(WXYZ) — A cartoon that recently was published by the National Review is sparking outrage and backlash from community members and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
This cartoon was created by Henry Payne, who also happens to be a Detroit News auto columnist. The cartoon, which is on the National Review online publication, shows a woman identified as U.S. Rep. Tlaib seated at a desk with a pager nearby, which appears to be smoking with the caption: “odd my pager just exploded."
The cartoon has been called Islamophobic, appalling, and glorifying the killing of civilians, according to county commissioner Sam Baydoun. It's also being condemned by Dearborn’s mayor and others on social media.
The cartoon displayed the author’s Detroit News email address at the bottom and referenced deadly exploding pagers, sources have told ABC News, were intended by Israelis to kill members of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
In a statement to me, Tlaib says: “this racism will incite more hate and violence against Arab and Muslim communities and it makes everyone less safe. It’s disgraceful the media continues to normalize this racism against our communities.”
I also talked with Osama Siblani from the Arab American News in response.
"I was disgusted and can’t believe the Detroit News is making excuses," said Siblani. "What is happening with an attack on Rashida is disgusting and uncalled for.”
I did reach Payne by phone who told me “Jews are under an existential threat from Iran and its Hamas-Hezbollah proxies not seen since WWII ... my cartoons for Andrews McNeel have been consistently critical of Rep. Tlaib’s lack of Congressional leadership in failing to support Israel’s battle for survival."
The Detroit News tells me they do not plan to remove Payne or discipline him in any way for making the cartoon.
However, they say Payne was asked to discontinue use of the Detroit News email and agreed, when working for other publications, given that the Detroit News has nothing to do with creation of this cartoon.
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell released the following statement regarding the National Review cartoon:
“This cartoon is vile, Islamophobic, racist, hateful, and unequivocally false. At a time when we must be combating all forms of hatred and xenophobia, this inflammatory depiction does the opposite. Though the harm already done cannot be reversed, the cartoon should be removed, and the National Review and the artist owe Rep. Tlaib an apology. Rising hatred, anger, and discrimination of all kinds, including Islamophobia and antisemitism, are inciting violence across the country and putting communities in real danger, including many in my district. I stand against any attack against any member of my community. This must stop.”
I’ve also reached out to the site where this appeared for comment and we are awaiting a response.
