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The Story behind "If I Controlled the Media"By Matthew Arnold Stern I wrote "If I Controlled the Media" to poke fun at those who hold unjust stereotypes. But the story of how this essay took shape reveals the antidote to such stereotypes – dialogue. I wrote the essay in response to the following cartoon drawn by Emad Hajjaj.
I don't read Arabic, but I know if I see a Magen David on the same page as Arabic writing, it's probably not a complement. When I finished my original essay, it was close to the one you read on my site. (I added that Disney might benefit from a Zionist conspiracy that tells them, "Hey, maybe you should start doing hand-drawn animated features again.") I wanted to be fair to Mr. Hajjaj, so I sent him the URL of my draft essay and asked if he had any comments or issues. I also praised him for some positive cartoons he wrote in response to the terror attacks in Amman. He wrote back to me:
Emad raised some valid points, and he expressed the frustration Arabs feel about conditions in the Middle East. Had he complained about any other country, including the United States, most people would nod and accept it. The problem is that a large number of people (including Jews) can't separate criticism of Israel with criticism of the Jewish people as a whole. It's true that there are a lot of people – not just Arabs, but a number in our own country – who don't differentiate between the actions of the Israeli government with the Jewish people. (Most of them probably hate Israel because they hate Jews.) Emad is not that type of person. We should pay no heed to the Jew-haters (like that schmuck Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Someone should send him a copy of Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl.) But we should listen to legitimate grievances of those who criticize the actions of the Israeli government. I love my country, and I have the right – in fact, the duty – to criticize my government when I think it's wrong. (And if you think criticizing President Bush is treasonous, remember you had the same right when you criticized President Clinton.) As a Jew, I have no less of a right to criticize the Israeli government when I feel it's wrong. Let's remember that Biblical prophets like Elijah were quick to point out the faults of Israel's leaders and people. Israel should be as open to examination and criticism as any modern democracy. Even a nation at risk like Israel would benefit from listening and learning from people's complaints. He later commented on my depiction of Ramadan, where he pointed out misconceptions on my part:
(Both quotes were revised only for grammar and capitalization. The text was unchanged.) I learned a lot exchanging e-mails with Emad. Most importantly, it reinforced my conviction that we must improve our communication with the Arab world. There is too much we don't know, and too much we assume to be true. We need to understand the concerns and issues Arabs have with us before we can resolve our mutual problems, end the threat of terrorism that both of our peoples face, and work together to build a more peaceful world. Related TopicsLinksAbu Majoob Creative Productions (in Arabic with English content) |
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