"From what we know, there is no evidence to link incidents in synagogues to pro-Palestine protests. Pro-Palestine protests have also not targeted synagogues. You cannot just make these statements without evidence and generalize them as accusations. It is not only not accurate, but it is intentionally inflammatory."
March 15, 2024
To:
John Ibbitson, Writer, Globe and Mail
David Walmsley, Editor-in-Chief, Globe and Mail
Natasha Hassan, Opinion Editor, Globe and Mail
Robert Fife, Ottawa Bureau Chief, Globe and Mail
Sandra E. Martin, Standards Editor, Globe and Mail
Dear John Ibbitson, David Walmsley, Natasha Hassan, Robert Fife, and Sandra E. Martin,
I am writing to express my concern about the opinion article: “House motion on Israel-Hamas war adds to Canada’s divided views,” published on March 13 in Globe and Mail.
You write: “There have been attacks on both mosques and synagogues. Many of the chants at protests in support of Palestinians sound, to these ears, blatantly antisemitic. Muslim Canadians say they feel targeted by hate as well.”
There are three main issues in these three sentences.
First, the juxtaposition of the sentence: “Many of the chants at protests in support of Palestinians sound, to these ears, blatantly antisemitic” to the sentence: “There have been attacks on both mosques and synagogues” is questionable.
The juxtaposition of these two sentences makes it seem like you are accusing protests in support of Palestinians of targeting synagogues and being responsible for the attacks on synagogues.
From what we know, there is no evidence to link incidents in synagogues to pro-Palestine protests. Pro-Palestine protests have also not targeted synagogues. You cannot just make these statements without evidence and generalize them as accusations. It is not only not accurate, but it is intentionally inflammatory.
If you refer to the protests that have occurred around the country in front of synagogues, the organizers themselves stated that their intentions were to protest “real estate events” presentations that took place in these synagogues. The protesters did not target the synagogues because of what they represent in Judaism. They were in front of synagogues to protest the “real estate events,” in which Canadians can buy land in the occupied West Bank, which is illegal.
The juxtaposition of these two sentences implies a conflation of pro-Palestine protests with antisemitism, which could not be further from the truth, especially knowing that one of the organizers of the protest in front of the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue in Côte-des-Neiges (Montréal) was a Jewish group (Independent Jewish Voices).
Second, you imply that chants at protests in support of Palestinians are antisemitic. Again, you cannot say “many of the chants” without specifying which ones and, on top of it, not providing any evidence. This is simply irresponsible, inaccurate, and inflammatory.
I, therefore, ask you to reformulate this sentence: “Many of the chants at protests in support of Palestinians sound, to these ears, blatantly antisemitic” to not attribute bad intentions to protests in support of Palestinians.
Third, you write: “Muslim Canadians say they feel targeted by hate as well.”
This sentence completely dismisses the fact that Muslim Canadians have been targeted by hate. It is not a mere feeling.
According to a Montreal Gazette article, “Anti-Muslim hate has led to more deaths in Canada than in any other G7 country in recent years. According to the National Council of Canadians Muslims (NCCM), between mid-October and mid-November 2023, there were 274 reported hate incidents across Canada.”
Palestinians and Muslims are also living and dealing with the damages of Israel's war on Gaza, but your opinion article undermines it.
I, therefore, ask you to change the sentence: “Muslim Canadians say they feel targeted by hate as well” to “Muslim Canadians are targeted by hate as well” to make your article more accurate.
I hope Globe and Mail will make these changes and not contribute to hate against Palestinians and Muslims.
Sincerely,
Fatima Haidar,
Media Analyst, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East