"There seems to be a fixation on asking Muslims to apologize as if we’re born guilty of something, while no other communities are asked to do so. This expectation stems from racism and is extremely dangerous since it only adds fuel to anti-Muslim hate and anti-Palestinian racism."
November 2, 2023
Brodutch’s statements that Muslims should denounce Hamas as a group that has taken civilians as hostages and that we, as Muslims, are responsible for pressuring Hamas are reminiscent of the bigotry we endured after 9/11, then again when ISIS’ actions were at their peak. We were called to denounce their actions as if they were speaking in our names, and we had real influence over them. Is the same standard applied to Jewish people when Israel kills Palestinians or to Christians when the West does something awful? We don’t ask Americans to apologize for Afghanistan and Iraq. We are not asking Jewish People to apologize for Israel’s actions. Likewise, Muslims should not be attacked in this way. There seems to be a fixation on asking Muslims to apologize as if we’re born guilty of something, while no other communities are asked to do so. This expectation stems from racism and is extremely dangerous since it only adds fuel to anti-Muslim hate and anti-Palestinian racism. Calling for condemnations not only serves as a distraction from questioning the core of the Palestinian issue, a system of oppression, but also, at the same time, reinforces it.
Fatima Haidar
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME)
Address: 580 Sainte-Croix, Suite 060, Montreal, QC H4l 3X5
T: 438-380-5410
C: 438-530-6567