Times Cartoon by Peter Brookes Smells of Anti-Muslim Prejudice
The June 16th Times cartoon by Peter Brookes can be found here.
It speaks about the topical issue around the Israel and Iranian conflict and around the missiles that Iran has fired towards Israel.
No-one can be in any doubt that the Iranian regime, which is highlighted in this cartoon, is anything but a repressive, violent and coercive regime that has long blighted the Middle East and the hopes and aspirations of many Iranians. Indeed, many young people were abused, tortured and traumatised in the recent ‘Women, Life and Freedom’ revolt sparked by the killing of young Mahsa Amini in 2022. So, the regime has much to answer for.
However, Brookes’ cartoon does not rely on any evidence of the regime firing missiles from mosques or that mosques have been a front for the launch of such weapons in this conflict. The cartoon is reminiscent of the Swiss People Party’s successful 2009 referendum campaign against minarets which led to far right groups channeling anxieties about demographic change in the country into leaflets that associated mosque minarets to missile launches.
We are clear that those leaflets were an example of anti-Muslim prejudice and tropes being played out and virtually comparable to the Brookes cartoon. Whilst we acknowledge that Brookes was trying to associate missile launches to the Iranian regime, associating them with mosques played on anti-Muslim tropes and prejudice that has been seen, documented and highlighted before by others, as well as us within Tell MAMA.
Brookes could have made the point in another way. He chose to take this path and the cartoon re-enforces anti-Muslim bigotry. It really is as simple as that.
Mosques and minarets are not missile launchers, nor are they places of danger. They are legitimate religious spaces where worshippers deserve to pray in peace. Neither, should we say, has any evidence emerged that Iran, which is a predominantly Muslim country, launched rockets from mosques.
We therefore hope that the Times swiftly removes the cartoon which promotes anti-Muslim tropes. The Times has a long tradition of fair and accurate journalism and whilst cartoons are meant to lampoon and caricature, this cartoon does none of the above. It simply re-enforces prejudice.
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Categories: Iran, Missiles, mosques, News, Peter Brookes, The Times
