This is an editorial cartoon by Brian Fairrington (http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/cc5aaf01-0035-49f2-abe6-1494cf69ee74.html). In this cartoon, Fairrington attacks Muslims for wanting to build a mosque on Ground Zero. This Muslim student is telling her class how she spent her summer taking advantage of the Constitution just to disgrace the American lives lost in the attacks on September 11, 2001.
This portrayal of a young, Muslim woman is a prime example of why the general population has negative feelings toward Muslims. This cartoon has a very conspiratorial nature to it; this simply reinforces the false suspicion that all Muslims share the same goal of taking down America.
The issue of Muslim dominance has been covered by many mainstream news sources. Very few news sources have dared to challenge mass media. One of the few news sources to challenge mass media, however, has been "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." The following is a clip from The Daily Show (http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-10-2010/municipal-land-use-update---ground-zero-mosque):
This portrayal of a young, Muslim woman is a prime example of why the general population has negative feelings toward Muslims. This cartoon has a very conspiratorial nature to it; this simply reinforces the false suspicion that all Muslims share the same goal of taking down America.
The issue of Muslim dominance has been covered by many mainstream news sources. Very few news sources have dared to challenge mass media. One of the few news sources to challenge mass media, however, has been "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." The following is a clip from The Daily Show (http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-10-2010/municipal-land-use-update---ground-zero-mosque):
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Municipal Land-Use Update - Ground Zero Mosque | ||||
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This clip exposes the ludicrousness of Americans' suspicions and hostility toward Muslims. The way the cartoon is framed meshes all Muslims together, making all members of the Muslim faith appear dangerous, greedy, and anti-American. The Daily Show clip, through sarcasm and hyperbole, addresses those accusations and emphasizes the fact that most Muslims are not terrorists and that they are not, in fact, trying to take over and take down the United States.
The "Ground Zero Mosque" this cartoon is referring to is actually an Islamic Community Center that includes a mosque. It will be located a few blocks away from Ground Zero. There has been much debate surrounding this mosque, and the controversy has sparked protests across the nation. Some of these protests included some religious groups threatening to burn Qu'rans on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/09/terry-jones-timeline-it-all-st.html?referrer=emaillink).
Many have argued that Muslims do not have a right to build the mosque; that they shouldn't because it's insensitive; or, like this cartoon depicts, that Muslims are "rubbing it in America's face," so to speak. Muslims do, in fact, have a Constitutional right to worship however they please, and wherever they please (as long as they obtain the property legally, which in this case they have). Muslims are building the mosque because they need the space. With the existing mosque a mere 4 blocks from Ground Zero, only about 100 worshipers can use its services at once (http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/27/a-look-inside-nyc-islamic-center-imam%E2%80%99s-congregation-and-his-mosques/).
Americans are afraid; they are afraid of the unknown and things that are taught to be threatening. In the context of the "Ground Zero Mosque," there are so many opinions flying around--most of them anti-Muslim--that Americans don't know what to think. Because of the confusion, Americans are afraid, and the only solution they see is to prevent this mosque from being built. By attempting to keep this mosque out of downtown New York City, they are disgracing the Constitution. This dismissal of the Constitution reverses the roles portrayed in the cartoon shown above, making Americans the real threat to freedom.
Posted by Natalie Johnson
The "Ground Zero Mosque" this cartoon is referring to is actually an Islamic Community Center that includes a mosque. It will be located a few blocks away from Ground Zero. There has been much debate surrounding this mosque, and the controversy has sparked protests across the nation. Some of these protests included some religious groups threatening to burn Qu'rans on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/09/terry-jones-timeline-it-all-st.html?referrer=emaillink).
Many have argued that Muslims do not have a right to build the mosque; that they shouldn't because it's insensitive; or, like this cartoon depicts, that Muslims are "rubbing it in America's face," so to speak. Muslims do, in fact, have a Constitutional right to worship however they please, and wherever they please (as long as they obtain the property legally, which in this case they have). Muslims are building the mosque because they need the space. With the existing mosque a mere 4 blocks from Ground Zero, only about 100 worshipers can use its services at once (http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/27/a-look-inside-nyc-islamic-center-imam%E2%80%99s-congregation-and-his-mosques/).
Americans are afraid; they are afraid of the unknown and things that are taught to be threatening. In the context of the "Ground Zero Mosque," there are so many opinions flying around--most of them anti-Muslim--that Americans don't know what to think. Because of the confusion, Americans are afraid, and the only solution they see is to prevent this mosque from being built. By attempting to keep this mosque out of downtown New York City, they are disgracing the Constitution. This dismissal of the Constitution reverses the roles portrayed in the cartoon shown above, making Americans the real threat to freedom.
Posted by Natalie Johnson
