Molla Nasraddin (; , old orthography: ) was an eight-page Azerbaijani satirical periodical published in Tiflis (from 1906–17), Tabriz (in 1921) and Baku (from 1922–33; from the 2nd issue of 1931 the magazine was called: Allahsyz (; ; translation of the name: "Godless") in the Azerbaijani and occasionally Russian languages. The magazine was "read across the Muslim world from Morocco to East Asia". It was founded by Jalil Mammadguluzadeh (1869–1932) and Omar Faig Nemanzadeh (1872–1937), and named after Nasreddin, the legendary Sufi wise man-cum-fool of the Middle Ages. Columnists wrote articles that "boldly satirized politics, religion, colonialism, Westernization, and modernization, education (or lack thereof), and the oppression of women". History The periodical was founded by Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, a famous Azerbaijani writer, and Omar Faig Nemanzadeh, a prominent educator and publicist, published by Geyrat Publishing House owned by both. The name "Molla Nasraddin" was inspired by the 13th century Muslim cleric Nasreddin who was remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes. The main purpose of the magazine was to satirically depict various social phaenomena, such as inequality, cultural assimilation, and corruption; and to ridicule backward lifestyles and values of the clergy and religious fanatics. Bold and denunciative articles were the reason for numerous searches performed by the police and frequent bans of Molla Nasraddin (in 1912, 1914 and 1917). After a three-year break, Mammadguluzadeh moved to Tabriz, where within the next year he published eight more issues of the magazine. The significance of Molla Nasraddin is in its development of the critical realist genre in Azerbaijani literature. It influenced similar processes in other literary traditions, primarily in Iran. Iranian cartoon art emerged as a result of publishing Molla Nasraddin in Tabriz in 1921. Editorial Molla Nasreddin’s primary purpose was to attack the hypocrisy of the Muslim clergy using an acerbic sense of humor and realist illustrations reminiscent of a Caucasian Honoré Daumier or Toulouse-Lautrec. It also satirized the colonial policies of the US and European nations towards the rest of the world, the venal corruption of the local elite, and equal rights for women while arguing repeatedly for Westernization and educational reform. But publishing such stridently anti-clerical material in a Muslim country in the early 20th century was done at no small risk to the editorial team. Members were often harassed, their offices attacked, and on more than one occasion, Mammadguluzadeh had to escape from protesters incensed by the contents of