The two terrorist attacks on April 10, 2007 in Casablanca, Morocco, and the April 11, 2007 bombing in the Algerian capital were harshly condemned in the Arab world. This was clearly reflected in cartoons published in Arab newspapers, many of which dealt with various aspects of Islamist terrorism.

The cartoons presented the terrorists who perpetrated the attacks in Morocco and Algeria as bloodthirsty murderers destined for hell; the spread of terrorism in the Arab world was characterized as a worrying and threatening phenomenon; terrorism was presented as a distortion of the commandments of the Koran; and there was criticism of the clergy's acquiescence in the face of terrorist acts.

The following is a sample of the cartoons:

Cartoons Condemning the Terrorist Attacks in Morocco and Algeria

Cartoon No. 1: The top sign says "Morocco" and the bottom sign says "Algeria."

Source: Al-Watan (Qatar), April 13, 2007.

Cartoon No. 2: The terrorist is changing the name "Casablanca" (literally "white house") into "Black House."

Source: Al-Iqtisadiyya (Saudi Arabia), April 14, 2007.

Terrorism as a Threat to the Arab World

Cartoon No. 3: The caption reads, from right to left, "Over there [i.e. in the West] and over here [i.e. in the Arab countries]."

Source: Al-Hayat (London), April 16, 2007.

Cartoon No. 4: The caption beneath the figure says "Al-Qaeda."

Source: Al-Watan (Qatar), April 16, 2007.

Cartoon No. 5: "The Arab Homeland and Terrorism"

Source: Al-Watan (Qatar), April 15, 2007.

Cartoon No. 6: "From the Ocean to the Persian Gulf"

Source: Al-Mustaqbal (Lebanon), April 14, 2007.

Cartoon No. 7: The writing on the bowling ball says "Loaded and Booby-Trapped Youth"; the writing on the bowling pins says "The Arab Countries."

Source: Akhbar Al-Khalij (Bahrain) April 15, 2007.

Cartoon No. 8: The square sign says "[Bus] Stop," and the round sign above it indicates the bus's destination: "The Arab Homeland."

Source: Al-Ayyam (Bahrain), April 16, 2007.

Terrorism as a Distortion of Islam

Cartoon No. 9: "No to the Murder of Innocents." The figure in the cartoon, representing terrorism, is reading the Koran upside-down.

Source: Al-Sharq (Qatar), April 13, 2007; Al-Madina (Saudi Arabia) April 13, 2007.

Cartoon No. 10:

Source: Arab News (Saudi Arabia), April 16, 2007.

Cartoon No. 11:

Source: Arab News (Saudi Arabia), April 15, 2007.

Cartoon No. 12: The Angel of Death drags a figure labeled "terrorism" towards the fires of hell.

Source: Al-Watan (Qatar), April 15, 2007.

*O. Winter is a research fellow at MEMRI