Muhammad Najem, War Reporter by Muhammad Najem and Nora Neus

January 2011 in Eastern Ghouta, Syria. Eight-year-old Muhammad loved being in his father's carpentry shop where he always felt safe. He was his parents' "miracle child", born after his older sister Hiba and two brothers, Firas and Fada, when his parents thought there would be no more children. Then President Bashar al-Assad's men came one day to their city to search for military-aged men to serve in his army. Because the men hide, Assad's soldiers searched homes including Muhammad's father's shop.

At home, Muhammad's father (Baba) explains that the mukhabarat or secret police are everywhere and that even the candy-seller on their street might be working for them. Therefore, they are not to go near him. 

In March 2011, after other uprisings in Egypt and Libya, known as the Arab Spring, protestors began demonstrating against Assad in Syria. When Assad's men came to their city, Muhammad's family would flee to a small apartment outside the city, returning when his Baba determined it was safe.  When they returned to their home, they, along with Muhammad's Uncle Nazar and Aunt Nasrin, would often find their shop had been broken into and damaged by Assad's soldiers. 

By February 2012, despite the fighting and tanks coming closer, life had some happy moments. Muhammad's family had a parrot now and his mother had a baby boy named Karam in June. They often had to flee the city at a moment's notice.

In 2015, when Muhammad was twelve-years-old, the fighting in Syria continued on, drawing in other countries and factions: ISIS, Kurdish fighters, the United States and Russia.

Muhammad's brother, Firas has been selling photographs of the planes, the airstrikes and the aftermath of the bombing to support their family which now included a new baby girl, Batul.

Once again Muhammad's family was forced to flee - this time to an abandoned apartment. They had to leave behind their beloved parrot. Later on when Uncle Nazar arrives, he tells them their home and workshop has been completely destroyed.

They moved into another apartment. They continued to have to flee to the basement during bombings. Hiba's university had closed so she was unable to finish the two remaining classes for her medical degree. She began working at a clinic a short bus ride away, while Baby volunteered at a soup kitchen. He would always bring home some food for the family. One night, Muhammad's father told him about Emad, a painter from Damascus who lost his entire family in an airstrike.  He reminded Muhammad that everyone has a story and it is important to listen to people because it makes them feel seen. 

That night, while praying in the mosque with Uncle Nazar, Muhammad's father is killed by a missile. Muhammad and his family are stunned at such a loss. Devastated, Muhammed is certain Baba would want them to help the people in their neighborhood and to listen to their stories. For Hiba it meant working at the medical center and Firas it meant telling the world what was happening by selling his videos. But Muhammad wondered what it would mean for him.

In December, 2017 while talking to Firas about his videos, Muhammad asked why he doesn't video kids, asking them how they revolution has affected them. When Muhammad suggested that he do it, Firas encouraged him, telling him he could publish his own videos on social media. These videos would show the world how the war is impacting Syria's children. But Firas cautioned Muhammed because once posted, he would not be able to take the videos back.

So as the bombing continued in Eastern Ghouta, Muhammad attended school run by Hiba and a man named Mourad, and posted videos of the bombings, the devastation and how his friends were affected. As he posted more and more videos, Muhammad began to attract the attention of the western media. In February 2018, Muhammad was contacted by Nora Neus who worked for CNN news. Nora would give Muhammad a wider platform to tell the world the reality of the Syrian conflict, as his best friend Selem lost his little sister Raghad, as his Uncle Nazar was killed in a bombing and as he and his family were forced to flee their home north to Idlib. There Muhammad continued to report and soon found himself attracting even more attention. When Assad targeted northern Syria, Muhammad and his family decided it was finally time to leave for the safety of Turkey.

Discussion

Muhammad Najem, War Reporter tells the story of a young Syrian boy determined to tell the world what is happening in his country during the civil war. Muhammad wanted the world to know the impact of the war on children like himself and his friends.

The use of the graphic format for this purpose was ideal as the illustrations by Julie Robine are very well done and capture the many aspects of life during war. The artwork is clean, colourful and fresh, with the different members of Muhammad's life easily recognizable, making the story easy to follow. Muhammad is able to portray to his young readers life during the Syrian civil war: living underground for days at a time, the lack of food, fresh air and exercise, the loss of family and close friends -fathers and uncles, sisters and cousins, and the struggle to continue attending makeshift schools. The artwork also effectively captures the fear and isolation Muhammad experienced, the terror of the bombings and being trapped in the rubble of collapsed buildings, but also the wonderful family moments too. This makes the loss of his beloved father and then later his Uncle Nazar who took the place of his father even more profound. 

Muhammad Najem, War Reporter also captures the immense resiliency, determination and courage of the Syrian people as they resist Assad. This is shown by Muhammad's father who, after losing his carpentry shop to the bombing, decided to help those around him, working at a soup kitchen and when necessary, just listening to those who have suffered the loss of family, friends and all they own. This sense of service to others passed to his children, Firas, Muhammad and Hiba after his death. They all work in their own way, to help their fellow Syrians. 

For Muhammad,  the way to help was to give a voice to the people of Syria being targeted by their own government. His method was to post videos of the aftermath of Assad's bombings on social media, a risk he was willing to take. But his decision was not without doubts and inner conflict, especially early when his videos did not have many views. Instead of remaining anonymous, Muhammad identified himself, posting videos of bombings, what it was like to live in Syria at war and even filming his family as they were trapped after a bombing. Now living in Turkey, Muhammad continues to report on behalf of Syria, still at war and suffering the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. 

This graphic novel is yet another medium for Muhammad to inform the world about what is really happening in Syria and more importantly to reach a younger audience who might relate to him. Muhammad Najem, War Reporter is well crafted, informative and offers readers colour photographs of  Muhammad and his family and friends at the back.

Book Details:

Muhammad Najem, War Reporter by Muhammad Najem and Nora Neus

New York: Little, Brown and Company      2022
314 pp.