Tlaib slams ‘racist’ cartoon that shows her pager exploding
Palestinian-American member of Congress says the cartoon, which implies an association with Hezbollah, will incite hate and violence
Palestinian-American member of US Congress Rashida Tlaib condemned a cartoon published in a conservative magazine that depicted her next to an exploding pager, implying an association with Hezbollah.
The cartoon by Henry Payne, published Thursday in the National Review, referred to a wave of exploding communication devices this week in Lebanon.
The blasts that killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 on Tuesday and Wednesday targeted pagers and walkie-talkies used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, which blamed Israel for the attacks.
“Our community is already in so much pain right now,” Tlaib, a Democratic representative from the state of Michigan, wrote on X.
She added: “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.”
In the cartoon, a woman identified as Rep. Tlaib is seen sitting at a desk next to an exploding electronic device while a speech bubble reads “Odd. My pager just exploded.”
Cartoon: Tlaib Pager Hamashttps://t.co/wdwWCbCgmj pic.twitter.com/8AF3kA8Llk
— Henry Payne (@HenryEPayne) September 19, 2024
The cartoon also sparked condemnations from several Democratic lawmakers.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “The way Islamophobia and anti-Arab hatred is so deeply normalized and accepted in our politics is horrifying.”
“It rarely receives the equal condemnation it deserves. It is inexcusable and a massive double standard,” she adds.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for Senate in Michigan, said the “cartoon is way over the line.”
“It’s Islamaphobic and downright dangerous. Anyone publishing this should retract it and apologize for spreading hate,” she tweeted.
Lebanese authorities have blamed Israel for the pager attack and have said the targeted devices were booby-trapped before they entered the country.
Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attacks.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
