Bismah Mirza
Since October 7, 2023, I have been closely monitoring Western media and their portrayal of Palestinian martyrs and Israeli casualties. A blatant double standard is evident, which is not new in Western media when it comes to Arabs and Muslims. Since childhood, we’ve observed the bias of CNN and BBC in their coverage of Middle East conflicts involving Israel.
Despite significantly fewer Israeli casualties compared to Palestinians, Israeli stories have consistently been given precedence. This time, Western media, claiming high morality, has stooped to a new low by not only using dehumanizing lingo for Palestinian martyrs but also indiscriminately labeling Pro-Palestinian supporters as Hamas supporters, urging them to ‘condemn Hamas’ based on shared faith, language, or skin color.
On one hand it vehemently condemns Hamas attacks but in the same time it very conveniently ignores Israeli atrocities. Renowned channels, networks, journalists, and anchors, instead of fact-checking Israel’s claims of 40 decapitated babies, launched a media trial of Palestinian supporters. Be it Husam Said Zomlot, Nadine Kiswani, Eid Yara or Muhammad Hijab, all have been greeted on the shows with the question, ‘Do you condemn Hamas?’ without giving them a fair chance to speak or a proper introduction in some cases. However, this was not the case with Pro Israeli supporters or IDF representatives. They were greeted with the sympathetic lines, what happened on October 7, was abhorrent, appalling and barbaric and Israel has the right to defend itself.
Every Palestinian representative is grilled about Hamas, despite many of them having lost their family members in the callous Israeli airstrikes. All of them have come out strong and, in some cases, called out their hosts for their unfair treatment. When answering the question of whether Hamas is a terrorist organization, Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, asked Piers Morgan, the host of the show ‘Piers Morgan Uncensored,’ “What is the definition of terrorism?” Zomlot said, “Let me give you the international, United Nations definition of terrorism. It is the unlawful use of violence against civilians to terrorize them for a political agenda.
Do we agree on the definition of terrorism?” Piers Morgan agreed to it, and then the ambassador asked, “Is Israel a terrorist organization?” to which Mr. Morgan said, “Please answer my question.” Ambassador Zomlot said to Piers, “Piers, from now on, it has to be equity and symmetry; we are equal!” The heated debate continued, with Ambassador Husam Zomlot frequently interrupted while stating his point, and Piers Morgan’s questions were challenged on bias by the Ambassador. Piers Morgan, replying to the questions of equity, said that he has given the Palestinian people a platform, to which the Ambassador responded, “Only when Israelis were harmed, not before.”
Eid Yara, a Palestinian journalist and human rights activist, called out the Sky News anchor to use the right language after the anchor stated that 1400 Israelis have been killed and 4000 Palestinians have died. Eid Yara emphasized the importance of language to us, asserting that it is the moral responsibility of the reporter to accurately depict the events. Eid Yara further added that Palestinians don’t merely die; they are killed. She has personally lost 40 family members in Israeli airstrikes post-October 7.
Nadine Kiswani is another anti-Israel activist and co-founder and leader of Within Our Lifetime-United for Palestine (WOL). She condemned the question of condemning Hamas on Piers Morgan’s show a month ago, stating, “I think Palestinians are tired of this being the starting point of the conversation, constantly, when 6000 Palestinians are killed in Gaza, 33 mosques leveled, hospitals leveled. So, we are tired of this being the main goal of the conversation, not a part of it.”
Muhammad Hijab, a public speaker, also once called out Piers Morgan for labeling him controversial in his interview. Piers Morgan introduced Hijab with the following words: “the controversial pro-Palestine influencer with nearly a million YouTube subscribers.
Conversations like these are thought-provoking to hear, especially from the perspectives of victims who face and advocate an end to genocide. Not only are they asked to condemn a banned outfit with which they are not affiliated, but they also have to defend themselves from being labeled as supporters of terrorists, which is the underlying tone of the questions. Their grief, anger, and energies are labeled as passion, and they are told to speak respectfully while answering all accusing questions.
It wasn’t until Bassem Youssef, an Egyptian heart surgeon turned comedian, appeared on Piers Morgan’s show and highlighted the plight of the Palestinian people through sarcasm that the tables turned. Hosts and anchors became more sensitive to Palestinian guests, if not empathetic. This particular show garnered millions of views and altered the impression of Arabs, showing their ability to defend themselves civilly.
Piers asked Bassem, “What do you think happened on October 7?”
Bassem responded, “It is terrible; we get our news second hand. My wife’s family lives in Gaza, her uncles and cousins live in Gaza. We have not been able to contact them, so we don’t know how they are doing. But we are used to that! It is repetitive; we are used to being bombed and we move from one place to another. Palestinians are very dramatic; Israelis are killing us. But they never die; they always come back. They are very difficult to kill, very difficult. Ah, I know because I am married to one; I tried many times but could not kill.”
Piers Morgan said, “Ah, there is dark humor there, and I understand why!” To which Bassem quickly added, “No, there is no dark humor there. I tried to get to her, but every time she uses our kids as human shields, so I can never take her out.” Mr. Piers Morgan had no response to that. He later admitted to Bassem, “I was taken aback by your response. Honestly speaking, you cannot really blame Mr. Morgan because Muslims are so tired of appealing to the common sense of the Western media that they do not know how they can get their message across while being genuine and accurate.”
In response to Piers Morgan’s question, “As to what is a proportionate response?” Bassam replied sarcastically that, “The exchange rate keeps changing; in 2014, 88 Israelis to 2329 Palestinians were killed. The ratio is 1 Israeli to 27 Palestinians. So what has this disproportioned response achieved till date?” To which the host had no answer. Bassem also pointed out that the IDF is the only military in the world that warns civilians before attacking them. If that is the case, he said, “then we are good with Putin.” Bassem further added that if Hamas is the issue, let’s imagine a world without Hamas, and let’s call it the West Bank. If that is the case, why has Israel killed 37 children pre-October 7? Again, Mr. Morgan had no answer. Mr. Bassem Youssef, in his own style, called out to all the Western mainstream anchors. He was praised and appreciated globally for effectively fighting for the Palestinian cause, especially by Muslims tired of Western media’s deliberate naivety and dual standards.
The courageous and thought-provoking instances presented above not only demonstrate the Palestinians’ resilience, dedication, and solidarity but also impart a valuable lesson for all of us. Fellow countrymen, let’s draw inspiration from the Palestinians and recognize the significance of freedom, committing to its preservation. We mustn’t forget the sacrifices of our forefathers who fought against slavery and genocide in an era devoid of social media to document and share their struggles with the world. Even today, survivors of partition carry the pain in their hearts, stories on their lips, and images in their minds. Preserving our freedom is essential, acknowledging that it may not be ideal, and striving for improvement in a civil manner. It’s crucial that we collectively become the voice for the voiceless Palestinian people, not allowing our personal concerns to render us silent when standing before our Creator on the Day of Judgment.
The author is Executive Editor of the Monthly Interaction.
