Iraqi political cartoonist draws trouble
Iraqi cartoonists are targeted for their drawings that criticize corruption and Islamic political parties in the country.
The caricatures by young Iraqi artist Ahmed Fallah mock and criticize Iraqi politicians. While he and other political cartoonists are threatened, young Iraqis share the drawings on social networking sites and use them during protests to express their anger at the politicians.
In reference to Iraqi politicians’ exploitation of religion and repressive practices against citizens, Fallah drew former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein wearing the turban of a cleric after he was arrested, with a prayer bump on the forehead, mockingly showing his dedication to prayer. The cartoon was popular among Iraqis, who are angered at the level of corruption within Islamic political parties and particularly the clergy, who take advantage of their status to cover up their parties’ corruption and prevent the politicians from being held accountable. Fallah sparked a strong backlash on social media and was forced to flee the country.
In early 2014, before he became famous, Fallah received threats from an armed militia and subsequently moved to Indonesia. At that time, one of his cartoons condemning the corruption in Islamic political parties was used as the cover of Fekr magazine, a small and relatively unknown publication.
In a phone call with Al-Monitor, Fallah said, “I decided to flee Baghdad to Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, for a short period of time, until the militia [which he did not identify] forgot about me. Yet I could not remain silent for long. The political situation is getting worse in Iraq and keeping silent about the ruling parties is a disgrace in my eyes.”
