Ariddia
27-03-2008, 13:09
As European authorities grope for ways of combating the appeal of militant Islamism, one German security agency has hit on a novel idea: cartoon comics.
Officials in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) had run a well received comic strip campaign against right-wing extremism in 2004 starring Andi, a schoolboy hero who stands up against xenophobia and racism.
Drawing on that experience, they launched Andi last October into a second adventure featuring his Muslim girlfriend Ayshe and her brother Murat, who comes under the influence of a radical friend and an Islamist "hate preacher".
The comic - printed in 100,000 copies and distributed to every secondary school in Germany's most populous state - aims to show young people the difference between peaceful mainstream Islam and the violent, intolerant version peddled by militants.
[...] The cartoon, featuring boldly drawn Manga-style figures, is designed to be used in citizenship and religion lessons for schoolchildren aged 12 to 16.
[...] Many security analysts speak of the need to counter the "narrative" of al Qaeda - the message that the West is waging war on Islam in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, and that young Muslims must fight back, including if necessary by sacrificing themselves as `martyrs'.
To some youngsters, experts say, al Qaeda offers a sense of identity, belonging and justice - not to mention adventure and an aura of `coolness'. The question is how to compete with that allure.
[...] At a conference this month in Stockholm, Swedish terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp cited the example of Ahmad Dhani, an Indonesian rock star who challenged militant ideology in a massively popular album called Warriors of Love.
"I'm not suggesting that we need a musical jihad against extremism in Europe, or that we employ MTV in our efforts," Ranstorp said. But he raised the question: "How do we harness humour, soap opera and our tremendous public relations industries in these efforts to disarm the extremists' messages and influence over young people?"
Richard Barrett, a United Nations official who heads a task force studying counter-radicalisation and rehabilitation initiatives around the world, said role models such as singers, actors or sport stars could play an important part.
[...] "If you're serious about getting through to young people, you have to choose a style that they'll take in their hands and accept, that's how the comic came about," said Thomas Grumke, the NRW official who thought up the original Andi idea.
[...] Muslim reaction to Andi has been mostly positive, albeit with some reservations.
"We found the basic approach was right and good, we only regretted (the authorities) didn't tell us about this initiative in advance, then it could have been made much better," said Aiman Mazyek, general secretary of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany.
[...] Another regional government, Hamburg, is also using the Andi story, and there has been interest from Austria, Denmark, Japan and the United States.
Moeller said he believed the comic - which cost just 30,000 euros ($NZ60,000) for the artist and the print run - could help some Muslim youngsters to recognise and resist Islamist recruitment attempts.
"If I get through to someone this way, and it makes him more critical of people who want to make him a jihadist, then I've stopped him at some point committing terrorist attacks or going to a terrorist camp in Afghanistan or Pakistan," he said. "Maybe he won't slide off into this milieu - that's the idea."
(link (http://www.stuff.co.nz/4452497a12.html))
Interesting idea. I'll be curious to see what comes of it.
Officials in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) had run a well received comic strip campaign against right-wing extremism in 2004 starring Andi, a schoolboy hero who stands up against xenophobia and racism.
Drawing on that experience, they launched Andi last October into a second adventure featuring his Muslim girlfriend Ayshe and her brother Murat, who comes under the influence of a radical friend and an Islamist "hate preacher".
The comic - printed in 100,000 copies and distributed to every secondary school in Germany's most populous state - aims to show young people the difference between peaceful mainstream Islam and the violent, intolerant version peddled by militants.
[...] The cartoon, featuring boldly drawn Manga-style figures, is designed to be used in citizenship and religion lessons for schoolchildren aged 12 to 16.
[...] Many security analysts speak of the need to counter the "narrative" of al Qaeda - the message that the West is waging war on Islam in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, and that young Muslims must fight back, including if necessary by sacrificing themselves as `martyrs'.
To some youngsters, experts say, al Qaeda offers a sense of identity, belonging and justice - not to mention adventure and an aura of `coolness'. The question is how to compete with that allure.
[...] At a conference this month in Stockholm, Swedish terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp cited the example of Ahmad Dhani, an Indonesian rock star who challenged militant ideology in a massively popular album called Warriors of Love.
"I'm not suggesting that we need a musical jihad against extremism in Europe, or that we employ MTV in our efforts," Ranstorp said. But he raised the question: "How do we harness humour, soap opera and our tremendous public relations industries in these efforts to disarm the extremists' messages and influence over young people?"
Richard Barrett, a United Nations official who heads a task force studying counter-radicalisation and rehabilitation initiatives around the world, said role models such as singers, actors or sport stars could play an important part.
[...] "If you're serious about getting through to young people, you have to choose a style that they'll take in their hands and accept, that's how the comic came about," said Thomas Grumke, the NRW official who thought up the original Andi idea.
[...] Muslim reaction to Andi has been mostly positive, albeit with some reservations.
"We found the basic approach was right and good, we only regretted (the authorities) didn't tell us about this initiative in advance, then it could have been made much better," said Aiman Mazyek, general secretary of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany.
[...] Another regional government, Hamburg, is also using the Andi story, and there has been interest from Austria, Denmark, Japan and the United States.
Moeller said he believed the comic - which cost just 30,000 euros ($NZ60,000) for the artist and the print run - could help some Muslim youngsters to recognise and resist Islamist recruitment attempts.
"If I get through to someone this way, and it makes him more critical of people who want to make him a jihadist, then I've stopped him at some point committing terrorist attacks or going to a terrorist camp in Afghanistan or Pakistan," he said. "Maybe he won't slide off into this milieu - that's the idea."
(link (http://www.stuff.co.nz/4452497a12.html))
Interesting idea. I'll be curious to see what comes of it.