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Omaya Joha (Template:Langx) is a Palestinian political cartoonist and journalist.[1] She is the first female cartoonist in the Arab world working in daily political newspapers and news sites, including for Al Jazeera Arabic. She is also the recipient of the Arab Journalism Award (2001) in the United Arab Emirates.
Early life and education
Omaya Joha was born in Gaza City on 2 February 1972. She graduated in 1995 with honors from the mathematics department of Al-Azhar University.[2]
She was married to Rami Khader Saad, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces in 2003; and then she later married to Wael Aqilan, who suffered a ruptured stomach in May 2009 and died after being prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip for medical treatment..[3][4]
Career
She worked as a mathematics teacher for three years, then resigned in 1999 to devote herself to technical work. Since September 1999, she has worked for the daily newspaper Alquds. She has worked in other daily political newspapers and news websites, as well as chaired the cartoon company, Juha Ton. Joha is the first cartoonist in Palestine and the Arab world to work for a daily political newspaper.[2]
She is a member of the Naji Al-Ali Association in Palestine. She participated in many local exhibitions.[5]
Controversy
On 11 January 2016, Facebook deleted her official page and all her cartoons on the grounds that many people had reported her account for offensive drawings by zionists.[6] The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) a New York-based international Jewish non-governmental organization and advocacy group has labeled Joha's work as "anti-semitic cartoons".[7]
Awards
She won many awards, including:[3]
- 1999, Palestinian Ministry of Culture Award for Cartoons
- 2002, Arab Journalism Award by the Dubai Press Club
- 2007, Creative Women Award for Cartoons
- 2010, Grand prize of "Naji Al-Ali International Cartoon Competition" by the Solidarity Association with the Palestinian People in Turkey[2]