The Media Accountability Project  

On February 28, Hill Times ran a letter written by CJPME analyst Rose Mardikian. Initially, Rose sent this as a letter criticizing this article that the use of the word “terrorism” to describe Hamas’ actions on Oct. 7 insinuated a moral judgment, which is not appropriate for a news article. While the editor remained steadfast and insisted that no changes would be made to the article, she requested an abridged version to publish as a letter to the editor. In “Avoid language that casts ‘moral judgments’ in news stories,” Rose Mardikian argues that referring to Hamas as a terrorist organization or labeling all their actions on October 7 as acts of “terror” or “terrorism” is not accurate and casts a moral judgment. While Israel’s actions both before and after Oct. 7 undoubtedly qualify as terrorism, to label one group as terrorists and not the other is a blatant double standard that favors Israel.

For Hill Times editors to continue publishing our work demonstrates CJPME’s growing legitimacy and influence in public discourse.

In fact, the call came from around 300 Muslim institutions and mosques. 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, which the word “several” downplays.

"This confirms the fears some had about Canada’s complicity in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians and its double standard in the way it gives greater value to white lives over BIPOC lives."

"Given that Hamas targeted military personnel and infrastructure on Oct. 7, only a portion of their attacks can be broadly classified as 'terrorism'."

"This intimate and ongoing exchange of aggressive/militarized policing tactics ensures the dispossession of Palestinians in Palestine, as well as the continued repression of Black, Indigenous, Arab, and other marginalized communities in Canada and the US.'

"While no one deserves to be fearful, it’s essential to acknowledge that public fears are commonly embedded in racism and further provoked by unfair media coverage, as you mention in your article."

"These are the same authorities who have been accused of imposing an apartheid system on Palestinians  and  now of committing genocide. Israel should have no say  in deciding whose family members should be allowed to come to Canada."

"I think that the genocide unfolding in Gaza is our wake-up call to stop seeing and expecting Canada to promote and enforce human rights and recognize and treat it as complicit in human rights abuses once and for all."

"Failing to see it this way and waiting again to react by gathering academics, experts, and diaspora community members “once the war is over” would put us back in the same cycle of deliberately turning a blind eye to damning evidence."