Emad Hajjaj () is a Palestinian-Jordanian

editorial cartoonist An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or current ...

. He is best known for his work in '' Al Ra'i'' and the ''

Jordan Times ''The Jordan Times'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Amman, Jordan. History Established in 1975, ''The Jordan Times'' is owned by the Jordan Press Foundation, a shareholding company which also runs the Arabic-language daily '' A ...

'' daily newspapers.

Early life

Emad was born in Jordan's West Bank in 1967. He received his art education at Yarmouk University graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1991 after majoring in graphic design and with a minor in journalism.

Career

Emad is the brother of Osama Hajjaj who is also a cartoonist and political caricaturist. The brothers are actually aware of the challenges involved in publishing political cartoons in strife-torn Middle East. Both have been victims of intimidation and have received death threats on account of their satirical work, especially for cartoons directed at ISIS. During the Pan Arab games held in Amman, Emad published a cartoon which pointed out the irony that a nation could be proud when it allowed

honor killings Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself as a code of conduct, and has various elements such as valo ...

to continue. In 2008, an exhibition of his work, featuring 100 drawings was held at the city hall of Ra's al-'Ayn, and he was a contributor to the Lighting Lamps exhibition which was sponsored by the British Council.

Arrest

On 26 August 2020, Emad was arrested in Jordan under the cybercrime law after publishing a caricature criticising the Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement. The drawing depicted a UAE political leader, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, holding a white peace dove on which is painted the Israeli flag. The crown prince is visibly upset at the pigeon for spitting on his face. The caption on top reads: "Israel asks USA to not sell F-35 warplanes to the UAE". On the spit the letters "Spit 35" are read. Local journalists' rights centres called for Emad's immediate release. Emad was released four days later, following his bail by the Jordanian Journalists Syndicate.

Abu Mahjoob Character

Hajjaj created the cartoon character Abu Mahjoob () in 1993, and has gained in popularity in Jordan since then. Abu Mahjoob represents the common Jordanian man and portrays his every day political, social, and cultural concerns. He wears a pinstripe suit and

necktie A necktie, long tie, or simply a tie, is a cloth article of formal neckwear or office attire worn for decorative or symbolic purposes, resting under a folded shirt collar or knotted at the throat, and usually draped down the chest. On rare o ...

along with a red

keffiyeh The keffiyeh (), also regionally known as a hattah (), ghutrah (), or shemagh (), is a traditional headdress worn by men from parts of the Middle East. It is fashioned from a square scarf, and is usually made of cotton. The keffiyeh is commonly ...

and

agal Agal or AGAL may refer to: *Agal (accessory) An agal (; also spelled iqal, egal, or igal) is a clothing accessory traditionally worn by Arab men. It is a doubled black cord used to keep a keffiyeh in place on the wearer's head. Agals are traditio ...

, and sports a crooked

moustache A moustache (; mustache, ) is a growth of facial hair grown above the upper lip and under the human nose, nose. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French language, French, and i ...

. Emad Hajjaj first drew Abu Mahjoob in 1993 as a character who hung candidate posters in the Jordanian parliamentary election that year. Hajjaj based the character on his father in terms of his witty and ironic humor.

Early life

Career

Arrest

Abu Mahjoob Character

See also

References

Further reading