The U.S. Presidential Election Campaign in the Arab Media
Introduction
Updated: November 3, 2004
In the run-up to the 2004 presidential elections in the United States, newspapers in the Arab world have focused much attention on the campaign and the candidates. While this heightened attention to the American political process has included legitimate coverage of news events, expressions of ugly anti-Semitism and conspiracy theories about Jewish control of the Democratic and Republican parties - or of the U.S. government - have appeared in the Arab press with startling regularity.
Some of the most shocking editorial cartoons depict accusations of a Jewish or Israeli conspiracy to control the American democratic process. One dominant theme is the claim that America's elections are being controlled behind the scenes by a manipulative Jewish lobby and the Israeli government. Others suggest that both candidates are the handmaidens of Jews, especially when it comes to matters of foreign policy or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Or the candidates are portrayed as bending over backwards to satisfy Jews, who are stereotypically portrayed as greedy, evil and conspiratorial. A number of cartoons suggest that there is no difference between a vote for President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry, since both men are 'controlled' by Jewish interests.
ADL, which monitors and exposes anti-Semitism in the Arab media, continues to monitor this trend within the context of events and the wider drumbeat of anti-Semitism that pervades the Arab world. The following is a country-by-country compilation of offensive images that have appeared in the Arab media concerning the U.S. election.
|
