‘Ridiculous’: NYT faces heat for portraying Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah as ‘gifted orator’, champion of ‘equality’
Amidst escalating tensions in the Middle East and death of Hezbollah terror chief, The New York Times came under massive criticism after publishing an article that many claimed attempted to downplay the image of Hassan Nasrallah by portraying him as a supporter of “equality” for all religious groups in the region.
Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, carried out multiple horrifying attacks on Jews worldwide because he wanted destruction of the Jewish state.(AFP)
On Friday, Israel’s military launched a massive aerial bombardment on Beirut, killing Nasrallah, 64, in an event that shocked the world.
Published without a byline on Saturday, the article headed “Protesters Mourn Nasrallah’s Death Around the World” praises Nasrallah as a “gifted and powerful orator” who “maintained that there should be one Palestine with equality for Muslims, Jews, and Christians.”
Nasrallah and his group carried out multiple horrifying attacks on Jews worldwide because he wanted destruction of the Jewish state.
According to the article, Shiite Muslims “beloved” Nasrallah for offering “social services” in Lebanon.
Over the last 40 years, Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Islamist terrorist group, has been accused of carrying out a number of deadly terror attacks against Jews, including the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires that claimed the lives of 85 people and the subsequent plane crash that killed 21 people, including several Jewish.
Hezbollah carried out multiple suicide bombs in Israel during the 2000s, frequently attacking civilians in public areas like restaurants and buses.
In the Golan Heights, which is under Israeli control, Hezbollah launched a missile attack this summer that killed at least 12 civilians aged between 10 and 20.
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NYT draws massive backlash for its article
One X user commented on a post emphasising certain elements of the article, saying, “The Times readership is now down to liberal elites, politicians, Communists and Islamists.”
“This is so embarrassing,” another wrote, questioning, “How can anyone take the NYT seriously anymore?”
Another person blamed the Gray Lady of “Jihadsplaining” and “attempting to turn explicit calls for genocide into something positive”.
Nasrallah’s death is being seen as a severe setback for the group and that it may cause instability throughout Lebanon.
Following his demise, an ecstatic IDF spokeswoman declared at the time of his passing: “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world,” Daily Mail reported.