End Islamophobia Now! A Comic Guide for Stopping Hate When You See It

In this time of increasing hatred and racism directed at Muslims, refugees, Africans, and African Americans, we need allies to take stands when they see racism in public and online. The person being harassed in these situations are the most vulnerable and it is often difficult to respond as an individual.

The Paris based illustrator Maeril designed this comic guide for The Middle Eastern Feminist Facebook page.

Racists feel empowered by the political climate in France, the United States and Europe at large, and if they act out their racism in public and no one responds to them they can feel even further emboldened to do this again. This is why it is so important for everyone to stand against racism and Islamophobia in these times and to make racists know that they are the ones who are not welcome.

While this comic is not without problems as it replicates some white savior tropes, it is still important that all people know that their voices are important in fighting against racism. In most cases as we saw in England with the fake stunt where a police officer was trying to rip off a woman’s burkini, white women and men passively watched as it was other women of color who came to the woman’s defense. These are important things for the author to consider when drawing comics like this.