A consistent defence of each other’s humanity is the way forward
Monday, 4 May 2026
Donna Miles is an Iranian-Kiwi columnist and writer based in Christchurch, and a regular opinion contributor.
OPINION: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said recently Iran is “humiliating” the United States.
Much of the world agrees with his view and perceives Iran as emerging with a strategic and symbolic victory, despite the tactical military success of the US.
Still, it is premature to even pose the question: “Who is winning?” Cricket taught me that asking such a question before the match fully concludes only exposes one’s ignorance of the game and its rules.
Nevertheless, we can agree that the US’s brand has been damaged on the global stage in ways that may prove difficult to reverse. What is also undeniable is the genuine and growing worldwide anger over the war’s human cost (including at least 120 Iranian schoolgirls), and the resulting economic havoc and geopolitical instability.
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Unlike many voices in the pro-Palestinian community, I have long argued that the primary source of instability in the Middle East, decades before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, has been US foreign policy. Joe Biden famously stated in 1986: “Were there not an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the region.”
Washington has sought influence over the region’s energy resources through supportive client states. Israel’s occupation and expansion have relied heavily on American military aid, intelligence, and diplomatic cover. In my view, the best path towards peace involves a fundamental shift in US policy: ending its military footprint in the Middle East and its unconditional support for Israel.
However, some of the most influential right-wing media personalities have a different view. In a striking development, several figures with documented histories of promoting conspiracy theories, minority-bashing, anti-immigrant rhetoric, Islamophobia, and antisemitic tropes have repositioned themselves as vocal critics of Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu’s sway over Trump administration decisions.
This at a time when Trump’s own erratic public statements, including those hinting at ending Iranian “civilisation”. prove that he largely follows his own impulses rather than external control.
Prominent examples of these media influencers include Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Having followed them for years, I remain sceptical of their motives. Although their arguments may occasionally appear compelling, their track records suggest a primary focus on personal brand-building, audience engagement, and relevance rather than genuine concern for Palestinians or principled anti-imperialism.
It seems these people have understood the rapidly shifting attitudes towards Israel and are building their platforms based on what works best on social media: whipping up hate without adequately countering antisemitism or explaining its harm.
As a pro-Palestinian supporter who has faced accusations of antisemitism, I understand the “boy who cried wolf” effect and remain wary of accusing anyone of spreading antisemitism without solid proof. But I also understand the media’s responsibility toward communities facing bigotry and hatred.
I believe the dehumanising tactics deployed against Jews and Muslims often mirror each other. Therefore, both groups benefit from challenging hatred directed at the other with equal resolve.
Numerous Jewish organisations and voices do precisely this. Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), J Street, and the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem routinely criticise Israeli policies while fighting Islamophobia and advocating for Palestinian rights. Over my 12 years of involvement with pro-Palestinian groups, some of the most rigorous and morally grounded analyses of Israel’s occupation have come from Jewish intellectuals and scholars, including Noam Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein, Peter Beinart, Ilan Pappé, Jonathan Glazer and Naomi Klein.
Solidarity must of course flow in both directions. A good example is The Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism (CMAA), founded in April 2021 on Holocaust Memorial Day by Pakistani-Canadian activist Raheel Raza and others. It positions itself as the first global Muslim organisation dedicated exclusively to fighting antisemitism in all forms, including condemning the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.
In the UK, the group Muslims Against Antisemitism confronts hatred of Jews with the same commitment applied to anti-Muslim bigotry, through education, community programmes, and interfaith efforts.
Antisemitism was long regarded as a uniquely eliminationist hatred. Yet the prolonged suffering and destruction in Gaza illustrates that the endpoint of any sustained dehumanisation campaign is mass violence that many experts have described as genocidal. No community holds a monopoly on virtue or immunity from such dangers. Systemic hatred must be opposed regardless of its target.
I am currently in London and was shocked to read about the recent Golders Green stabbings, where two Jewish men were attacked in the street.
Such acts of violence remind us that real families and communities bear the human cost when hateful rhetoric escalates unchecked. Jews and Muslims share a profound interest in rejecting dehumanisation in all its forms. Only through consistent defence of each other’s humanity can we hope to safeguard our own and build a more just future.