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Gaza Special Comment
By CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab


Media’s Self-Censorship Abets Gaza Atrocities

Feature 298 What will it take for our media to join much of the world in calling out the blatant human rights abuses committed by the Israeli military machine against the Palestinian people.

News anchors - joined by most guest commentators - seem to be in a self-induced haze when it comes to the facts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even as they unfold in crystal clarity before their very eyes.

While many in the media seem willing to write Gaza off as a terrorist haven, few are willing to report that Gaza is a vulnerable and frequent victim of widespread civilian killings committed by one of the world’s most sophisticated armed forces. Few are willing to report that Gaza has been oppressed by decades of Israeli occupation followed by a relentless blockade that has cut off many essential supplies making life unbearable for the average citizen. Few are willing to report that most of Gaza’s citizens are not even there by choice, but are refugees who have been forcibly displaced from their ancestral villages in the north.

Few are willing to admit that Gaza, the world’s most densely-populated province and its largest open air prison, has long been slowly choking to death as a result of these circumstances.

Why is the daily institutionalized oppression of Gazans seldom conveyed by American news networks? Why do the war crimes, that unfold even as I write, go unreported?

Why do most continue to report on the crisis as if there were only one side to the story: the Hamas rockets fired into southern Israel?

In just two weeks since the most recent Israeli air, sea, and ground shelling of the besieged Gazans began, more than 700 Palestinians, including many women and children, have already been killed; many more are sure to follow. Thousands more have been injured; hundreds of thousands lack access to basic food, clean water, electricity, and medical supplies.

Richard Falk, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in the Palestinian territories, told the BBC: “Israel is committing a shocking series of atrocities by using modern weaponry against a defenseless population - attacking a population that has been enduring a severe blockade for many months.”

With no one to answer to, and no third party to verify its claims, Israel is able to shell homes, mosques, and schools by simply asserting that they contain militants, weapons stockpiles, or that they are covers for tunnels.

Strewn bodies of civilians, including children, seem to raise no red flags. They are simply brushed off. “We’ll pay the international price later for the collateral damage and the anticipated civilian casualties,” Israeli military correspondent Alex Fishman wrote in the daily Yediot Ahronoth.

Why do the media not hold Israel accountable for its brutal transgressions against civilians? Aren’t journalists supposed to act as a check against government excesses? If they turn a blind eye or act to whitewash human rights abuses, are they then not morally complicit?

Why has the media failed so far to air footage that shows the full consequences of Israel’s indiscriminating heavy hand: civilian corpses scattered in the streets, helpless mothers weeping over their dead children still in school uniforms, entire residential blocks destroyed? Why are American audiences denied eyewitness accounts readily accessible around the world? If we are able to see the anguish of Israelis when Palestinian militants strike - as we should – why are we largely denied the reciprocal even though it is exponentially more frequent and more deadly?

Why can’t we get both sides of the raw information necessary to form our own conclusions? For a nation that values transparency, accountability and a “caught on tape” culture, this is curious to say the least.

Cornered news editors may cite fear of propagating propagandistic material, as if the tragic events happening in Gaza today are staged somewhere in some Arab film studio.

And yet, self-censorship is only half the problem.

Instead of eye-witness footage of events as they unfold, American television audiences are served a steady line-up of polished pro-Israel “experts” who deliver preset conclusions invariably justifying Israel’s “necessary” use of brute force and arguing that the Palestinians are to blame for their own suffering.

As a result of this consistently skewed coverage, it is no wonder that most Americans are oblivious to the fact that we aid cruelty and oppression with our tax dollars by bankrolling Israel’s military aggression.

Those who speak out in support of Palestinians are often accused of sympathizing with Hamas. This is an unacceptable argument that will not succeed in silencing, intimidating or distracting voices of conscience. I for one am motivated by a sense of reverence for human life and dignity. I value the lives of innocent Israelis no less than those of innocent Palestinians. For the record, I happen to believe that Hamas is part of the problem, not the solution, but I do not accept that Israel is without blame, that it can hang responsibility for its own premeditated actions on others. Apologists for Israel’s brutality should ask themselves: if the murder of innocent civilians constitutes the main argument against Hamas, then how can the murder of large numbers of Palestinian civilians be justified or excused while simultaneously adhering to that same principle of respect for innocent life?

If you believe, as I do, that the murder of innocent civilians to achieve a political purpose constitutes terrorism, and agree that there can be no justification for terrorism under any circumstance, then join me in speaking out against the media’s apathy in the face of the hundreds of civilian lives crushed by what can aptly be described as sanctioned state terrorism. Write to your local media representatives and demand: why is the Israeli government able to engage in terroristic behavior and escape all accountability? Why the blatant double standard?

One answer you may get is that whereas Palestinians target civilians, Israelis targets militants. Then you may ask what Israel expects to find in a residential building, a school, a hospital, or a Mosque - actual targets of its rockets time and again. Ask about the recent bombing of two UN schools that killed more than 50 people, including an entire family of seven young children. Ask about the Samouni family that lost 11 members after a house they were told to seek refuge in by the Israeli army was bombed the next day. Ask how many innocent civilians have been callously killed by Israel since the Gaza occupation began.

Ironically, Israel’s brutality will not bring peace any closer; if anything, it may only inspire legions of incensed Gazan youth to retaliation, spurring an endless cycle of violence.

It is for the sake of Israelis, as well as Palestinians, that the international community led by the United States ought to hold Israel accountable for its actions, and exert pressure on all sides to solve the situation diplomatically. But this will not happen unless American public opinion becomes privy to the facts of the conflict, which in turn will not happen until prime time begins to convey complete and honest reporting and analysis.






Feature 299 Communications Coordinator Speaks at Protest for Palestine
CAIR-Chicago | Jan.13.09

Sharif told attendees to use the energy catalyzed by the protest and channel it into other modes of action to help Palestine. “The work does not stop after this rally. There is still so much more to be done.”






Feature 297 10 Steps You Can Take to Help Palestine
CAIR | Jan.11.09

CAIR has outlined 10 positive, pro-active steps concerned Americans can take to help end Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, restore the cease-fire and the flow of humanitarian aid and promote a more balanced U.S. policy in the Middle East.






Feature 296 Mass Rally for Gaza this Friday
CAIR | Jan.08.09

CAIR said in a statement this week, "This unimaginable carnage is being carried out with the political and monetary support of our own government. Elected officials must stand up for justice and demand an end to Israeli war crimes."






Feature 295 PHOTOS: Over 4,000 Chicago Protesters Call for Israeli Cease Fire
CAIR | Jan.06.09

Protesters called for a stop to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, the restoration of the cease-fire and the initiation of peace negotiations in the Middle East during the coming year.






  • Mass Rally Today Calling for Gaza Cease Fire

    January 2, 2009

  • CAIR-Chicago to Present on Civil Rights in the Philippines

    January 2-13, 2009

  • 10 Steps You Can Take to Help Palestine

    January 11, 2009

  • Reminder: RALLY TODAY | Bus Information | March Route

    January 9, 2009

  • March This Friday to Protest Israeli Massacre in Gaza

    January 7, 2008

  • Over 4,000 Chicago Protesters Call for Israeli Cease Fire

    January 6, 2009

    





  • The American Muslim: Media’s Self-Censorship Abets Gaza Atrocities
  • January 12, 2009

  • Chicago Breaking News: Protesters march on Israeli consulate
  • January 9, 2009

    




  • CAIR-Chicago to Speak on Crisis in Gaza at Aqsa Annual Dinner

    January 16, 2009

  • CAIR-Chicago to Speak on Gaza Crisis at "The Change We Need" Rally

    January 17, 2009

  • CAIR-Chicago to attend vigil for Gaza in Oak Park

    January 18, 2009

  • CAIR-Chicago to Participate in Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service

    January 19, 2009

    




  • Press Release: CAIR Condemns Vandalism of Three Chicago Area Synagogues
  • January 12, 2009

  • Media Advisory: Thousands to March Against Israeli Massacres: Press Conference at Daly Plaza and Rally in front of Israeli Consulate
  • January 9, 2009

  • Media Advisory: Chicagoans to March Against Israeli Massacres: Thousands Expected to Rally at Israeli Consulate
  • January 8, 2009     




    Government

    • A Muslim cab reported harassment by police officers accusing him of assaulting passengers. CAIR-Chicago is investigating the matter and will advise the man of the options available to him.

    • A Muslim man reported a delay in obtaining citizenship. The man passed the interview and test in 2007 and has been waiting to take the oath ever since. CAIR-Chicago is incorporating this case into its Citizenship Delay Project.

    • A Muslim woman experienced a delay in obtaining a green card for permanent residency for her husband, who is awaiting adjudication of the application in Yemen. The woman petition for her husband in 2006 and has been waiting ever since. The woman and her husband also have a newborn child, whom she is caring for alone until her husband is allowed entry. CAIR-Chicago will assist the woman in following up with the application.

    Prison

    • A Muslim inmate at a Chicago correctional complained that Muslim inmates are being denied halal meal options, and are told to eat vegan meals instead. The inmate noted that Jewish inmates are given kosher meals, but that the Muslim inmates are not allowed kosher meals even though such meals would satisfy their dietary requirements. CAIR-Chicago is investigating the matter and will take whatever action deemed necessary to resolve the matter.

    Employment

    • A store manager at a West Dundee shopping mall complained that mall security had been harassing him verbally, making several comments about his background. The manager, an Indian Muslim, says that, among other things, they have called him "Apu" and "Saddam Hussein." They have also made attempts to remove him from the mall, including going around the mall to collect false statements against him. The manger also discovered a note taped up in the security company’s office stating that any employee caught in his store would face disciplinary action. CAIR-Chicago is investigating the matter and will take whatever action deemed necessary to resolve the matter.





CAIR-CHICAGO ANNUAL BANQUET: MARCH 7, 2009
SAVE THE DATE!




CAIR-CHICAGO IS OFFERING 18 INTERNSHIPS FOR THIS WINTER AND SPRING. APPLY TODAY!








Executive Director
Ahmed Rehab

Civil Rights Director
Christina Abraham

Senior Outreach Coordinator
Dina Rehab

Operations Coordinators
Azam Azeem
Daniah Elharezi

Cultural Sensitivity Speaker
Veronica Zapata

Communications Coordinators
Reem Rahman
Amina Sharif

Staff Attorney
Kevin Vodak, Esq.

Outreach Coordinator
Gerald Hankerson

Youth Coordinator
Mokaram Rauf

Administrative Assistant
Islaam Rahim


Board of Directors
Alif Muhammad
Shahwar Syed, MD
Kimberly Newkirk
Emaad Hamwi
Khaled Taha
Ahmed Rehab
Hina Sodha, Esq.
Yaser Tabbara, Esq. - Secretary
Mazen Kudaimi, MD - Vice President
Safaa Zarzour, Esq. - President












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