Syrian artist and cartoonist Khaled Jalal was born in Kafranbel in the northern governorate of Idlib. He holds a 1988-bachelor's degree in fine arts from Damascus University, and is now based in the United Arab Emirates. Jalal holds great pride in his Kafranbel roots, since the village, famous for creative revolutionary posters and slogans, has been known as the "Fort of the Revolutionaries" since the beginning of the Syrian uprising.

Jalal’s caricatures are very distinct and reflect his unique style in connecting the text to the picture.

After the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, Jalal devoted a great deal of his work to criticizing Syrian state media and its propaganda, which distorted facts and violated the professional journalistic code of ethics. He also often criticized the passive stance taken by the world and Arab nations toward the violence and the massacres suffered daily by the Syrian people.

On his Facebook page, Jalal expresses his stance on life, particularly in regards to the media and news, through a photograph of himself paired with two verses from the classic Arab poet Ṭarafa bin Al-Abd:

Time will show you what was hidden,

and the news may come from whom you did not seek,

From whom you did not know and were not set to meet.

His cartoons have been published in several Arab newspapers and magazines. He has held over 15 art exhibitions, in addition to his contributions to several animated films and his illustrations for children's magazines and storybooks. Jalal works on designs and art production for a number of publications, and does three-dimensional designs for satellite television channels. He also trains young artists in drawing, design, photography, digital image processing, editing and presenting specialized television programs.

To visit Khaled Jalal's page on Facebook, click here.

To visit his official website, click here.