The Islamist Mouseketeers: Hamas Mickey Mouse Teaches Jihad

Clips from the Palestinian show “Tomorrow’s Pioneers,” feature a bright-colored set and a human-sized mouse with big black ears. But resemblance to the cartoon character of Mickey Mouse stops there. The voice of this Disney look-alike, Farfur, is shrill – more urgent than happy – as he rattles off vocabulary that goes beyond the understanding of most young children: world leadership, liberation, invasion, occupation, resistance and AK-47s. Short clips are not entertaining or educational, comic or terrifying: The mouse and a sweet-voiced pre-teen hostess exchange stilted lines that contain few storylines, reminding young viewers that Muslims once had “glory,” “greatness,” and “respect.” An Israeli group, Palestinian Media Watch, quickly criticized early episodes, and the Palestinian information minister requested that the show be pulled and reviewed. But the mouse is out of the bag, with numerous copies on the internet for the world to view. – YaleGlobal