"Oppression is our past. This is about democracy, I must continue." Muayed Naima

Muayed Naima, 1951 - 2005

Iraq The Model pays tribute to Muayed Naima.
December 06, 2005
Omar

"A week ago Iraqi lost a great talent and a true patriot; Mo’ayad N’ima the great prolific cartoonist passed away of a heart attack at the age of 54 leaving us a rich heritage of artwork that had always touched our feelings and discussed our life, problems, and dreams in the most brief yet frank and telling way. (...) "

After Saddam's fall, Naima was free to depict in his work, the brutality of Saddam Hussein's regime. One of his cartoons Naima shows Saddam as a butcher chopping meat, a sign reading, "We specialise in mass graves."

"Now you are a nation of democracy and freedom, so would you kindly, if you don’t mind…please, I beg you to let me out so that I can kill some Iraqis again."

"It shows that killing is the only concern of these people, when you mock the people who are undertaking these acts, you are making others aware that these acts are illegal and immoral."

"Beheadings, killings and mutilation. No nation would accept that, so I had to concentrate my ideas around this subject. " Muayed Naima

Intellectuals in all fields (scientists, teachers, artists, writers...) had no choice but remain silent if they did not support Saddam's regime. If they were caught or suspected of disagreeing, they would face at the minimum, harassment and blackmail. More common were incarcerations, tortures and executions, often their family members and friends were also punished. Naima was imprisoned in 1979 for membership of the Iraqi Communist Party.

"There was a policeman in the mind of every Iraqi"
Muayed Naima

ITM - Omar,
June 16, 2005

"(...) Was the change in Iraq worth our sacrifices?
Are we ready to give more for the sake of freedom and democracy?
What's the highest price that we would pay to get our freedom?
Is it possible to keep the smiles on our faces while we bleed?
Is there something more valuable than freedom?
I believe this image has all the answers." Read it all at Iraq The Model

Happy id for everyone.
ITM - Omar
November 27, 2003

"This is the first id after Saddam's gone. I’d like you my brothers of all religions and convictions to share my happiness with me.
This is the first time I choose my id.
I can not tell you exactly how I feel but I believe the true feelings will find their way to the hearts of the good.
In the past and with every id we used to repeat an old Arabic verse that expresses our grieve, a verse that you would have heard from most of the Iraqis, it goes:
Oh id, With what sorrow you have come!
Oh id, (...)"














"Iraqi cartoonist Muayed Naima had to wait 35 years before he could draw what was on his mind.
But since Saddam Hussein was toppled, he has faced new pressure from Islamist militants who have threatened him because his work mocks their violence. He is not put off. (...)"
In "Iraqi cartoonists mock militants and America alike"
by Tom Perry
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - September 27, 2005

United Nations - Cairo conference
With all transperancy and clarity brother...
- Iraq The Model, by Mohammed

"I never had doubts in the hidden intentions of those in Iraq who keep saying that multinational troops must leave Iraq soon; they say their demands are essential for national sovereignty coming out of their patriotic feelings for Iraq while I see them as far as they could be from patriotism.

If those people put Iraq’s and Iraqis’ interests first, they wouldn’t have asked the US to leave Iraq while the troops missions are yet to be accomplished and the Iraqi national forces are still not capable of protecting the country and the citizens.(...)"

"A cartoon by Iraqi artist Muayed Naima shows a militant measuring the neck of his captive before beheading him with one of his knives. Naima had to wait 35 years before he could become a cartoonist once again."(Reuters)

From Sadr no to polls if US stays
Baghdad, Sept. 27

Many Thanks to our Friend Omar at ITM , for introducing Muyaed Naima to us, his readers, and for providing most of Naima powerful art works published in this tribute .
Muyaed Naima will be greatly missed.

Amir Normandi - Photographer

There is no justification for the oppression of human beings by other human beings, let alone under the name of God.

Human wisdom and passion have excelled to such a level that laws which protect our environment and its inhabitants have shape the core of our humanity. Yet, in many areas of the world, gender inequality is reaching the extent of gender apartheid. It is unconscionable to still tolerate in our time, oppressive inequalities between men and women as traditional norms of life.

As my sisters and their daughters demonstrated courageously outside the Tehran University’s main gate on March 08, 2005: Women’s Rights ARE Human Rights, Women's Freedom is Equality for Everyone.

This multi media presentation is dedicated to the women of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Jordan, Egypt, and is a tribute to the Iranian/Canadian photographer Zahra ZIBA Kazemi and the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh both of whom lost their lives in defense of human rights.

Amir Normandi,

Curator

InContention, Amir Normandi

Please See the entire collection through all links provided.

Iranian.com : Amir Normandi












Women’s Rights ARE Human Rights, Women's Freedom is Equality for Everyone.

A powerful art display that was to highlight human rights abuse, turned into a freedom of speech issue and went around the world. This is a success in my view.

Just hours after the opening, in Palantine Chicago, Harper College officials took down an photograph exhibit.

Amir Normand's beautiful work is aimed at denouncing the oppression, Muslim women suffer in Islam. However some Muslim students protested about the pieces on display which included nudity. A nombre of students were apparently offended by the content of the photopgraphs in which Muslim women appreared free and assertive. One of the pieces showed a young Muslim man holding a machine gun, an image we are all too familar with.

Hussein Ali, a 23 year old student , said Muslim students at Harper were thinking about leaving or boycotting the institution. Ahmad Basalat, 21, said the exhibit expressed hatred toward Muslims... Salma Habed, 20, said some of the pieces continued with the stereotype that Muslim women are oppressed. “We go to school. We have careers. It’s not like we’re oppressed like some people feel for some reason.”

Harper College had invited Chicago photographer Amir Normandi to exhibit his works depicting Muslim women in Iran defying the wearing of the jilbab. Johnson said he thought the exhibit would be an interesting topic because it deals with human rights.

Obviously, these students did not understand the statement in Normandi's art works, or they just chose to ignore it. They need to think more profoundly about Islam and oppression in general. There seem to be confusion in their mind, they perhaps don't realize the diffrences between democratic and theocratic regimes lead by Islam.
These men will be confronted by reality if they date woman who are not interested in becoming their possession. As for the Muslim women who complained about the art works, they are not fully aware of the faith of their Sisters in Islamic nations or they don't really care.


Dhimmi Watch : Jihad Watch: Normandi, who is of Iranian descent, told a group of about 100 attendees — many Muslim Harper students — that he did not intend to offend anyone in his exhibit titled “No Veil Is Required.”Normandi said his aim was to draw attention to the plight some Muslim women face in countries where they are required to wear a hijab. “If it is chosen by a person, that is democracy. If it is forced on somebody, it is oppression,” said Normandi, who runs d’Last Studio in Chicago...



Among the numerous reactions from the blogsphere:

Miss Mabrouk of Egypt: There is no justification for this

Exikt Zero, Salon de Refuse

Tongue Tied, Artistic License

Sondra K

Jack and Hill

Right Nation US

In ABC Chicago.com: Photo exhibit of Muslim women causes stir, Some students offended by artist's work by Ben Bradley

Expected reactions from Islam Online



It takes courage and vision to denounce injustices and abuses when it goes against the current of one's own roots. An admirable disposition we wish more of us would display. Amir Normandi is amoung those important creators and thinkers of our time.

Vasili Vasilyevich Vereshchagin , 1842 - 1904

Wikipedia: Vasili Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (Russian: Василий Василиевич Верещагин 1842 - 1904) was the most famous Russian battle painter and the first Russian artist to be widely recognized abroad. The graphic nature of his realist scenes led many of them to never be printed or exhibited...Read more here.