Ok, now meet, Jigar the Khar. He is a puppet donkey who doesn’t like to be called khar. He demands to be addressed as Jigar, he recites poetry and gets angry and yells a lot. The past few days this beloved character has been the center of special attention among Iranians online and on social media. Rumor has it, due to his unpleasant characteristics, Iranian officials in charge of monitoring TV contents have banned his image from the National TV and removed him from the TV series where he appears along with Kolah Ghermezi, the Iranian Elmo if you will.

I say "rumor" because I could not personally confirm his banishment. While BBC Farsi reports that he has indeed been taken off air, several other blogs and independent news and entertainment websites claim otherwise. You might find it funny to know that many believe this rumor has been spread by the foreign "enemies of Iran and Islam" who wish to demonize Iran.

I also posed the question to my Iranian contacts on Facebook and received several opposing answers. Some swore they’ve heard with their own ears or a trusted friend has told them, while others said "no" with certainty, that Jigar is well and alive.

Meanwhile, a few Iranians have changed the Facebook profile pictures in solidarity with Jigar; others--as always--utilized their photoshop skills to mock those who claim the rumor is part of the foreign agenda against Islamic Republic Regime.

"Jigar takes refuge in England," the caption reads "Jigar meets the Queen and several important British officials at Heathrow Airport." 

Here is what I think: Whether this news is true or not, I am not surprised! The Iranian regime has proven how ridiculous and irrational it can be when it comes to censorship (and I hope I Heart Iran is a testament to that.) Iranian people have also proven how they are willing to do anything to show their dissatisfaction with the political and culture censorship ruling Iran; even if it’s spreading the rumor about a puppet donkey.