A Pen of Damascus Steel

This is the book by the brilliant Syrian cartoonist, Ali Farzat, who was severely beaten up by armed goons of the Syrian regime yesterday.

 [An Arabic / English Edition]

We are deeply saddened by the recent attack on Ali Farzat that has left him in the hospital with mangled hands and other wounds. Early Thursday morning, as he left his studio on Pakistan Street in downtown Damascus after a night’s work . . . he was forced into an suv by men with guns who drove him into the desolate land in the direction of the airport, beat him, and pushed him from the vehicle.

We ask humanitarians within Syria and around the world to use this moment to restore sanity and dialogue to Syria and to the world . . . as we have oft been encouraged to do by this fearless man with a pen.

Farzat’s caricatures are widely published in Europe and across the Arab world. Farzat is head of the Arab Cartoonists’ Union and has received the distinguished Prince Claus award (Holland).

Ali Farzat is the Shakespeare of Arab political cartoonists. A man who speaks “truth to power,” Farzat has had his share of harassment, threats, and indignities at the hands of public officials. Farzat’s favorite target is government bureaucrats. His caricatures give hope to the disenfranchised, the poor, and the hungry. Farzat is an authentic Arab voice. And yet he does not hesitate to buck the tide of opinion in the Arab world. (He consistently disparaged Saddam Hussein, for example, prior to the US invasion of Iraq.)

Farzat’s work is a cry for justice that cuts across all cultures.

* Ali Farzat is the dean of Arab political cartoonists. His caricatures do not spare wealth, influence, or power. They give hope to the disenfranchised, the poor, and the hungry. Farzat is an authentic Arab voice who nevertheless does not hesitate to buck the tide of majority opinion. (He has consistently disparaged Saddam Hussein, for example, and lauds the US for adopting his position that Saddam must go.)

His work has appeared for thirty-five years in major Arab daily newspapers as well as in Le Monde and other international publications. Farzat has served as the head of the Society of Arab Cartoonists since 1980 and has won many awards, including the prestigious Prince Claus Award in 2002.

Farzat is Shakespearean in his productivity. He has created more than 15,000 caricatures. He is now in his fifties and lives in Damascus with his wife and family.