Excalibur Writer Justifies Seminary Terror Attack
March 20, 2008
By: Mike Fegelman
Dear
HonestReporting Canada subscriber:
In
York University’s campus newspaper The Excalibur, contributor Lama Aggad
yesterday justified the deadly terrorist attack at the Mercaz Harav
seminary in Jerusalem while accusing the Israel Defense Forces of carrying
out a “Holocaust in Gaza.”
The
attack, whose victims were mostly children under the age of 18 engaged in
religious study while murdered, left a 14-year-old
Israeli-Canadian boy in critical condition with multiple
bullet wounds
and two broken ankles.
According to Aggad, “it’s no wonder” the students were attacked, because they
may eventually serve in the Israel Defense Forces -- even though they were in
civilian clothes, studying in a religious institution in Jerusalem, far from
combat zones.
The
full column can be read below or online by
clicking here:
While
Excalibur editors may argue that they tried to achieve balance by printing an
op-ed alongside Aggad's that
denounced the terror attack, there is simply no justification for
publishing opinions that brazenly justify the murder of innocent youth. There
is an important difference between legitimate opinion that enhances the
public discourse, and dangerous rhetoric that interferes with
constructive dialogue.
Excalibur’s editors should have determined that Aggad’s piece was not fit for
publication so long as it endorsed bloody murder and spewed vicious lies that
Israel was committing a “Holocaust in Gaza”. It’s time for the Excalibur to
stick to constructive opinion that contributes positively to the marketplace
of ideas.
How You Can Make
a Difference
Write
to the Excalibur, condemn the publication of a column endorsing the murder of
innocent children, and ask the paper to issue a formal apology in the next
edition.
To
contact Excalibur’s Editor-in-Chief, Zalina Alvi, send an email to:
editor@excal.on.ca and refer to
Lama Aggad’s March 19 column entitled “Jewish attack not a surprise”.
Pointers for contacting Excalibur: State your position clearly in your own
words, remain rational and polite, and contact us at
action@honestreporting.ca to tell
us you took action. To be considered for publication, letters should include
sender's name and contact information for verification purposes.
