Toronto Star: Muhammad Lila: "Believe it — Beirut is back" (5/1/2011) "Things stayed that way until 2006, when Beirut’s streets once again became battlegrounds during the 34-day Israel-Lebanon War. It took a United Nations-brokered ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. In the end, some 1,300 Lebanese — mostly civilians — were dead, and much of southern Beirut was reduced to rubble." Send letter to editor
24 Hours: Reuters: "Western powers snubbed" (5/1/2011) "Iran invited Russia, China, the European Union and others on Tuesday to visit key nuclear plants, but left out Britain, France, Germany and the United States — the countries most opposed to its nuclear program." See also:National Post
National Post: AFP: "Shah Of Iran’s youngest son kills himself" (5/1/2011) "The Shah of Iran’s youngest son has committed suicide in Boston, his family said Tuesday. Ali Reza Pahlavi, 44, who was studying at Harvard University, had struggled to come to terms with the political troubles in his native Iran, said his eldest brother Reza Pahlavi." Send letter to editor
National Post: Stewart Bell: "Controversial anti-Islamist group plans rally in Toronto" (5/1/2011) "A British right-wing group responsible for a wave of violent anti-Islamist street protests in the United Kingdom will attempt to spread its message to Canadians at a rally in Toronto next week." Send letter to editor Ottawa Citizen: David Warren: "Exposing the hypocrites" (5/1/2011) "The Egyptian government in Cairo and the Alexandrian governate immediately and simultaneously said "foreign elements" were behind the attack, as if there were no Islamist fanatics within Egypt herself. Egyptian media, under close government supervision, began speculating that the Israeli Mossad might be behind the attack, and a leading spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood was widely quoted wondering if al-Qaeda might be under the control of "the Zionists." Write letter to editorSubmit online comment
National Post: Matt Gurney: "Tehran will never get a Gary Powers" (5/1/2011) "In recent days, Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards claimed to have shot down "many" Western spy planes, including some over the Persian Gulf. The Guards did not offer any proof for this claim, such as footage of the shootdowns or scraps of wreckage. Nor has any Western country reported the loss of any planes. If there is any truth at all to the claims, it probably means the Iranians have knocked down one or more unmanned reconnaissance drones." Send letter to editor
24 Hours: Reuters: "Contemporary comment" (5/1/2011) "An Israeli soldier holds baby Jesus in a nativity scene constructed by U.S. born actor Leo Bossi of what he says depicts what it would be like if Jesus were to be born in modern day Bethlehem.
National Post: Rizwan Jabbar: (letter to the editor) "The price of peace" (5/1/2011) "I disagree with certain assertions of this editorial. Don’t forget that many "Arab dictatorships" are supported by Western democracies because of their subservient nature and dependency on handouts. The West kept Egyptian strongman Hosni Sayyid Mubarak in power for decades. We restored the sheikhs of Kuwait back to power and we also supported the Shah of Iran. I agree that pluralism is needed in many Muslim countries, but it is also lacking today in the so-called "Western Civilization," as evidenced by recent restrictions on issues like minarats, hijabs and the construction of mosques."
National Post: Michael N.W. Baigel (letter to the editor) "Killing Christians" (5/1/2011) "The recent attacks on Christians in Iraq, Indonesia, Gaza, Nigeria and now Egypt should not be a surprise to anyone…" Ottawa Citizen: Wajid Sayeed (letter to the editor) "Tired tropes" (5/1/2011) "Osama bin Laden, the poster boy for Muslim radicalism, in his video following the attack on the World Trade Center, listed a series of purely material grievances which justified the attacks. Central to his speech were the crippling sanctions and bombing campaigns against Iraq, and American military aid to Israel, most of which is used to enforce its dehumanizing treatment of the indigenous population. When the London tube bombers released their videos, they too mentioned almost exclusively material justifications for their acts, again putting paid to the notion that spiritual angst is the sole motivation for these types of attacks. Regardless of the religious undercurrents, there are obvious material grievances that cause some Muslims to seek retribution." Write a counter letter
Mike is the Executive Director of HonestReporting Canada and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the organization, its financial management and project development. A seventeen-year veteran of the Canadian journalism industry, Mike was a former editor-in-chief, reporter, and anchor of various news programs and publications. Mike's focus is on delivering efficiency and professionalism as HRC moves into new technological and geographical spheres. Mike is a human rights expert and a frequent on-air commentator. His work has been published in the Globe and Mail, the National Post, Toronto Star, CBC News and more.
