Jordanian cartoonist ‘receiving threats’ over parody of ‘The Last Supper’

AMMAN — Jordanian cartoonist Osama Hajjaj sparked angry backlash on social media after posting a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” called “The Last Post” on his Facebook page on Monday.

“The painting is everywhere and my imitation of it was to describe how when someone posts something on social media these days, people gather to decide whether this person should be punished or not, alluding to the example of what happened to Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar, who was killed for sharing a caricature”, Hajjaj told The Jordan Times on Tuesday over the phone.

Hattar was fatally shot in late September on the steps of the Palace of Justice, as he was about to attend a court hearing into a case against him over posting a cartoon that allegedly “insulted” some people’s religious beliefs.

The caricature depicted a bearded man in heaven, smoking and in bed with women, asking a figure resembling God to bring him wine and cashews.

Thus, Hajjaj explained that he was trying to show in his own caricature how people end up being judged and lose their lives because of their posts on social media, having to face a crowd of angry followers.

Hajjaj said his post was supposed to convey a message about freedom of speech and depicted figures sitting around a social media post deciding how to judge it, but it ironically sparked anger among social media users who found the cartoon offensive to religion. 

“I did not mean to mock any religion whatsoever, and I did not use religious symbols like the cross for example, nothing at all, but people thought I was making fun of Jesus Christ and started showering me with insults and threats, although my intention was supposed to be clear. I even used a ‘freedom of speech’ hashtag,” he said.

To avoid friction and trouble, the cartoonist removed the post from his social media accounts but said he had the drawing published on a European website and was contacted by figures asking him to remove it even from there since it became a “public opinion issue”.

“I removed the post from the European website as well and apologised, although I did not mean for it to be that way, yet I am still receiving threat calls and messages,” Hajjaj said, adding that this is not the first time his drawings are misunderstood by the public.

Sensing that his life could be in danger, Hajjaj said he has contacted the Centre for Defending Freedom of Journalists.

“Look ‘The Last Supper’ up on Google and you can find so many parodies of it that are actually jokes or memes. They are everywhere, but mine was not even meant to be funny,” Hajjaj added.

“It is also strange that some of the people who used to say that da Vinci’s paintings are blasphemous now somehow find them sacred.”