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| Luc Cornillon, L'pere pour l'interdiction |
Now we will analyze two political cartoons done by international artists. They both portray the Muslim population in a negative way. We will compare and contrast the two cartoons and show how the ideas they frame are reflected in the thoughts of many Americans as well as other people outside of the Arab world.
This first French cartoon is targeted at the general Muslim population. It mocks the dress of Muslim women. It refers to the traditional dress of the Arab women, something that easily identifies them and is something that could be easily misunderstood by Americans. It shows an Arab man directing a complement to what he believes to be his wife, while in fact he is speaking to his shower curtain. The idea being that Muslim women cover themselves to the point that even inanimate objects are mistaken for them.
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| Jens Julius, Jyllands-Posten |
This second Danish cartoon however, targets a smaller, more extreme portion of the Arab population. It makes fun of the belief that terrorists are motivated to carry out acts of violence by the thought that they will receive virgin women as a reward upon arriving to heaven. This represents a fear that many Americans associate with the Arab population in general, while in reality it is true of only a small percentage of Muslims.
While the cartoons depict two different groups of Arabs, they are related in that they both reinforce common behaviors that many Americans associate with all people from the Mid-East, contributing to an unjustified fear and racism toward the Arab people we live with. Basically, because of how they have been framed, when many people think of Arabs, they think of oddly dressed, radical people with strange, foreign beliefs.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-october-25-2010/daily-show--10-25-10-in--60-seconds
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Daily Show: 10/25/10 in :60 Seconds | ||||
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http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/103316/september-25-2007/tip-wag---muslim-hipsters
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Tip/Wag - Muslim Hipsters | ||||
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This racism is more common than most of us would like to admit. It also affects the Muslim population more than many of us would like to believe.
"A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,007 Americans shows strong anti-Muslim feeling. And the hard feelings are damaging the mental health of U.S. Muslims, suggest new studies to be released at the American Psychological Association meeting starting Thursday in New Orleans.
Thirty-nine percent of respondents to the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll said they felt at least some prejudice against Muslims. The same percentage favored requiring Muslims, including U.S. citizens, to carry a special ID "as a means of preventing terrorist attacks in the United States." About one-third said U.S. Muslims were sympathetic to al-Qaeda, and 22% said they wouldn't want Muslims as neighbors."
The article also shows that there is a link between how Muslims have been treated since September 11 and their mental health."Verbal harassment and discrimination correlate with worse mental health in studies of Muslims and Arab-Americans since 9/11, says psychologist Mona Amer of Yale University School of Medicine."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-09-muslim-american-cover_x.htm
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/83810/march-15-2007/ayaan-hirsi-ali
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Ayaan Hirsi Ali | ||||
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Ramdas Lam, a Washington Post "On Faith" panelist, ex-Hindu monk, and professor asks the following question:
"Did we (Muslim and non-Muslims) do enough after 9/11 to heal the nation? If not, what should we have done? What more can we do now?
9/11 permanently altered the way Muslims and Islam are viewed by many Americans, and since that time, a wave of anti-Muslim feelings has definitely developed. At the same time, most Americans are not religious bigots, but unless we acknowledge and address the underlying concerns they have, the feelings will only get worse. We need to take a deeper look.
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/panelists/ramdas_lamb/2010/09/why_do_americans_fear_muslims.html
The media are not accurately portraying Arabs and Muslims, and that is one of the biggest reasons that there are so many people with false beliefs and racist ideas. If the media fairly represented these people instead of framing them as the strange radicals depicted in the cartoons, our behavior toward them would be distinct. If this continues we can only expect the racism to become worse.
Interesting note, Danish cartoons
Political cartoons can be very influential, and can send a message just as strong as other means of press. Here is an example:
In 2005, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons of Muhammad including the one shown above, in an effort to support freedom of speech.
In response, Danish flags were burned, riots thrown, embassies closed, ambassadors withdrawn, apologies demanded, houses burned, and an attempt to kill one of the cartoonists was even discovered.
All over 12 cartoons!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article723266.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article723722.ece
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article725158.ece
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/12/world/main3820258.shtml?tag=mncol;lst;8
Posted by Brandon King
