Twitching, sweating and angry under the pressure of unaccustomed mockery, the freaks, fanatics and fools who fill the ranks of Iran’s hardline clergy are increasing their attempts to ban The Lizard , the new Iranian movie that satirizes their superstitions, stupidity and self-importance.
The Daily Telegraph is reporting comments from Ahmad Jannati, the head of Iran’s powerful Guardian Council, whining as he grumbles that, “the screening of such movies must be confronted because this makes fun of clerics. It should be banned.”
In a way jihad Jannati has got it right. Humor can be a devastatingly effective weapon against the evils of theocracy. No wonder he’s worried. The world needs to see a lot more of such mockery, and not just in Iran. To start with, has, The Lizard, I wonder, been shown in Iraq. And if not, why not?