A rose by any other name

If you quack like a duck, and you walk like a duck, and you look like a duck: I am not going to call you a dog.

From the Toronto Star:

The National Council on Canada-Arab Relations and the Canadian Arab Federation made their demands yesterday after CBC Radio reported that CanWest publications, including the Post and the Ottawa Citizen, inserted the word "terrorist" into a Middle East story reported by wire service agency Reuters, and substituted the word "terrorist" for such words as "militant" and "insurgent" in an Associated Press story.

"This is another troubling example of clear bias by CanWest publications like the National Post and the Ottawa Citizen in applying different standards towards Arabs and Muslims when reporting," said the council's executive director, Mazen Chouaib.
Federation president Omar Alghabra echoed the concern.

"CanWest, one of the largest media conglomerates in Canada, is failing its responsibility towards all Canadians, not just Arabs and Muslims," he said. "The media has moral and ethical obligations to report the facts when it comes to news reporting, not the opinions of their editors.

So Canwest Newspapers and Ottawa Citizen dared to call the Al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade TERRORISTS instead of militants or insurgents! It is about time. This is the kind of labour your "so-called militants or insurgents" do:

This was the August 31, 2004 Beersheba bus bombing in Israel. 16 people were murdered and over a 100 wounded. Hamas claimed responsibility but Al-Aqsa Marty’s Brigade has participated in more than their fare share of bus, school, coffee shop, restaurant and supermarket bombings. As a matter of fact Al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade has the singular distinction of producing the first female suicide bomber who elected to terrorize by imploding herself in a Jerusalem supermarket.

Attacking civilians in their homes, in their cars or by imploding yourself in a city street, bus, supermarket, school, restaurant, or nightclub does not make you a martyr, a hero, or a patriot; what is makes you is TERRORIST.

My message to the National Council on Canada-Arab Relations and the Canadian Arab Federation is that your issue is not with Canwest or the Ottawa Citizen; though it is far past your time to register your complaint with Hamas, Islamic Jihad,Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade and Herzbollah.