Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04AMMAN3225
2004-04-27 13:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

ABU MAHJOOB MEETS BART SIMPSON AND NEMO

Tags:  PREL PGOV SOCI KPAO US JO 
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C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 003225 

SIPDIS

CONFIDENTIAL

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PPD

E.O. 12958 DECL 04/27/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV SOCI KPAO US JO
SUBJECT: ABU MAHJOOB MEETS BART SIMPSON AND NEMO


CLASSIFIED BY: DCM, DAVID HALE FOR REASON 1.5 (A AND B)
C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 003225

SIPDIS

CONFIDENTIAL

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PPD

E.O. 12958 DECL 04/27/2014
TAGS: PREL PGOV SOCI KPAO US JO
SUBJECT: ABU MAHJOOB MEETS BART SIMPSON AND NEMO


CLASSIFIED BY: DCM, DAVID HALE FOR REASON 1.5 (A AND B)

1.(U) SUMMARY: Emad Hajjaj, Jordan's premiere cartoonist
and originator of the popular "Abu Mahjoob" characters,
accompanied King Abdullah II on his most recent US visit,
during which the King actively promoted Hajjaj with
Hollywood luminaries of Pixar Studios and the Simpsons
cartoon series. This support, coming barely a week after a
Hajjaj cartoon lampooning the Prime Minister was first
delayed in publication and then published after endorsement
by the PM, offers an intriguing sidelight on how Jordan's
leadership is dealing with "freedom of the press" issues.
It may also lead to a joint business enterprise between
Jordan and one or more U.S. partners; the King has actively
promoted expanded ties with the U.S. television and film
industry. END SUMMARY.

2.(U) Emad Hajjaj is a talented cartoonist whose "Abu
Mahjoob" characters detailing typical nd now iconic
East Bank Jordanians have resulted in several printed
collections and inspired a graphic design/public relations
agency. His political cartoons are regularly featured in
major Arabic news publications and have been exhibited in
art galleries throughout the region. Never one to shrink
from controversial issues, Hajjaj frequently submits
cartoons which are rejected or delayed by newspaper editors
worried about potential fallout from the Jordanian
political establishment. (Note: Hajjaj's cartoons are also
posted daily on the Abu Mahjoob website, www.mahjoob.com.)
While his cartoons often cover local issues, Hajjaj is a
not-infrequent critic of U.S. policies in the region,
particularly the U.S. presence in Iraq.

3.(C)In recent weeks Hajjaj extended his notoriety with a
cartoon lampooning Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez by
depicting him in "mugshot" photos with and without a beard,
reminiscent of wanted posters recently published in
connection with the aborted Zarqawi terrorist plot in
Amman. (The cartoon depicted the PM as "wanted for driving
booby-trapped car and raising prices.") Abu Mahjoob
Company's owner recited to CAO the story behind the
cartoon's delayed publication: it was held up by editors
who feared controversy. Abu Mahjoob Company, in addition
to publishing it on their website, emailed it to a "very
high-ranking" address list and sent SMS notices to some
13,000 mobile phone recipients. Within some 36 hours the
office received a phone call from a staff aide to the Prime
Minister, offering reassurance that the PM had no objection
to the cartoon's publication. The cartoon appeared in the
newspapers the next day.

4.(C) Hajjaj noted that he also received a personal phone
call from the Prime Minister, who complained that Hajjaj
had done him a bad turn by "making me look so ugly" in
caricature. Hajjaj promised that "next time" he would do
his best to make the PM "look like Amr Diab" (a notedly
handsome Arab heartthrob). However, AMC's owner later
remarked that although the PM's advisors had originally
argued for publication, other advisors were now after-the-
fact cautioning the PM that he had erred in being so
tolerant, and "we're waiting to see where it all comes
out."

5.(C) In this context, King Abdullah's almost immediate
selection of Emad Hajjaj to accompany him to the U.S. is
being read as a clear signal of support for a more liberal
press policy. Hajjaj returned "as if from a dream" after
the King arranged dinner and a meeting for him with Pixar
and the Simpsons team, and enthusiastically endorsed
Hajjaj's dream of "creating the Jordanian Simpsons" with
his Abu Mahjoob characters. If, as Hajjaj hopes, some
viable partnership results from these meetings, it would
also be in line with King Abdullah's stated goal of
reviving Jordan as a prime international film and
television location and as a breeding ground for industry
technical and creative talent.

Gnehm