memri
October 31, 2007 Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 399

Six Years After 9/11 – Cartoons in the Arab Press

October 31, 2007 | By E. Glass*
Inquiry & Analysis Series No. 399

To mark the sixth anniversary of 9/11, the Arab press published numerous cartoons relating to the attacks. Some of the cartoons referred to America's failure to end terrorism and capture Osama bin Laden, while others presented the 9/11 attacks as a Jewish/Israeli or American conspiracy aimed at grabbing Arab oil. Yet other cartoons hinted that the U.S. was exploiting the 9/11 tragedy to impose its policies on the world and to gain control of it, and/or presented the Arabs as the true victims of 9/11.

The following are examples of the cartoons:

America's Failure to Wipe Out Al-Qaeda/Capture bin Laden

Cartoon No. 1:

Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA), September 11, 2007.

Cartoon No. 2: The U.S. continues to bear the burden of world terrorism inspired by bin Laden.

On the bomb: "Terrorism."

Source: Al-Jarida (Kuwait), September 17, 2007.

The 9/11 Attacks Were a Jewish/Israeli or American Conspiracy

Cartoon No. 3: "September 11"

The figure on top of the towers, labeled "FBI, CIA, the Mossad, the Zionist Lobby" tells the figure on the right, labeled "The Arab World": "You have been deceived, and told that you are the one who destroyed the World Trade Center."

Source: Akhbar Al-Khaleej (Bahrain), September 11, 2007.

 

Cartoon No. 4: The Jews use 9/11 as a ladder.

 

Source: Al-Bayan (UAE), September 11, 2007.

Cartoon No. 5: The U.S. uses 9/11 to grab Arab oil.

Source: Al-Watan (Oman), September 11, 2007.

 

The U.S. Uses 9/11 to Deceive and Control the World

 

Cartoon No. 6: The 9/11 attacks are used to deceive the world

Source: Al-Rai (Jordan), September 11, 2007.

Cartoon No. 7: On every anniversary of 9/11, the U.S. takes over another part of the world.

The towers are labeled "September 11, 2001," "September 11, 2002," and so on.

Source: Al-Ittihad (UAE), September 11, 2007.

 

Cartoon No. 8: The U.S. uses 9/11 to exert pressure on the world.

 

Source: Al-Ghad (Jordan), September 11, 2007.

Cartoon No. 9: The cue ball is labeled "Al-Qaeda's September 11 Attack."

Source: Al-Watan (Syria), September 11, 2007.

 

Cartoon No. 10: The U.S. uses 9/11 to enslave the world.

 

Source: Arab News (Saudi Arabia); Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), September 11, 2007.

Cartoon No. 11: 9/11 paved the way for the U.S. to attack the world.

Source: Al-Arab Al-Yawm (Jordan), September 15, 2007.

Bush Is Using 9/11 to Implement His Policies

Cartoon No. 12:

Source: Al-Ghad (Jordan), September 11, 2007.

Cartoon No. 13: Bush uses 9/11 to leave his forces in Iraq.

Source: Al-Watan (Qatar), September 12, 2007.

The Middle East as Victim of 9/11

Cartoon No. 14: The picture is labeled "The Middle East."

Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London); Arab News (Saudi Arabia), September 12, 2007.

Cartoon No. 15: The Arab world is the true victim of 9/11.

Etched in blood on the figure's back: "September 11."

Source: Akhbar Al-Arab (UAE); Al-Watan (Qatar), September 11, 2007.

 

Cartoon No. 16: "Sixth Anniversary of September 11"

 

Source: Al-Sharq (Qatar), September 11, 2007.

*E. Glass is a research fellow at MEMRI.

Share this Report: