Response to the senior issue and remarks about student activism

I am Ameera Alam, a 17-year-old activist, and soon-to-be 2024 high school graduate. As president of the Muslim Student Association and Feminism Empowers Me, and a participant in Lincoln Douglas Debate, I believe it is crucial and urgent for others to engage in activism to foster change and address societal issues.

On May 13, I was looking forward to finishing my last AP exam and attending graduation practice. I was excited to head into the last event of my time as a high schooler and enjoy the privileges that come with making it to the end. As we received our graduation packets I was eager to look inside, but I was quickly disheartened by the senior issue. There was a headline supposedly talking about the events that took place this year. A title discussing the “Israel-Hamas Conflict” caught my attention. This ”conflict” is in no way just a “this year issue”. This is a century-old conflict that requires a lot more than a paragraph to even scratch the surface. The provided information takes a biased side. This is such a polarizing issue, and it is unfortunate to see how little examination this piece went through. To remain unbiased, it is inappropriate to mention this issue with such little regard, information, and context.

Out of the seven sentences in that paragraph, five of them victimize Israel and make the reader view them as weak and in need of support, and there was not even a single sentence that explained the circumstances of Gaza at all. And then at the end, it mentions how people may take different sides on the issue. The paragraph discusses “the many attacks on Israel, that they have been able to manage”. First, there had not been any mention of the opposing attacks coming from Israel onto Gaza such as Operation Cast Lead, Operation Protective Edge, and the Great March of Return, and that they literally do not have a legally organized or lawful military or government to help them manage. Secondly, Israel will be more than able to manage those “attacks.” They are a multi-billion dollar military, primarily funded by the US government. On May 14, Biden will move forward with $1 billion in new weapons deals for Israel, mentioned in the Wall Street Journal. On the U.S Government of Defense’s website, “$14.1 billion for funding to support Israel, Biden said”. Labeling this as a current events issue without mentioning vital events also contributes to the bias. The paragraph mentions that the attack took place on a Jewish holiday but fails to mention that Gaza was continuously bombed during Ramadan. This is biased because not a single time was it mentioned what Israel did to Gaza. There was mention of how the communication lines were cut for the Israelis, but it was not mentioned how Gaza has been continuously facing communication blackouts, New York Times. They mention the 240 hostages, but not about how Israel held over 5,200 Palestinian “prisoners” in Israel since October (BBC News), and over 170 children (Al Jazeera). At the very end, there was an inadequate attempt to represent both sides. Given that the paragraph presents a slanted view towards Israel and omits the circumstances in Gaza, it inevitably leans in favor of Israel. In the final vague sentence of “30,000 deaths”, I want it to be known how the majority of them are innocent civilians from Palestine, and the majority are women and children, with the current death toll reaching 35,000, CNN. This issue simply cannot be properly brought into light within seven sentences, especially when new events are occurring daily changing our perspectives. People are entitled to their own opinions, but swaying them towards one side on a public platform that is supposedly unbiased, is problematic and should be addressed. 

I also want to address Principal Neuhaus' comments on doing the “right thing” and disregarding student activities on college campuses that he mentioned during graduation practice and how we are unable to wear country’s flags or things that were not issued by the school. Student protests are rarely on the wrong side of history and provide an integral role in movements and toward justice. Efforts from students aided change in the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, Apartheid, and the Tiananmen Square incident. It is unfortunate that the younger generation is being told to be mute and sit idly.  It would be so hypocritical to tell students during graduation to head into the future with their heads high and to make a difference in the world when we are being told to not take action. This country was founded on the principles of speaking up and fighting for justice. We have the right to our freedom of speech. We have to make the change we want to see, and it cannot happen by not doing anything. In no way am I condoning unnecessary violence, but it is imperative that we speak up and not be shunned down. 

We are taught values and ethics from kindergarten through senior year, and it is upsetting that right at the very end when it is supposed to be the most monumental, we are not able to exercise our beliefs.