This story, from MEMRI, seemed too juicy to ignore. Professor Hasan Bolkhari, a cultural advisor to the Iranian Education Ministry, gave a lecture which was broadcast on Iranian television in which he discussed the MGM television series Tom and Jerry. You can also view the clip. Here are a few excerpts.

Hasan Bolkhari: "There is a cartoon that children like. They like it very much, and so do adults - Tom and Jerry."

[...]

"Some say that the main reason for making this very appealing cartoon was to erase a certain derogatory term that was prevalent in Europe."

[...]

"Watch Schindler's List. Every Jew was forced to wear yellow star on his clothing. The Jews were degraded and termed 'dirty mice.' Tom and Jerry was made in order to change the Europeans' perception of mice. One of terms used was 'dirty mice.'

"I'd like to tell you that... It should be noted that mice are very cunning...and dirty."

[...]

"Tom and Jerry was made in order to display the exact opposite image. If you happen to watch this cartoon tomorrow, bear in mind the points I have just raised, and watch it from this perspective. The mouse is very clever and smart. Everything he does is so cute. He kicks the poor cat's ass. Yet this cruelty does not make you despise the mouse. He looks so nice, and he is so clever... This is exactly why some say it was meant to erase this image of mice from the minds of European children, and to show that the mouse is not dirty and has these traits. Unfortunately, we have many such cases in Hollywood shows."