Dima Saif
8-8:50
Cartoon Analysis
Cartoon
This cartoon presents is the stereotypical view of Arabs and Muslims. In this cartoon we have the man that is standing out dressed up in what people tend to think is “traditional” Arab clothing. The clothing he is wearing is the white “dress” with a black vest and he has a scarf wrapped around his head, they are long and simple. He is also fat making it seems that he lives on weather from the oil that they import from the Middle East also maybe because of the power that he might think he has, so if he is big and fat it is hard to put him down. One weird thing I noticed is that the scarf that is wrapped around his head, the top is in the shape of what the top of the mosque looks like, so it puts him out that he is a “true” follower of Islam. He is also standing in front a woman holding his hands up “protecting”, maybe stopping what is coming at them or even not giving the woman to have the right or freedom which is what typically is thought of Muslim men toward Muslim women.
The guy has a big nose, small eyes that is eyeing down the “audience" and has facial hair that is what people tend to think what most Arab and or Muslim men have. This guy has fierce face expression and is declaring is that, “Islam is a tolerant religion! We tolerate fanatics, suicide bombers, terrorist, “charities”...and women…barely.” These is a common things people tend to think about what men in Islam or even Arab mean say in general. He is also leaned forward, but standing tall proud of what he is saying and how he is treating the women behind him.
What he has behind him is what it looks like a silent woman dressed in a black burqa with her eyes only showing, her eyes seems to be really wide maybe being surprised of the guys reaction and what he is saying. She is also more leaned back in what I assume is from the shock meant of the guys reaction. This black burqa makes the women look like a prisoner because she is trapped behind these clothes without a say. There is also no way for hands to be out, her head and body are the only things that you know that she has, but you can’t tell the details of the woman’s body. She also looks like a statue because of the way she is structured, not being able to move or walk or just even speak.
The cartoon is implying that women aren’t treated as well as people might think because the lack of their freedom and their freedom to speak or stand for themselves, they must have a guy at all times to do that for them. As well as they must at all times be dressed in a black burqa where ever they go also that she basically doesn’t have the body of her own to be able to take care of it rather it is controlled by the man to “protect” and lack her freedom to be in control of her own body.
In conclusion what the cartoonist Tony Auth implied into this cartoon is the whitewash image of Islam and Arab as a whole. He is also implying the whitewash darker truth of Muslims that support terrorism and violence, extremists, and the cruelty of women. Also in this cartoon the statues of the women is low because of what is assumed what she has to wear, stand and the way she is suppose to act without any right. The way the guy is supposed to look like and what he usually wears and the way he acts towards women and the audience.