By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Palestinian American U.S. lawmaker Rashida Tlaib on Friday condemned as racist a cartoon revealed within the conservative journal Nationwide Overview displaying her with an exploding pager – a reference to an assault this week in opposition to members of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Our community is already in so much pain right now. This racism will incite more hate + violence against our Arab & Muslim communities, and it makes everyone less safe. It’s disgraceful that the media continues to normalize this racism,” Tlaib wrote on the social media platform X.
Tlaib, a Democrat who represents a district from Michigan within the U.S. Home of Representatives, is the lone Palestinian American lawmaker within the U.S. Congress. The Muslim American advocacy group Emgage Motion, Democratic U.S. Home members Cory Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, some native officers in Michigan and human rights teams additionally criticized the cartoon.
Nationwide Overview didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The cartoon, revealed on Thursday, confirmed a girl sitting subsequent to an exploding pager. The girl’s desk within the cartoon had a reputation card saying “Rep. Tlaib” whereas the girl herself is proven saying: “ODD. MY PAGER JUST EXPLODED.”
The cartoon was created by Henry Payne, a Detroit Information auto critic. Payne’s X account titled the cartoon as “Tlaib Pager Hamas.” The Detroit Information stated it was not concerned in its creation and distribution, and selected to not run it.
Hundreds of pagers utilized by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon exploded on Tuesday. That was adopted a day later by the explosion of hand-held radios in Lebanon, with dozens killed and hundreds wounded within the incidents. Safety sources have stated Israel was accountable. Israel didn’t take accountability.
Israel’s army offensive within the Gaza Strip has killed greater than 40,000 Palestinians, in line with well being officers within the Hamas-ruled enclave, and created a humanitarian disaster. Israel’s assault adopted an assault by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 individuals and wherein about 250 had been taken hostage, in line with Israeli tallies.
Tlaib has been a fierce critic of Israel’s actions within the conflict and American assist for the longtime U.S. ally.
Human rights advocates have cited rising dehumanization of Arabs, Muslims and Jews amid the conflict.
