Los Angeles journalist Laila El-Haddad’s op-ed “My family in Gaza faces starvation. How do I find solace this Ramadan?” (March 16, TribLive) could have been an insightful, sincere report on tragic circumstances in Gaza. But instead another dishonest, disingenuous report that leaves us more disappointed than informed, more frustrated than empathetic to the very real suffering.
And the reason for our seemingly harsh reaction is the journalist’s own intolerant, possibly hate-filled heart and clearly acknowledged indifference to the Israeli, Jewish civilians, as if they and their army launched a war on Gaza and the West Bank against those populations. Is El-Haddad really dumping in the national news the lie that Israel declared war on those civilians?
We don’t make this up out of nothing; the writer herself glaringly lies by omission about the genesis of this war with no mention of Hamas, Hezbollah and the atrocities of October 2023.
A recent Catholic Mass Gospel tells the story of Jesus confronting a vigilante mob about to stone a woman to death for her sins. Jesus quietly, firmly asks the first non-sinner to begin, and, amazingly, in the crowd of good people, there are enough at least to end this story peacefully.
We suggest the journalist read this Christian lesson and learn the lesson of Ramadan in Islam applies to all of God’s children.
D’Anthony Kennedy
Plum