MOHAMMED THE MENACE

Acrylics on canvas (102cm x 104cm)

The conversation starts with me asking the question, “have you heard of Dennis the Menace?” I watch the smile grow as waves of nostalgia flood the brain with images of a troublemaking little white boy and his signature slingshot. Then I ask, “what about Mohammed the Menace?” The combination of these words triggers an instant sense of discomfort. Why is blonde-haired American Dennis not considered threatening, but Mohammed is? In front of you stands my son, Mohammed. He wields a slingshot like Dennis, but he is only a menace in the minds of those who have fallen victim to the propaganda that slipped discreetly into their subconscious via the language, imagery and misrepresentations in news, movies, books, education, social media and social conditioning. Instead of aiming a stone at the tanks and soldiers that brutally oppress and occupy his native land of Palestine, he aims the light of awareness at you. This awareness allows you to become aware of what ideas you allow to reside in your mind and their role in shaping your emotions, judgments, and stereotypes. Blinders are lifted, revealing the greed and violence of white settler colonialism, whose intent is to dehumanize Palestinians to justify the genocide, ethnic cleansing and usurpation of Palestinian land. This awareness will dismantle the imperialistic and colonial infrastructure of your mind to feel and know truth from a place of love.