September 11 colouring book sparks controversy

A COLOURING book aimed at teaching children about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has sparked controversy for its depiction of Muslims and interpretation of the events.

“It’s disgusting,” said Dawud Walid, director of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who has lead the charge against what he sees as an irresponsible and dangerous book.

Every mention or depiction of Muslims or Islam in the book, titled We shall never forget 9/11, is accompanied by the word “terrorist” or “extremist” and there are no counterbalancing images or references to the Muslims who were killed in the attacks or were among the first responders searching for survivors, Walid said.

Nor does the book mention that the vast majority of Muslims in the US and around the world condemn terrorism, he added.

“It’s silly to think that a young person who colours that book who has no contact with Muslims would come away with anything but fear of Muslims and thinking that Muslims are bad people,” Walid said.

Really Big Colouring Books publisher Wayne Bell insists the book is an honest portrayal of events. “We tell this truth and tell it in black in white,” Bell said.

“This book is about 19 evil terrorists who murdered 3,000 people,” he said. “It just so happens that the people who flew those planes into the buildings were radical Muslim jihadists.”

The book was released ahead of the 10th anniversary of the attacks and comes after the specialised publishing house had seen customers search repeatedly on its websites for colouring books about the attacks.

“We did a lot of research, talked to a lot of parents and the recurring theme we heard was do not make a book that’s politically correct and is going to whitewash this event,” Bell said.

People also wanted a book that would be patriot and focused on a theme that became the book’s title.

Subtitled The Kids’ Book of Freedom, the book teaches children that “freedom-hating radical Islamic Muslim Extremists” attacked the US because they “hate the American way of life because we are FREE”.

Walid said this overly simplistic and populist interpretation of events is simply not true.

He pointed to statements made by Osama bin Laden and the conclusions of the US congressional 9/11 commission which found the attacks were rooted in a belief that US foreign policy and its “immoral” culture are at war with Islam and Muslim countries.

The cartoon of bin Laden hiding behind his wife as he is shot by a Navy SEAL is also not a true depiction of events, Walid noted.

Bell dismissed the critic-ism as an attempt to exploit an “innocent book” to promote a political agenda.

The controversy has had a positive impact: all the headlines have spurred sales.

The most unsettling drawing shows a Navy SEAL shooting at bin Laden, who seems to be hiding behind a niqab-wearing woman. The text on this page reads: “Children, the truth is, these terrorist acts were done by freedom-hating radical Islamic Muslim extremists. These crazy people hate the American way of life because we are FREE and our society is FREE.”

The phrase “radical Islamic Muslim extremists” is used 10 times in the book.