Tag: free gaza

  • ‘Disgusted’: Timothee Chalamet’s Hamas joke on Saturday Night Live has social media outraged

    Hollywood actor Timothee Chalamet guest starred on popular comedy show ‘Saturday Night Live’ in a skit mocking the genocide in Gaza.

    Social media users were outraged at a clip in which Timothee plays a man who is ready to commit suicide and has a band called Hamas. A member of ‘Please Don’t Destroy’ then tells him they can’t share the song on Instagram.

    The joke comes just as the dire situation in Gaza is taking an even darker turn, with hospitals declaring complete collapse without fuel, water and medical supplies. Babies on incubators, as well as several patients in the ICU, risk being killed as a result of Israeli tanks surrounding the Al-Shifa hospital.

    Twitter users were outraged on Timothee Chalamet’s involvement in the insensitive script and criticised him. Many also declared they are boycotting his upcoming films ‘Willy Wonka’ and ‘Dune Part 2’, both of which are set to release in December.

    Several cases of people getting fired or losing gigs because of their support for Palestine have come to light since the genocide began.

    Many also pointed out the difference in how SNL responded to the Ukraine war by inviting a choir to sing a song about peace, in contrast to mocking the deaths of countless Palestinians in which USA is complicit.

    Many also reshared a comedy skit featuring actor Adam Driver playing Aladdin, taking Jasmine on a magic carpet ride. In the scene, when a drone hits Jasmine’s head, Adam remarks “We must be flying over Syria.”

  • Ayeza Khan apologises for her previous post on the Palestine genocide

    Ayeza Khan apologises for her previous post on the Palestine genocide

    Actress Ayeza Khan was caught in a controversy over a social media post addressing her silence on the war on Palestine. Several users criticised the actress for writing that praying daily is better than pointing fingers and blaming others.

    “Because I know that praying daily is more powerful than posting daily, please pray for the world as much as you can and avoid pointing fingers and blaming each other on this platform. We all have children and loved ones, and we can all feel the pain. We cannot imagine how painful it is for them, but I’m keeping my faith in Allah, and very soon, Allah will bring justice, Ameen.”

    After severe backlash, Khan deleted the statement and apologised by clarifying her support for Palestine:

    “I would like to take a moment to address an issue that has been misinterpreted and circulated. I won’t attempt to justify or explain because God knows that my intentions were not malicious, but I may have failed to articulate it well. I take full responsibility for this, both personally and on behalf of my team. I sincerely apologize to those who were hurt by my statement. I appreciate you all for bringing this matter to my attention, as I, too, am only human. I take full responsibility and assure you nothing of such sort shall ever happen again.”

    “While my awareness may not bring on immediate resolution,” the Chupke Chupke actress further penned, “I maintain faith in Allah in the possibility of change through prayer. Therefore, alongside our continuous awareness efforts, let us unite in prayer to end this cruelty. For indeed, we need Him and His divine help. My prayers are with the Palestinians.”

  • ‘For every Hamas member killed, how many have you created’: Elon Musk’s take on Gaza has left Twitter dumbfounded

    ‘For every Hamas member killed, how many have you created’: Elon Musk’s take on Gaza has left Twitter dumbfounded

    If Elon Musk has understood it, no one has any excuse to ‘both sides’ what is happening in Gaza.

    It seems the glitch in the matrix finally happened when an interview clip of Elon Musk went viral where he was seen discussing the situation in Gaza. The CEO of X (formerly Twitter) started by saying that Hamas committed the atrocities of October 7 to initiate an aggressive response from the Israeli military, and also rally the cause of Muslims worldwide. He further goes on to say Israel shouldn’t fuel hatred by citing that “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”, stressing that Israeli forces should provide facilities to the people in Gaza like medical aid, food, water to ensure that the violence ends.

    “For every Hamas member you killed how many did you create?” Elon questioned”…And it’s safe to say that if you killed somebody’s child in Gaza, you’ve made at least a few Hamas members.”

    We’re not going to applaud Elon, who has a history of problematic behavior, over a small statement, but we have to say that the crisis in Gaza isn’t so complex or confusing that even someone like Elon can understand. Never did we think there would come a day when social media users would agree with Elon Musk.

  • Pro-Palestinian students, protest groups suppressed in American schools, universities

    Three separate cases of suppression of pro-Palestinian students and groups have been reported in America in just one day as voices are raised higher against the genocide of Gaza. Israeli tanks have forced citizens of Northern Gaza to walk countless miles towards the South with their hands in the air, a scene that has been described as “The Second Nakba”.

    Columbia University announced that they are suspending pro-Palestine groups ‘Jewish Voice For Peace’ and ‘Students For Justice In Palestine’- both comprised majorly of Jewish students- who called for a ceasefire.

    Columnist and writer Fatima Bhutto, a Columbia alum, slammed the decision.

    Columbia University is the institute where famous academic Edward Said taught, who dedicated his life to bringing the occupation of Palestine to light.

    The current president of Columbia University, Egyptian-American economist Nemat Talaat Shafik, is drawing outrage from social media users.

    At Harvard University, a black student was evicted from campus housing for acting as a student safety marshal during the protests.

    Previously, pro-Palestinian supporters at Harvard were doxxed after an open letter by the Harvard Palestine Solidarity Committee condemned the genocide of Gaza.

    In California, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy was suspended for three days by Corona Del Mar School for responding ‘Free Palestine’ to racists who were bullying him. The school notice was shared on social media by journalist Amina Waheed, who said that the school admin told the boy’s aunt saying ‘Free Palestine’ was akin to calling for the death of all Jews.

    The action against students takes place while several documented cases of Islamophobia, racism towards Palestinians have come to light. On October 17, a Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death by his neighbour. On October 30, Pakistani-American doctor Talat Jehan Khan was stabbed out side her apartment complex in Texas.

    Social media users showed outrage at Corona del Mar High School and the racism shown towards Palestinian children.

  • More than 100 activists occupy New York Times lobby, read out names of 10,000 murdered Palestinians

    More than 100 activists occupy New York Times lobby, read out names of 10,000 murdered Palestinians

    On Thursday more than 100 activists, including writers and journalists, protested outside The New York Times head office to criticise the publication for their complicity in the genocide of Gaza, as the death toll climbs up to almost 11,000 Palestinians.

    Israeli tanks are currently surrounding all of the hospitals in Gaza with no opportunity for doctors and patients to leave, or for food and medicine to arrive.

    In viral videos, the journalists distributed a mock newspaper of the publication titled ‘The New York Crimes’ which listed the names of the 36 Palestinian journalists who have been confirmed dead since Israel declared war on Gaza.

    The activists accused NYT of complicity in the genocide in Palestine, demanding that the editorial board of the newspaper publicly back a ceasefire in Gaza.

  • Priyanka Chopra, Janelle Monae, Richard Gere joined the ceasefire call

    Priyanka Chopra, Janelle Monae, Richard Gere joined the ceasefire call

    As the tide shifts with protests being held in America by activists and journalists demanding an end to the genocide of Gaza, more Hollywood stars have added their names to an open letter calling for a ceasefire.

    The letter urges Congress and President Joe Biden to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza as the Palestinian death toll is set to hit 11,000. Right now, Israeli military has encircled Gaza hospitals, offering no safe exit for doctors and patients stuck inside without water or food.

    The ceasefire letter now features more prominent names including Grammy award nominated singer Janelle Monae, Hollywood legend Richard Gere as well as Indian actress Priyanka Chopra.

    Previously, speaking with the UNRWA, Richard Gere declared that the people of Palestine hold a special place in his heart.

    Prominent actors like Susan Sarandon and rapper Macklemore gave speeches at the March For Palestine protest held in Washington, where both demanded an end for US complicity in Israel’s war crimes.

  • After Rupi Kaur, several prominent South Asian celebrities chose to boycott White House Diwali event

    After Rupi Kaur, several prominent South Asian celebrities chose to boycott White House Diwali event

    South-Asian poet Rupi Kaur went viral on social media on Tuesday when she announced that she had refused o attend a Diwali celebration being held at the White House. In an open letter, the poetess condemned President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over their complicity in the on-going Gaza genocide, adding she will not be used as a token to white-wash their crimes. She further urged her fellow South Asian colleagues to also refuse to participate in the White House event.

    READ MORE: Poet Rupi Kaur rejects White House invitation for Diwali citing ‘genocide’ of Palestinians

    Wall Street Journal has reported that more South Asian celebrities have boycotted the White House event. This includes ‘Never Have I Ever’ actress Richa Moorjani, who also signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire along with fellow actor Poorna Jagannathan. Journalist Sabrina Siddiqui shared screenshots of the article on her Instagram account.

    TikTok influencer Payal Desai, who has more than 293K followers on the platform, as well as prominent desi magazine Brown Girl Magazine, were among those who rejected the invite.

    Speaking to Siddiqui, tech entrepreneur and investor Anjula Acharia revealed she had declined the invite to Vice President Kamala Haris’ Diwali party, as had filmmaker Shruti Ganguly.

    “At this very moment, at a time of war, I find that their specifically one-sided stance is creating even more devastation,” Shruti responded. “The fact that there is little or no support or acknowledgement of the pain that Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims are facing at this moment, it’s really been disappointing.”

  • Renowned Washington Post faced extreme backlash for cartoon dehumanising Palestinian children, deleted later

    Renowned Washington Post faced extreme backlash for cartoon dehumanising Palestinian children, deleted later

    Washington Post was slammed on the internet on Wednesday for a racist cartoon dehumanising the Palestinians. Right now the number of Gazans killed in Israeli airstrikes has reached 10,000. The cartoon has since been deleted, while Post has put out an editorial note.

    The offensive drawing shows a crudely drawn Arabic man labeled Hamas with three children and a woman tied around him with ropes.

    “This is the kind of anti-Palestinian racism that they think is acceptable for publication,” slammed Palestinian poet Remi Kanazi.

    Palestinian journalist Ahmed Eldin re-shared the post to point out how the racism Palestinians are enduring in the Western media is similar to how the Jews were drawn as evil with physical features that compared them to rats or cockroaches.

    “Before the Holocaust, Jews were portrayed as irrational and evil, with physical features that made them appear akin to cockroaches and rats. These images dehumanized Jews to justify their mass extermination. Now, the Western press is doing the same to Palestinians. The source of this obscene and offensive piece of propaganda masquerading as a “political cartoon” by Michael Pramirez is not a lesser-known publication, but rather the widely recognized

    @washingtonpost. Regardless of the validity of the claims regarding Hamas using human shields, the notion that thousands of children being killed can be justified or deemed acceptable as collateral damage is absolutely unacceptable. The dehumanization of Palestinians, which serves as a pretext to permit and rationalize their mass killing, is a disturbing trend that seems to have no boundaries within American discussions and debates.”

    ‘What’s more troubling than this racist depiction,” Palestinian-American poet Mohammad El-Kurd wrote. “Is that the Washington Post thinks it’s OK to kill civilians if, hypothetically, ‘terrorists’ hid behind them. Even if the “human-shields” myth was true, only those who kill civilians are responsible for the act of killing.”

    Columnist and writer Fatima Bhutto tweeted her outrage:

    “This cartoon is so anti-Muslim, so racist it boggles the mind that any newspaper could print it. Beyond which, Israel has murdered over 4,000 children- do you have absolutely no shame depicting Palestinian children in this manner? What a disgrace.”

    The Washington Post opinion editor David Shipley published an apology for the cartoon on their website and took it down:

    “A cartoon we published by Michael Ramirez on the war in Gaza, a cartoon whose publication I approved, was seen by many readers as racist. This was not my intent. I saw the drawing as a caricature of a specific individual, the Hamas spokesperson who celebrated the attacks on unarmed civilians in Israel. However, the reaction to the image convinced me that I had missed something profound, and divisive, and I regret that. Our section is aimed at finding commonalities, understanding the bonds that hold us together, even in the darkest times.”

  • ‘I swear it smelled like the Kaaba’: Palestinian journalist’s wife remembers him on baby’s first birthday

    ‘I swear it smelled like the Kaaba’: Palestinian journalist’s wife remembers him on baby’s first birthday

    The world mourned the loss of Palestinian journalist Roshdie Sarraj who was killed after an Israeli airstrike hit his home in Gaza, leaving behind his wife and newborn daughter Dania.

    Social media was moved to tears yesterday when the late journalist’s wife Shrouq posted a loving note for her husband on their baby’s birthday, honouring Roshdie as a devoted father and husband who died defending the truth.

    “Habibi Roshdi,

    Exactly one year ago today, you were holding my hand, comforting me during labor. Having you by my side made it so much easier. We chose the name Dania for our daughter, which means “close” in Arabic, so she would forever remain close to our hearts.

    Today marks her first birthday, and we had planned a grand celebration, envisioning the memories we would create for her.

    Habibi, it has been two weeks since you were tragically killed while eating breakfast together, and I still hold onto the hope that you will be here to help her blow out her first candle.

    I am devastated by the idea of how she will remain “close” to Daddy’s heart without remembering his face. She is far too young to be orphaned, and I am far too young to be a widow. You were too young to lose your life simply for being a journalist.

    Never forgive,

    Yours.”

    Social media users expressed their grief in the comments and prayed Roshdie is resting in peace.

    In another post, Shrouq shared a picture of her and Sorraj at the Holy Kaaba in Makkah. In the caption she asked her followers to pray for her husband:

    “Pray for my beloved.. Pray for him a lot.. I swear it smelled like the smell of Kaaba.. Martyr my baby martyr”

  • Despite calls for her removal from Sephora, Huda Beauty donates one million dollars to Gaza

    Despite calls for her removal from Sephora, Huda Beauty donates one million dollars to Gaza

    Huda Kattan, the brains behind the successful beauty brand ‘Huda Beauty’, has consistently raised her voice to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The beauty mogul went viral a few weeks ago when she shut down an Israeli supporter who threatened to boycott her products.

    “I don’t want blood money,” Huda fired back.

    Since then, Israeli supporters are circulating a petition to attempt to remove Huda Kattan’s products from beauty giant retailer Sephora. But despite the backlash, Huda Beauty announced on its Instagram account that the brand was donating one million dollars to humantarian organisations in Gaza.

    “it’s been A MONTH of immense suffering in Gaza, and unfortunately things are getting worse.

    It’s important that we always stand on the side of the oppressed & use our platforms to shed light on any injustice. We cannot stand by and pretend like this is not happening.

    Our Huda Beauty brands, including Huda Beauty, Kayali and WISHFUL will be donating $1 million to humanitarian organisations in Gaza.

    This is only because of you that we are able to make this donation, so thank you for your support. Together we can bring change.”

    Social media users applauded Huda’s heroic stance.