A Detroit News auto industry reporter who moonlights as a political cartoonist is being criticized for appearing to imply that U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is a member of Hezbollah, which critics have labeled as “racist,” “xenophobic,” “vile,” and “disgusting.”
The illustration depicts Tlaib at her desk next to the charred remains of an electronic device with a thought balloon reading, “Odd, my pager just exploded.” The cartoon is a reference to a recent attack against the Lebanese organization Hezbollah that is believed to have been orchestrated by Israel, in which beepers and walkie-talkies were modified to act as remote-controlled explosives. The bombs injured thousands and killed dozens, including at least two children, and could be a violation of international law, which prohibits the use of booby traps.
“This racism will incite more hate and violence against Arab and Muslim communities and it makes everyone less safe,” Congresswoman Tlaib tells Metro Times in a statement. “It’s disgraceful that the media continues to normalize this racism against our communities.”
The cartoon’s author is Henry Payne, who works on the Detroit News staff as an auto critic. When asked for comment, the Detroit News said the comic did not appear in its pages and noted it has not run Payne’s comics for years, though Payne signs his work using his @detroitnews.com email address. Payne’s political cartoons are nationally syndicated by Andrews McMeel Syndication.
Payne and Andrews McMeel Syndication did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
The Tlaib cartoon was picked up by the conservative magazine National Review, and from there it circulated on the social media platform X. Other elected officials representing the Detroit area’s Arab and Muslim communities echoed Tlaib’s disapproval of the cartoon.
“Absolutely disgusting. Anti-Arab bigotry & Islamophobia have become normalized in our media,” Dearborn mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud wrote on X. “The National Review ran this dangerous cartoon of @RashidaTlaib. This garbage was created by Henry Payne with the @detroitnews.”
He added, “At what point will people call this out?”
“Shame on the @detroitnews for allowing this racist, xenophobic vile cartoon on their platform,” Michigan state Rep. Abraham Aiyash, a Hamtramck Democrat, wrote on X. “Pay attention to who condemns this. And then recognize the different standard Arab and Muslim politicians are held by.”
“Every elected official in Michigan needs to speak out about this disgusting cartoon from @DetroitNews,” Democratic Party strategist Waleed Shahid wrote on X.
“Terrible, @detroitnews!” state Sen. Dayna Polehanki wrote on X.
On his website, henrypayne.com, Payne titled the comic “Cartoon: Tlaib Pager Hamas,” implying that the Congresswoman is also a member of the governing body of Gaza.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah have been designated as terrorist organizations by the U.S, and both have been trading escalating attacks with Israel ever since Hamas captured Israeli hostages on Oct. 7.
As the lone Palestinian American in Congress, Tlaib has repeatedly criticized the U.S. for backing Israel’s attacks, which have reportedly killed more than 40,000 people and risk exploding into a wider regional war. Tlaib and others in Congress have urged the Biden administration to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire.
