"The publication of cartoons that incite religious or
ethnic hatreds is unacceptable."--U.S. Department of
State
The decision of several European newspapers to
publish
cartoons portraying the Islamic Prophet Mohamed has
led to
death threats and
rioting around the world. While many in Europe are
standing firm, the cartoons' publication has also produced strong
apologies by international leaders and some of the media. The
managing director of France Soir (one of the papers that
published the cartoons)
was even fired "as a powerful sign of respect for the
intimate beliefs and convictions of every individual for
allowing them to be published."
Jyllands-Posten, the original Danish paper that published
the cartoons, had this to say: "They (The cartoons) were not intended to be
offensive, nor were they at variance with Danish law, but they
have indisputably offended many Muslims for which we
apologize."
We wonder why no similar outcry and apologies
have come after viciously anti-Semitic and anti-Israel cartoons are
published on an almost daily basis throughout the Arab world. The following cartoon (as reported by
Palestinian Media Watch)
was published in Al-Hayat, the official newspaper of the
Palestinian Authority, last month. Perhaps the reason that it
did not provoke an outrage is that by the standards of the
Arab press, it is hardly exceptional."Offensive" Cartoons
in the Arab World
As documented by Palestinian Media Watch, the Arab Press
exercises almost no self-censorship in the publications of cartoons
which involve gross stereotypes of Jews.
Not a week goes by in the Arab world without a "political"
cartoon portraying Jews as either blood-suckers, Nazis, or the
indiscriminate killers of Palestinian children.
The
Anti-Defamation League points out that: The U.N.
designation of January 27 as a Holocaust memorial day was an
occasion for many newspapers to run cartoons and columns that
denied or downplayed the horrors of the Holocaust.
Additionally, many newspaper articles accused Jews of using
the Holocaust to justify the persecution of others
The Nazi Swastika superimposed on the Star of
David. From Al-Yawm (Saudi Arabia).
In an interview with the
Jerusalem
Center for Public Affairs, analyst Joe Kotek, writes that "The
main recurrent motif in Arab cartoons concerning Israel is
'the devilish Jew.' This image conveys the idea that Jews
behave like Nazis, kill children and love blood."
"A major theme in Arab cartoons is the blood-loving or
blood-thirsty Jew. This originates in Christian anti-Semitism.
The Christian anti-Semitic libel alleged the Jews needed
Christian blood for their Passover service. Its claim is that
the Jew is evil, as his religion forces him to drink blood. In
today's Arab world this image of unbridled hatred has mutated
into the alleged quest for Palestinian blood.
Blood-drinking Jews are frequently shown by Al Ahram, one of
Egypt's leading dailies. On 21 April 2001, it printed a
cartoon showing an Arab being put into a flatting mill by two
soldiers wearing helmets with Stars of David. The Arab's blood
pours out and two Jews with kippot and Stars of David on their
shirts drink the blood laughingly."
Yet, we find very little condemnation and apologies from the
international community when these cartoons are published. In
response to the offending cartoons of Muhammad, many like
The Vatican said that "the drawings amounted to an
"unacceptable provocation" and the right to freedom of
expression "cannot entail the right to offend the sentiment
of believers." One wonders why the same standards have not
been used in reacting to the above cartoons.
On the other hand, Die Welt, one of the German papers to print
the cartoons, got it right when they noted (as quoted in
CNSNews.com):
"The protests from Muslims would be taken more seriously if
they came across as less hypocritical," the Hamburg-based
daily said, noting that no protests greeted the depiction
by
Syrian television of rabbis as cannibals."
Not Just in the Arab WorldUnfortunately it is not
just the Arab world that seems comfortable publishing
blatantly
anti-Semitic slurs in the guise of "political"
cartoons. As previously documented by
Honest Reporting, media in Europe and the United States
have published cartoons that go beyond offensive.
A
political cartoon published in The Independent in 2003
depicted Ariel Sharon biting into the flesh of a Palestinian
baby. The background shows Apache attack helicopters firing
missiles, and blaring the message "Vote Likud."
Sharon is saying, 'What's wrong, you never seen a politician
kissing babies before?"
The government of Israel lodged an official protest to the cartoon by
Dave Brown. Yet no apology similar to the many we are hearing
from around the world today was forthcoming.
Not only were
no apologies forthcoming, but the UK's
Political Cartoon Society awarded it
first prize in its 2003 "Cartoon of the Year" competition,
choosing it over 34 other entries. When Honest Reporting wrote
to protest the award, the reply we received was:
"You have all taken this award
completely out of perspective and context. Shame on you! We do
so much good."
For an eye-opening selection of more
cartoons of this nature, go to
Tom
Gross Media.com. With the lack of remorse that we hear
from publications of these cartoons one has to conclude that the
threat of violence is the only reason that most of the media
are so concerned with offending Muslim sensibilities.
Be on watch to see if your local
media runs anti-Israel political cartoons.
Thank you for your ongoing involvement in the
battle against media bias.
