"It is inaccurate and undermining to write “several local congregations.” This makes it seem like the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the demand for the restoration of funding for the UN’s aid agency, and the condemnation of Israel’s war crimes came from a small number of people and was unpopular, which is not the case."
February 23, 2024
To:
Yasmine Hassan, Producer, CBC News
Raffy Boudjikanian, Senior reporter, CBC News
Nancy Waugh, Sr. Manager, CBC News
Dear Yasmine Hassan, Raffy Boudjikanian, and Nancy Waugh,
I am writing to ask for corrections in the article: “Muslim groups say MPs won’t be welcome in mosques until they call for Gaza ceasefire,” published on February 22 on CBC News.
First, you write:
With Ramadan just around the corner, a national Muslim organization and several local congregations are warning members of Parliament they won't be welcome in their mosques until they call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, demand restoration of funding for the UN's aid agency and condemn what they call Israel's "war crimes."
It is inaccurate and undermining to write “several local congregations.” This makes it seem like the call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the demand for the restoration of funding for the UN’s aid agency, and the condemnation of Israel’s war crimes came from a small number of people and was unpopular, which is not the case. The call is widespread and came from around 300 Muslim institutions and mosques. It is documented in the open letter: Letter to MPS From Muslim Community Regarding Ramadan that you mention and link.
Given that SmartScrapers estimates that there are roughly 620 mosques in Canada, this means that – already – almost half of Canada’s Muslim community is in agreement with this call!
I, therefore, ask you to change the word “several” to the exact number (300) or to a word that better reflects the reality of how widespread and momentous the call is.
Second, you write:
The war in Gaza began after the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in Israel by Hamas-led militants in which 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli accounts, including several Canadian citizens. Israel responded with a military assault on the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 28,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian officials.
It is deeply concerning that you would specify that several Canadian citizens have been killed by Hamas’s attack while not mentioning the same about the Palestinians that Israel has killed in Gaza. In fact, likely far more Palestinian-Canadians have been killed in Gaza by Israel than Israeli-Canadians killed by Hamas in Israel. Your formulation makes Israeli deaths seem more noteworthy than the Palestinian ones because they included Canadians.
I, therefore, ask you to remove the words “including several Canadian citizens” for the sake of fairness and balance, as Canadians were killed in Gaza and Israel.
Third, you write: “The court ordered Israel to take measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide in its war in Gaza, but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire.”
It is inaccurate to say that the court has stopped short of ordering a ceasefire when it is not the court’s jurisdiction. That is, the Court was not asked to broker a ceasefire; rather, it was simply asked to determine whether a genocide was taking place and, if so, what emergency measures would be appropriate. As a matter of fact, South Africa never explicitly requested a “ceasefire” as a provisional measure but rather a halt to Israel’s military operations.
By misrepresenting the case brought forward by South Africa, as well as the ICJ’s mandate and initial ruling, the significance of the Court’s assertion that Israel is plausibly committing genocide is downplayed.
I, therefore, ask you to remove the words “but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire,” as it is inaccurate.
I hope CBC will make these changes promptly and double down on the information it provides in its reporting on Palestine and local issues related to it.
Sincerely,
Fatima Haidar,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East