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Iran launches cartoon contest to vilify Israel as “Zionist caliphate”
An Iranian cultural institute has announced a cartoon and caricature contest on the theme of what it calls the “Zionist caliphate” and “Zionism, terrorism and racism”.
Iran’s semi-official Fars agency reported that Iran’s Cultural-Art Masaf Institute is inviting entries for a number of cash prizes. The theme of the contest is twofold, on “Zionism, terrorism and racism” and “ISIS terrorism and genocide in the name of religion and to the benefit of the Zionists”. The contest includes a cartoon category and also a caricature category, in which contestants are specifically encouraged to focus on depictions of the founding father of political Zionism, Theodor Herzl and Queen Elizabeth.
Submissions are to be sent to a group called Cartoons Clan, which says on its website: “In our point of view, Zionism is the worst kind of racism and is the enemy of the world’s big religions.”
Iranian leaders have routinely threatened Israel’s very existence. Just last week, Ahmad Karimpour, a senior adviser to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, said that if Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave the command, Iran could “raze the Zionist regime in less than eight minutes”. The commander of Iran’s army, Ataollah Salehi, candidly said in November: “We are going to destroy them [Israel], we will promise this task will be done.”
The anti-Israel cartoon contest comes as Iran’s International Holocaust Cartoon Contest came to a close. The annual competition showcases cartoons belittling, denigrating or denying the Holocaust. First introduced by Iran’s former-President Mahmoud Ahmadinajad, the contest is sponsored by the Tehran Municipality, with the support of Iran’s government. Around 150 works from more than fifty countries were on display at this year’s contest, with the most popular cartoon awarded an £8,000 prize.
Holocaust denial is commonplace among many Iranian leaders. On the eve of this year’s International Holocaust Memorial Day, Ayatollah Khamenei released a video clip which questioned whether the Holocaust is “reality or not”.