That a racist threat to Hasan’s life by a proponent of the Zionist machine is considered ‘shocking’ is itself a revelation when we are seeing Palestinians targeted, and a global acceptance of it for this same reason, writes Mariya bint Rehan. [GETTY]
So accustomed are we to seeing Palestinian life being debated in garishly lit studios, that the most recent viral clip of this perverse media genre was at real risk of falling beneath the internet radar. Writer and right wing commentator Ryan Girdusky’s almost indiscernible, but equally purposeful comment to journalist Mehdi Hasan during a recent CNN debate appears to have crossed an arbitrary red line in the paradoxical world of media discourse.Â
Girdusky’s glibly worded threat to Hasan regarding a potential going off of his ‘beeper’ is a reference to Israel’s planting of explosives in pagers across Lebanon, killing at least 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000. Itself a watershed moment in contemporary warfare, and amidst an onslaught of Israel’s brutality and carnage in Gaza that knows no end, this seemingly ordinary moment appears to have flicked a superficial switch.
This is despite existing in an increasingly macabre media landscape which has live-streamed a genocide while simultaneously denying its existence.
Palestinian lives don’t matter
CNN quickly condemned the comment, and Hasan himself, along with his co-guests, labelled it as racist and unacceptable. In reality it is entirely consistent with a world view fomented by the ethno-nationalist Zionist movement, which is itself propped up by the American establishment.
The attitude that belies it is of no surprise to those of us that have been paying attention the past year and beyond.Â
Indeed, Israel and its allies have proven time and time again that no Palestinian or Muslim life is deemed equal, or even remotely worthy. To such an extent that non-Muslim life which gets in the way of the settler colonial project, is mere collateral damage to the carte blanche of killing Muslims – be it aid or humanitarian workers.
Certainly, Gurdisky’s threat is nothing new, and is entirely consistent with the expressed objectives of Zionism. So why then did it promote pearl clutching at a time where we are seeing the implicit and explicit consequences of this world view so intimately on an industrial scale?
The faux outrage the exchange has provoked is insulting coming from a media industry which has allowed the killing of 128 Palestinian journalists over the past year – accounting for what will now be well over 75% of the journalists killed world-wide, and which includes the deliberate targeting of their families.
Indeed, that a racist threat to Hasan’s life by a proponent of the Zionist machine is considered ‘shocking’ is itself a revelation when we are seeing Palestinians targeted, and a global acceptance of it for this same reason.
On a surface level, it exposes the laser security system that those in solidarity with Palestine are forced to navigate, and which police the debate concerning actual human right to life for Muslims, versus the rhetorical abyss through which Zionism is allowed to expand untethered. Girdusky’s flippancy speaks of a racist, abhorrent attitude indulged by the military industrial complex, media darlings, and a whole network of political interest, and which is becoming more radical by the second.
The worth of Muslims
Hasan’s own political positioning, more recently as an advocate of the Democratic Party under whose watch this cull has developed, is what has granted him a literal seat at the table. Yet, even this cheerleading for genocide enablers has not protected him from overt threats to his life. Indeed, Hasan’s response to the fall out was strangely triumphant – suggesting that those of us who tow the official lines will be rewarded with strongly-worded statements by right-wing media companies. A worthy pay-out for the cheapening of Muslim life.
In reality, Hasan’s politics strengthens those parameters through which supporters of Palestinians, and opponents of genocide, are narrowly able to express their solidarity, and fight for change. Only when that solidarity meets the expectations of a system which deems the UNWRA terrorist, are they tenuously considered deserving. Certainly, when we are fixated on the words of these sophists, it is easier to be distracted from the ugly material reality they seek to manipulate.
Gurdisky’s emboldened attitude, to so publicly threaten the life of a colleague, is the enduring result of a long history of Zionism and the genocide apologia it breeds. He felt comfortable enough to issue such a threat because the images we have been seeing on our screen are consistent with this throw away remark – that Muslim life is dispensable, particularly if it’s in the way of Western interests.
What the fallout from the comment really demonstrates is the hypocrisy which keeps Palestinian killing alive. It is too obvious a threat for a polite media company which endeavours to sanitise the debate and wrap it up in the veneer of media speak – of lives found ended and missiles with minds of their own.
As the US election approaches, and the Harris campaign resorts to more and more desperate measures to entice Muslim and Arab voters to their bloodbath, the borders of acceptable conversation will once again be redrawn to camouflage this reality. Palestinian life remains a subject of grotesque debate.
Mariya bint Rehan is a writer and illustrator from London, with a background in Policy and Research and Development in the voluntary sector. She has written and illustrated a children’s book titled The Best Dua which is available internationally.Â
Follow her on Twitter:Â @ummkhadijah13Â Â
Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@newarab.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of their employer, or of The New Arab and its editorial board or staff.
