Spreading Hope Or Hate?

As we pass the ten year anniversary of the 9/11 tragedies, the phrase "We Will Never Forget" can be seen nearly everywhere in today's society. One issue many parents deem both difficult yet important is informing their children of what happened on that terrible day. They feel their children need to know how devastating the attack was, but they also feel it needs to be conveyed in a way that won't traumatize their child, especially if their child is of a very young age.

Well, Wayne Bell—the publisher for Really Big Coloring Books Inc.—thinks that a graphic coloring book for kids is the best way to go about it.

The concept had the best of intentions at heart, but the way it went about pursuing those intentions has caused "We Shall Never Forget 9/11 ‘The Kids' Book Of Freedom'" to become almost as controversial as present-day discussions of who is really responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

Featured in the coloring book is a picture of the two World Trade Center towers—flaming, smoking, damaged, and nearing collapse—for kids to illustrate. With the coloring book intended for children 4-8 years of age, is this going too far? Or what about another picture, featuring a Navy SEAL firing a rifle at Osama bin Laden, complete with a bullet suspended in mid-air aimed at bin Laden's heart?

In a country constantly striving to shield youths from any sort of violence on television, video games, and literature, doesn't this have the potential to terrify a young child rather than just informing him or her of the devastation of the past?

One of the biggest issues parents are having with the coloring book is the narration featured on every page. Several paragraphs depicting what is happening in the picture are present for children to read or for their parents to read to them. One of those paragraphs includes the line, "These attacks will change the way America deals with and views Islamic and Muslim people around the world," above a picture of a television news anchor announcing that Osama bin Laden was indeed responsible for the attacks.

Although the attacks did change many Americans' views of Muslim peoples in an unfavorable light, many people fear this line of text will plant a discriminatory view of people from Middle Eastern nations in impressionable children's heads. Instead of solely depicting "terrorists" as the guilty party, the wording takes the Islamic religion and all of its adherents down with the ship.

Another controversial narrative is featured on the page where Osama bin Laden is shot. The text on this page reads, "Children, the truth is, these terrorist acts were done by freedom-hating radical Islamic Muslim extremists. These crazy people hate the American way of life because we are FREE and our society is FREE."

Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic relations Dawud Walid fears that the book will give children the idea that all Muslims are "somewhat responsible" for the events of 9.11.2001. However, Bell stands by the publication and insists that the coloring book "was created with honesty, integrity, reverence, respect, and does not shy away from the truth".

Bell made no mention to the subject of objectivity.