SewerHere’s the email that got the whole thing started (ongoing thanks for my Muslim friends who continue to provide me with the internal correspondence of the extremists in our community):
SEE: http://www.cair.com/Iran_DispatchSep42007.gif
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.) Send polite comments about this Nazi-style cartoon depicting Iranians as roaches fleeing a sewer to: gsheller@dispatch.com, michael.ramirez@investors.com
COPY TO: info@cair.com
From: Ahmad Al-AkhrasJust so I understand this situation correctly, CAIR is finally concerned with Nazi-style cartoons? What about all of the anti-Jewish cartoons that appear virtually every daily in the biggest newspapers in the Middle East (check out the MEMRI blog for the most recent examples)? What about the anti-American cartoons that appear in Iranian newspapers? It’s a bit ironic that CAIR is now using the term “Nazi”, because weren’t these Muslim Brotherhood stormtroopers on the side of the Nazis in WWII? Their hypocrisy is pretty rank.
To: CAIR-OH
CC: Ibrahim Hooper, Parvez Ahmed
Date: Wed Sep 05 07:40:30 2007
Subject: FW: anti-Muslim political cartoon
The Sep 4th is NOT on the web. I saw it in the print version and it is DISGUSTING! I attached a pdf of the cartoon.
This is exactly the same propaganda that the German government used against the Jews in the 1930s!
Make a call to the Dispatch
Glenn Sheller — Editorial Page Editor
gsheller@dispatch.com
(614) 461-5072
Mike Curtin — Vice Chair and Associate Publisher
mcurtain@dispatch.com
Michael Fiorile — President
mfiorile@dispatch.com
Make your voice heard.
JAK
AA
-----Original Message-----
From: Brittany Parsons
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 7:33 PM
To: info@...
Subject: anti-Muslim political cartoon
Hello,I wanted to pass this information along because it really offends me. Today, September 4, the Columbus Dispatch ran a very offensive political cartoon that I would describe as anti-Muslim. On the top of page a8 there is a cartoon that depicts Iran as a sewer and Iranians as cockroaches. I called the newspaper to complain about it but I was blown off. I’m not a Muslim, but this really offends me. I hope that your organization can rally your members against the Dispatch and at least get them to apologize. Thanks for your time!
— Brittany Parsons
Update #1: An Iranian blogger, Kamangir, comments on the matter and says, “Do not Panic! You are not a Cockroach!”, and also provides some examples of cartoons from the Iranian state-run newspaper Kayhan, “Offensiveness: A Proprietary Right”. Don’t expect CAIR to get too hot and bothered over the Iranian cartoons, however.
Update #2: Dispatch editorial page editor Glenn Sheller responds to an email from local extremist and regular Dispatch letter to the editor contributor Mahmoud “Hezbollah are freedom-fighters” El-Yousseph, and says:
“You are entitled to interpret cartoons as you prefer, but since the cartoon clearly labels its target as extremism in Iran, your reading of it as an indictment of Muslims in general strikes me as unjustified.”Glenn, you are missing the point. It has nothing to do with what was intended; it’s all about how Al-Akhras and his crew can twist it to get what they want out of it. You are object to their subject; you are merely grist for their mill. They are after some quid pro quo, such as getting the Dispatch to do another hit piece on me and COAT. What’s Barbara Carmen working on these days? And since we’re on the subject, why is the Dispatch riffling through my personal blog everyday?
Update #3: It seems the National Iranian American Council is following CAIR’s lead.
Update #4: Dave Harding at the Leftist Progress Ohio blog reprints a form letter being sent out by Glenn Sheller in response to the CAIR Cartoon jihad:
Dear sir or madame:CAIR fabricating grievances? Shock a monkey!
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
Harding questions whether the word “extremism” appears in the cartoon. In fact, it does. In between the first and second grate hole from the bottom.
Update #5: According to a May 2006 Gateway Pundit post, this apparently is not the first time that the whole cockroach issue has been raised. What if Americans rioted every time something unpleasant was said about the US? Does CAIR issue action alerts about that as well?
