Cartoons and International Relations: “Average Mohamed”
With all of the news about the Charlie Hebdo cartoons, and the extremist response, I saw a story in USA Today entitled “Cartoonist Draws The Line On ISIL Extremism.” It is a story about an individual names Mohamed Ahmed, who lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States. Ahmed has begun drawing a series of cartoons entitled “Average Mohamed,” which can be found on his website, www.averagemohamed.com (the cartoons are not currently showing up on the website). He draws cartoons with the attempt at challenging extremist interpretations of Islam. In the cartoons, for eagle, the character, “average Mohamed” “argues that the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS, is “about genocide” and quotes the Koran in making the case that Muslims who see suspicious activities should alert police” (USA Today, 2015).
He has started these cartoons in attempts to appeal to children, so that he can challenge radical interpretations of the faith. He saw that ISIS was using online campaigns, and he wanted to counter their message.
I believe that these sorts of actions are very important in the fight against religious extremism in international relations. It is an example of individuals in the international system coming up with new ways to challenge religious extremism. Here, Ahmed wants to provide a perspective of Islam that is not what ISIS stands for. By doing this, hopefully individuals will move away from ISIS, and that they will understand that Islam is a faith the advocates love and acceptance of others.
In the continued media about Islam, it is critical that messages of peace continue to be promoted. They actually are, continuously by Muslims, but it is necessary that people pay attention to these statements. It is sad that not a great deal of time goes by without someone (politicians for example, media pundits, or others) who question where the moderate Muslims are. This is yet another example of how individuals, and in this case Muslims, are speaking out to defend their faith against puritanical interpretations of the religion.
