Fighting terrorism with comics in Germany

This is the cover of the comic book commissioned
by the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia to
teach children about Islamism and terrorism. In
the middle is Murat, a troubled Turkish youth, who
gets caught up in the machinations of Harun, a boy
who has been radicalized by a local man preaching
Jihad.

honestly, i don't have an opinion one way or the other on this, but i have to say, i'm impressed with the creativity and the sincere attempt to put some constructive stuff out there in kid-friendly style that doesn't demonize or preach...

The Interior Ministry of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia is taking a new tack in the fight against homegrown terrorism. It's using a comic book -- complete with colorful images and "youthful" language -- to battle nasty jihadism.

[...]

[T]o be fair, the story is not half-bad, and it's pretty well put together.

Andi has all the accoutrements needed to mark him as your run-o-the-mill hipster kid -- baseball cap, hoodie and messy hair -- and he has a Turkish girlfriend, Ayshe. Her brother -- and Andi's buddy -- Murat, is going through a bit of a crisis because he can't find a position as an apprentice, and he blames his rejection letters on xenophobia. That makes Murat the perfect prey for the strange new kid on the playground, Harun, with his serious demeanor and steadfast belief in what he's been fed from Islamists. Harun, in turn, beats it into Murat's head that he will be discriminated against because of his religion.

[...]

Of course, after 38 pages, there is the inevitable happy ending: Murat transforms himself from a potential public enemy number one back into a cheerful chap. And, joy upon joy, an apprenticeship position appears out of nowhere, just to hammer home the moral of the story a little bit further.

[...]

One thing is for sure: the officials have given it a good shot. The story is a bit too short and sweet but, at the same time, it's half-way believable because you can see that a lot of the details are a fairly faithful reflection of reality.

definitely an "a" for effort and at least trying to get past stereotypes... maybe the u.s. will take lessons... < scratches chin > nah...

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