John Ware will present new Panorama “terror” episode attacking Muslims.

Thousands of families have been forced to evacuate from Gaza with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Nurse shot in operating theater in Khan Younis hospital.

Air pollution is a major problem in Gaza.

The damage of White House actions and inaction over Gaza to America’s reputation and Palestinian lives will be permanent.

[“What Did You Just Say?“, MuslimMatters’ new column, is a space for people to respond to corporate media and its shills. Our voices are often muzzled and views on their coverage are not published. 
So, if you’ve read or watched something that made you do a double take or have shredded a publication’s piece with your critique in a Letter to the Editor or Op-ed and it wasn’t published, do send it to us for consideration via our submission form link.

All opinions are the views of the writer alone and not representative of MuslimMatters.org.]

***

Dear Ms. Julia Hartley-Brewer,

By now I’m sure that you are very familiar with the constructive feedback you’ve received regarding your disastrous interview with Palestinian MP Dr. Mustafa Barghouti early last month.

Here’s more.

Your track record as a so-called journalist is well known to be a continual stream of racism, bigotry, manipulation, and Islamophobia. This time, however, while interviewing Dr. Mustafa Bargouti on BBC and Talkradio, you really blew a fuse.

Quite frankly, speaking as an old crone, Muslim Irish American hippie, and frenemy, I must say that you proved how much of a failed feminist you are. Your choice to profile Muslim men as misogynists by using Dr. Barghouti as your scapegoat was wrong in oh so many ways.

Let me count the ways;

Your ignorance regarding Muslim women and men was a sad testament to the worn-out, stereotypical negative propaganda that has floated through the media atmosphere for years. This outdated brand of misinformation has been overused, and misconstrued, and is typical of a desperate attempt to detour from the issues at hand: the ongoing genocide of Palestinians.

Your disrespect towards Dr. Barghouti was not only publicly embarrassing but a stain on your character.

Those mistakes led you to wrong yourself even more by backing into a corner of arrogance and trumped-up victimhood, topped off with a complete lack of professionalism. You ignored so many opportunities presented during your interview with Dr. Barghouti to fearlessly embrace the Palestinian narratives he spoke of. Instead, you lost out on a golden moment to prove your worth as a respectable journalist.

Which leads me to ask; why did you choose journalism as a profession in the first place? As the world has witnessed, your performance was not that of a professional, objective journalist with an eye for the truth, but that of a hateful, ignorant sensationalist.

It’s not too late to remedy your character and lack of education, though.

Do some research. Differentiate between religious teachings vs negative cultural practices. Don’t let the thought of learning Palestinian history make your heart freeze either. Seriously, there’s no harm in reading and reading and reading to educate. And then read some more.

Volunteer. Strike out to parts unknown to you, and do something valuable, such as teaching English to refugees.

If you don’t, Julia, you’ll only be known as the woman who shamed herself in front of the entire world. What you don’t want to have on your record is your failure to communicate effectively in a fair and balanced approach to journalism.

Honestly, as a grandmother of grandchildren of multi-religious heritages, I am sick and tired of protesting this nonsense, but I have to, for their sake.

Let your freak fly. Shake loose of the fear-mongering and hate speech you have so pitifully adhered to. Go gray. Wear flats.

And then, someday, take yourself into your private adobe, turn on YouTube and watch your interview with Dr. Barghouti, again and again. Step away from yourself and analyze the journalist Julia Hartley-Brewer. Reflect. Ask yourself, why was I so angry, hostile, a bully? Is she the person I want my family to remember her by?

Julia, let me repeat, it’s not too late to start anew. Imagine that you get canned for your incompetence. Such a life-altering occurrence could very well be the highlight of your year. A new beginning.

It may be the catalyst for change you never knew you needed. Bend with the times. Embrace your twist of fate.

Take volumes of encyclopedias from the countless stories of Palestinians who currently, and for the past 75 years, have endured, patiently persevering under occupation from the brutality of the Israeli regime as examples to steadily move forward.

The narratives from Palestinians and their supporters do not belong to Western media outlets and Zionists. With Gaza and all occupied areas of Palestine undergoing genocide being openly visible through social media and professional media outlets, it is no wonder you scream on screen.

But it does no good for your Zionist cause. You have gifted us with the truth of how Israel has treated Palestinians for years. The world sees, has removed their blinders, and are mad as hell and not going to take this anymore.

Finally, I’m reminded of one of my favorite songs from the 60’s, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” by the Byrd’s, who lifted spirits during those trying times via some verses from the Bible, the book of Ecclesiastes.

As the song lyrics professed:

“To everything, turn, turn, turn

There is a season turn, turn, turn

 And a time to every purpose under Heaven

A time to gain, a time to lose

A time to rain, a time of sow

A time for love, a time for hate

A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late.”

These song lyrics are a reminder of our commonalities of humanity. We are all made from the same clay [Surah Al-Hijr: 15;26] you know.

So, Julia; turn, turn, turn…

 

[Take Action: Demand The Resignation of Julia Hartley Brewer. Contact the BBC to fire Hartley-Brewer for her continued racist and Islamaphobic comments on air. Click this link to access our handy-dandy letter tool – it takes 10 seconds from start-to-finish to send a letter to the BBC.]

 

Related:

– “What Did You Just Say?”: Introducing The New MM Open Letter Series I Dear Mr. Fareed Zakaria

– The Importance Of Palestinian Stories [Interview]

 

The post “What Did You Just Say?” : The MM Open Letter Series I Dear Ms. Julia Hartley-Brewer appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

A year and a half ago, Hindus and Muslims clashed in the streets of one of Britain’s most diverse cities. What lay behind the violence?

On Saturday 17 September 2022, the weekend before the Queen’s funeral, 300 men marched through Leicester. Their faces were hidden by Covid masks and balaclavas as they made their way to Green Lane Road in Highfields, an area in east Leicester with a large Muslim population. On WhatsApp, it had been billed as a Hindu neighbourhood safety march. “It’s very important for every Hindu to attain [sic] this meeting,” an organiser wrote. “Otherwise in future, we will have to live in fear.”

It was early evening, and as the men passed rows of terrace houses, redbrick warehouses and the Piccadilly Cinemas, which was advertising a Hindi-language epic set during the British Raj, they chanted “Jai Shree Ram” (“Victory to Lord Rama”). This phrase has long been an innocuous declaration of religious faith, but in recent decades, it has become associated with the politics of Hindu nationalism in India, where militants use it as a rallying cry in campaigns of intimidation and violence against minorities, particularly Muslims. The men also shouted other slogans that have become associated with the Hindu right: “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” (“Victory to Mother India”) and “Vande Mataram” (“Praise Mother [India]”).

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Activist Hazami Barmada on protesting outisde of Antony Blinken’s house (10:57); Ali Abunimah on major boycott victories (34:20); Jon Elmer on resistance in Gaza (57:34); a discussion on a possible ceasefire proposal (1:46:22); and a news update (1:08).

All sense of meaning has collapsed over the past few months.

Spain and Belgium’s Wallonia region also suspend weapons exports to Tel Aviv.

Starbucks also sees protests, decline in sales due to Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Pledge to end foreign interference proves hollow.

At least 100,000 Palestinians are killed, injured, or missing and presumed dead.

“There are so few healthcare facilities that can deliver a baby when something goes wrong,” says Laila Baker of UN agency for sexual and reproductive health.

Hillary Clinton set to spread Israel’s lies justifying genocide at Columbia University forum.

The war on Palestinians in Gaza has been referred to as a war on men, a war on women, and a war on children. The war on Palestinians in Gaza is all this and more: it is also a war on education.

Before the conflict escalated and education was unjustly restricted, Palestinians were educationally successful. In the State of Palestine, education is compulsory for those in grades 1-10 and the completion of grade 10 is required for the completion of basic education (United Nations Children’s Fund). In 2022, the completion rate for basic education was at 88 percent and the completion rate for secondary education was at 63 percent. Even with these completion rates, Palestinians have one of the highest literacy rates in the world. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics found that both males and females ages 15-24 in the Gaza Strip had a literacy rate of 99.4 percent in 2022. However, we are now seeing a war on education as the education in Gaza has been completely disrupted and students in Gaza have no access to education.

Scholasticide in Gaza

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), even though the Palestinian population is one of the most literate in the world, “the [Palestinian] education system is in disrepair and failing, due largely to effects of the Israeli occupation [through] insufficient school infrastructure, lack of adequately trained teachers, and a lack of access to schooling in marginalized areas.”1 Over fifteen years ago, the systematic destruction by Israeli forces on centers of education was termed a “scholasticide.” They bombed the Ministry of Education, they destroyed the infrastructure of teaching, and schools across the Gaza Strip were targeted for attack by air, sea, and ground offensives (The Guardian). Now, as Israel wages a war on education, another scholasticide is occurring in Gaza.

Targeting of Gaza’s Students, Educators, and Institutions

Scholasticide (PC: Al Jazeera)

Since early November, no student in Gaza has been able to attend school as the Ministry of Education suspended the 2023-2024 school year due to the indiscriminate targeting of schools. 625,000 children have been out of school for over 100 days and Gaza’s children have lost a combined 196,918 years of education (AJ+). The Palestinian Ministry of Education attested that at least 4,327 students have been killed, over 7,800 students have been injured, 231 teachers and administrators have been killed, and over 750 teachers and administrators have been injured. The indiscriminate targeting of schools places a heavy toll on students and educators in Gaza as a result of this scholasticide. According to Scholars Against the War on Palestine (SAWP), 70 percent of Gaza’s education infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. Israel has damaged over 350 schools and they have bombed every university in Gaza. The education institutions that remain are being used as shelters for Palestinians who have been displaced and forced to flee their homes (Save the Children). It is unlikely that schools can reopen while the Israeli forces continue to target Gaza’s students, educators, and education institutions. In addition, it will take years to rebuild the education infrastructures that were destroyed and it will take time to ensure an established education system for the people of Gaza.

Students with Disabilities

The lack of access to education is going to be particularly difficult for Palestinian students with functional disabilities and physical disabilities. The most common functional disabilities in Palestine are emotional, cognitive, and behavioral (United Nations Children’s Fund). Before the conflict escalated, four out of five children in Gaza were living with depression, fear, and grief (The Guardian) and it was estimated that more than a quarter of Gaza’s children required psychosocial support due to past trauma (UNICEF). Clearly, the impact of violence significantly impacts children and their mental health from an emotional, cognitive, and behavioral realm. The traumatic experiences the individuals in Gaza have suffered through is going to affect them in numerous ways and it will increase the number of individuals living with severe mental health conditions and functional disabilities.

Students with functional disabilities in Palestine were already limited in their access to education and the war is only going to make matters worse. In 2022, children with functional disabilities were over-represented among children who were not attending school in Palestine. While children with functional disabilities represent 15 percent of all children, they constitute 39 percent of children who are out of school at the basic level of education and 20 percent of children who are out of school at the secondary level (United Nations Children’s Fund). These numbers demonstrate that there was already a lack of access to education for students with functional disabilities, so this war on education and educational institutions is only going to worsen the lack of access to education for students with physical disabilities in Gaza.

In Palestine, the most common physical disabilities relate to walking and seeing (United Nations Children’s Fund). The recent Israeli bombardment has led to over 1,000 children losing one or more limbs (AJ+) and more than ten children a day lose a limb in Gaza. The statistics for children with functional disabilities can give an idea of what the statistics might look like for children with physical disabilities, but having a physical disability in an area like Gaza is going to make attending school exceptionally more difficult. With 70 percent of Gaza’s education infrastructure damaged, there is no guarantee that the infrastructures still standing will survive or whether they are accommodating and accessible to children with physical disabilities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the systematic destruction of educational institutions in Gaza is undeniably a war on education. Palestinians are known to be one of the most literate people in the world and Gaza alone has a staggering literacy rate of 99.4 percent for males and females ages 15-24. The high rates of literacy in Gaza show a deep love and appreciation for education, but that love and appreciation is being hindered as Israel continues to target schools through their heinous crimes.

The war on education is more than just destroyed infrastructure that can eventually be rebuilt. The war on education specifically targets children by attacking their education institutions that were created for the purpose of providing education for thousands of children who deserve the right to learn in a safe environment. The purposeful targeting of schools and education infrastructures being destroyed limits, if not completely eliminates, the access students have to education and the resources they need to succeed academically.

Regardless of what they have endured, Palestinians in Gaza have demonstrated a long history of resistance and success within the realm of education. Education is significant to the Palestinian tradition and the Palestinian revolution, and the Palestinians in Gaza are a perfect example of this. For Palestinians everywhere, education is liberation and a right they deserve to have.

 

Related:

– 5 Steps To Grow From Passive To Active Bystanders During The Genocide Of Gaza

– MuslimKidsMatter | The Prisoner of Life Poem (Ode to Children in Gaza)

1    https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/ps/UNDP-papp-research-PHDR2015Education.pdf

The post Real Time Scholasticide: The War On Education In Gaza appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Leaked plan submitted to European firm would divide conquered territory into “area of hope” and “area of terror.”

What comes next will not be what was before.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society has completely run out of some medicines.

Exclusive: Party figure says it has work to do to retain support as poll shows drop in Starmer’s popularity

Labour has much work to do to retain support among Muslim voters, a senior party figure has said as a poll suggested the party had lost a portion of its Muslim voter base over its handling of the Israel-Gaza war.

Only 43% of British Muslims who backed Labour at the 2019 general election are willing to do so again at the next general election expected this year, the survey finds.

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