An editorial cartoon by Sean Casey about the attack in Norway has some upset that his attempt to depict terrorists have slandered the whole Islamic community.
He says the cartoon isn’t meant to point the finger at Muslims, but specifically terrorists.
“There’s a pile of frigging skulls that they’re sitting on, drinking tea and reading the newspaper. I felt that pointed out that these weren’t regular folks.”
Some readers of the Cape Breton Post and members of the Muslim community beg to differ.
“My question is why the cartoonist linked (the attacks in Norway) with the beard, with the Muslims, with Osama bin Laden,” Masooud Chauhdry, a senior member of the Cape Breton Muslim Society, asks.
It’s a cartoon about terrorism, not Muslims. I think it’s a good cartoon, and I don’t see why the local Muslim community should be upset.
There is a Muslim connection to the story and this cartoon illustrates the irony of the Norwegian nut job’s actions.
I do keep forgetting that editorial cartoons are not supposed to offend anyone however.
I think people find it offensive because the garb of the figures is too generic to make them look only like terrorists – they could be anyone in traditional garb. The addition of black kerchiefs covering the faces, bandoliers, guns, and other militant trappings would’ve made it clear that they’re meant to be terrorists, not just orthodox.
A good lesson in the nuances of caricature.
Good point Don.