Urgent Request for Equitable and Unbiased Media Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Dear Sir/Madam,

With deep regret, I have to write that the media coverage of the recent conflict between
Israel and Palestine has been extremely biased and unjust. The media has been publishing
unverified news stories that have been spreading hatred and enmity instead of creating
peace and de-escalating the situation.

Just to mention a few examples, Metro published an article on Tuesday with the heading
“Hamas ‘beheaded’ babies in village near Gaza, Israel claims”.  This news story originated
with reporters from i24News, an Israeli TV network however they later told other outlets that they could not confirm the reports because it is “disrespectful for the dead”.  It is also being said that the journalist who had visited only heard from the soldiers and did not witness anything themselves.

President Biden said that he had seen the pictures of children getting beheaded but later a
White House spokesperson clarified that President Biden had not seen such pictures.
Similarly, The Los Angeles Times published an article claiming that Palestinian group
Hamas had raped Israeli women, however, they later retracted their statement.

It is evident that the majority of the superpowers and mass media haven’t done enough to
de-escalate the situation.

Although the injustices and cruelties faced by Israeli civilians have garnered widespread
media coverage, the same cannot be said for Palestinians. It is vital that political biases are set aside, and equitable media attention is extended to victims on both sides of the conflict.

While false pictures and videos continue to proliferate on social media, it is crucial that
regulated media outlets take more decisive action to curb the dissemination of
misinformation. The public relies on you to deliver accurate news, and the unchecked
spread of false information can significantly influence their perspectives, potentially leading to the election of future leaders who would enact unjust policies as the current leaders are doing.

The worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Masroor
Ahmad (aba), stated in regard to the current Israeli and Palestinian conflict:

“Now, all the major powers, or Western powers, have put justice aside and are uniting to inflict cruelty upon Palestinians and there is talk of armies being sent from all directions. Images of the oppressed are shown to depict the injustices being perpetrated and false reports are shown in the media. One day, there will be news about the condition of Israeli women and children and their dire circumstances. The next day, it turns out that they were not Israelis but, in fact, Palestinians. Yet the media does not take any accountability for this, and there is no sympathy expressed for them. These people simply follow whoever has power. They will bend before anyone who has worldly means.”

(Friday Sermon, 13th October 2023)

Your sincerely,
Abdul Quddus Arif
President Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK