A picture from the comic strip campaign against right-wing extremism starring Andi (R), a schoolboy hero who stands up against xenophobia and racism, released on October 26, 2007. Officials in the...
(REUTERS/Peter Schaaff/NRW Interior Ministry/Handout)
At a conference this month in Stockholm, Swedish terrorism expert Magnus Ranstorp cited the example of Ahmad Dhani, an Indonesian rock star who challenged militant ideology in a massively popular album called "Warriors of Love".
"I'm not suggesting that we need a musical jihad against extremism in Europe, or that we employ MTV in our efforts," Ranstorp said. But he raised the question: "How do we harness humour, soap opera and our tremendous public relations industries in these efforts to disarm the extremists' messages and influence over young people?"
"BEING COOL"
Richard Barrett, a United Nations official who heads a task force studying counter-radicalisation and rehabilitation initiatives around the world, said role models such as singers, actors or sport stars could play an important part.
"I think that is something we should be looking at - trying to identify these alternative influences and have them speak out against terrorism ... Being cool is a very important part of it all," he said.
That is also the approach of the German cartoon strip - by using a medium that grabs children's imagination, it seeks to get its message across more effectively.
"If you're serious about getting through to young people, you have to choose a style that they'll take in their hands and accept, that's how the comic came about," said Thomas Grumke, the NRW official who thought up the original Andi idea.
"A comic can go much further than a normal text. There's a great deal more room to play with, more room for interpretation."
Muslim reaction to Andi has been mostly positive, albeit with some reservations.
"We found the basic approach was right and good, we only regretted (the authorities) didn't tell us about this initiative in advance, then it could have been made much better," said Aiman Mazyek, general secretary of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany.
He said the portrayal of the Islamist hate preacher was "a bit overdone", but added: "There are people like that, I can't say there aren't." He said copies of the comic have been distributed in mosques.
Another regional government, Hamburg, is also using the Andi story, and there has been interest from Austria, Denmark, Japan and the United States.
Moeller said he believed the comic - which cost just 30,000 euros ($47,440) for the artist and the print run - could help some Muslim youngsters to recognise and resist Islamist recruitment attempts.
"If I get through to someone this way, and it makes him more critical of people who want to make him a jihadist, then I've stopped him at some point committing terrorist attacks or going to a terrorist camp in Afghanistan or Pakistan," he said. "Maybe he won't slide off into this milieu - that's the idea."
