How the evil lions destroyed the jungle.
Once upon the time there was a jungle where all animals lived happily together. The animals prayed to God and in return God rewarded the animals with happy lives and sent them to paradise when they died.
Not far from the jungle there was a savanna where the evil lions lived. Their leader who lived in a big white cave was more evil than any of the other lions.
He had a big lion army and anyone who spoke badly of him was punished.
One day one of the lion-soldiers by coincidence found the jungle. When he told the lion-leader about the jungle where all animals lived in harmony with God the lion-leader got very jealous. The next day he sent a group of his lion-soldiers to the jungle. The lion-soldiers forced the animals to sign a contract, which allowed the lions to take their fruit without giving anything in return.
Soon a famine broke out in the jungle. There was just not enough fruit left in the jungle to satisfy the animal’s hunger. But the lions didn’t care. The lion-soldiers killed any animal that objected to the new lion-rules, which the lion-leader had decided upon.
Still the lion-leader was jealous of the animals religion. So, the lion-leader invented his own lion-religion and ordered his lion-soldiers to brainwash all the animals in the jungle so they would believe in his lion-god instead of their god.
As the years went by the jungle got smaller and smaller until one day, there was nothing left. The animals in the jungle had also disappeared. All that was left where the jungle had once been was a group of very odd-looking lions lying in the sun. They talked to each other about how good the lion-god was, and about their great lion-leader.
But when they died they found neither lion-god nor lion paradise. For a short moment they thought they saw a glimpse of a beautiful jungle where there was fruit in excess, but then it all turned black.
Analysis/Explanation:
This animal farm pastiche symbolizes the American Middle East policy. The lions represent the Americans and the jungle with all the happy animals represents the Muslim society in the Middle East. The part where the lions force the animals to give away their fruit is when the Americans make bargain oil deals, which are in a way forced because of America’s global economic power. Muslims are tolerant to other religions as long as their members don’t try to convert the Muslims. This has happened though, (the lions brainwash the animals in the jungle). Freedom of speech is one of the American rules, which protects such priests.
The rest of the story has not yet taken place in real life. It symbolizes the Muslims worst fear. The odd-looking lions are brainwashed Muslims who have become Christians. The fall of the jungle is the collapse of the Muslim world. Only Christians remain. The last part is the consequences, which the fall of Muslim faith would have. Instead of going to Paradise they saw a glimpse of, they are punished for their betrayal of Allah and have to spend eternity in Hell.
This short story shows the strength in using symbols. George Orwell criticized the Russians communism, but his writing technique might as well be used by Americans, Hindus, Nazis, or as in this case, Muslims, to criticize and make fun of enemies. Like in Orwell’s novel this is an over simplified version of reality. Since this is anti-American propaganda written by anti-American Muslims to increase unity within the Muslim society, the American deeds are told from a narrow and biased perspective, which does not include the whole truth. All focus is on the lions and the animals in the jungle are portrayed as innocent victims. An American version of this story would have been very different; it’s all a matter of which events you choose to put in the picture.
The main purpose of this text production is not to criticize American actions in the Middle East. Rather, it is to show the strength in symbolism. If read to a child, the symbols will be integrated into the child’s unconscious and when the child has gotten old and he/she see something that reminds his/her unconscious about the story heard long ago it might affect the persons opinion on right and wrong. This is a very powerful weapon, which can be used for good as well as evil purposes (provided there is a definition for right and wrong).
By: Anders Rasmussen
