"Given these points, I urge Game Rant to revise the article to include this critical context. Acknowledging that the character's name is tied to the Sabra and Shatila massacre is essential to understanding why Sabra is perceived as a symbol of anti-Palestinian propaganda."
November 29 2024
To:
Sebastian Peris, Editor-at-Large, Game Rant
Dear Mr. Peris and the Game Rant Newsroom,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to address a critical omission in your recent article, “Captain America: Brave New World's Most Controversial Character May Get Their Own Spinoff,” published on November 28, 2024. The article fails to provide essential context regarding the controversy surrounding the Marvel character Sabra.
While the article correctly identifies Sabra as a Mossad agent in the Marvel comics, it overlooks the central reason many view the character as offensive and emblematic of anti-Palestinian propaganda: her name.
For many, particularly within Lebanese and Palestinian communities, the name "Sabra" evokes the memory of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, a tragic event that resulted in the deaths of between 700 (the official Israeli figure) and 3,500 (according to investigative journalist Amnon Kapeliouk) Palestinian refugees and Lebanese civilians. Christian Phalange militias, allied with and facilitated by the Israeli military, carried out these atrocities. The timing of Marvel's announcement to include Sabra in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) also coincided with the 40th anniversary of this tragedy which makes her inclusion even more insensitive for Arab communities.
Moreover, Sabra's storylines in Marvel comics have often been criticized for portraying Arabs and Palestinians in stereotypical and negative ways, frequently casting them as aggressors or terrorists. Such depictions reinforce anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism, as outlined by the Arab Canadian Lawyers Association's (ACLA) definition of anti-Palestinian racism. The ACLA highlights that defaming Palestinians as terrorist sympathizers and excluding their narratives perpetuates harmful stereotypes and marginalizes their experiences.
Given these points, I urge Game Rant to revise the article to include this critical context. Acknowledging that the character's name is tied to the Sabra and Shatila massacre is essential to understanding why Sabra is perceived as a symbol of anti-Palestinian propaganda.
This addition would not only enhance the article's accuracy but also reflect greater sensitivity to the historical trauma experienced by Palestinians and Lebanese communities.
I appreciate your time and consideration of this matter and look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Anthony Issa
Media Analyst and Journalist
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East