In his op-ed “Show up for your Jewish peers,” Medill junior Tobias Khabie accurately recognizes the recent proliferation of antisemitic rhetoric on college campuses. Khabie asserts that the Northwestern community ought to show up to support the Jewish community by watching the documentary “October 8,” which is set to be released on March 14th.
However, despite Khabie’s valid concerns, I believe that supporting this documentary, which platforms and emboldens Islamophobes and false anti-Palestinian narratives, is dangerous and misguided.
Antisemitism is one of the most despicable forms of bigotry alive today, and the events of Oct. 7th are an undeniable tragedy. With the state of this nation, it is more important than ever to support the Jewish community.
However, platforming the documentary “October 8,” which primarily features an Islamophobic and genocide-supporting bigot — Mosab Hassan Yousef — is a betrayal towards our University’s Middle Eastern and North African community.
The Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and President Donald Trump, amid a ceasefire, are advancing the discussion of forcibly removing Palestinians from their land. After the death of at least 47,000 Palestinians coupled with a 50% rise in hate crimes targeting Muslims, it is important to remember that there is no reason to believe that advocacy for Palestinians and Muslims is inherently antisemitic. What is inherently Islamophobic is the rhetoric and speakers of “October 8.”
For example, the documentary’s website has stated one of its “principal characters” will be Yousef — a man who stated he would choose the life “of a [single] cow” over the lives of 1.6 billion Muslims. Yousef, in May of 2024, further advocated for the deaths of Muslims and the complete “burning of Rafah.”
The documentarians have also recreated one of the longest-standing racist tropes against Middle Easterners claiming “this is no longer about Jews or Israel. This is about Western civilization.” This rhetoric is nothing new; claiming Muslims are a threat to Western civilization was also used to justify the illegitimate Iraq War and the USA PATRIOT Act.
There are ways to advocate for Jewish students without platforming individuals who see Muslim lives as expendable or even detestable. We cannot trade hate for hate. We must and can honor both our Jewish and Muslim communities. If you support this film, you will have failed both groups.
Franke Gordon is a Weinberg sophomore. He can be reached at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected]. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
