Palestinian journalist Maha Husseini was awarded for her ‘courageous’ role in journalism. But after the award recipients were announced, the American Journalists Association said in a statement that Mahar’s award was being revoked. Criticizing this decision of the organization, many people are raising questions, is any American organization now controlled by Israel supporters? News from Anandabazar, Arab News and Middle East Eye.
Maha has reported continuously from the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israel-Gaza conflict. He has done numerous reports on Israeli operations in Gaza. It sometimes highlights how women are forced to give birth at home due to the deplorable conditions of hospitals in Gaza. Sometimes, Maha reports how a minor carries her six-year-old disabled brother on her shoulders to escape Israeli missile attacks and bombardments. The leaked reports were used by South Africa in its case against Israel at the International Court of Law.
On June 10, the “International Women’s Media Foundation” (IWMF) announced the names of three people including Maha for the “Courage in Journalism” award for “Courage in Journalism”. But on June 19, they issued a statement saying ‘Maha Hussaini has made various comments in the last few years which are against the policy of our organization. Hence his name was withdrawn as the awardee’.
Ever since Maha’s name was announced for the ‘Courage in Journalism’ award in the US, many radical groups and publishing houses started protesting. Some of his comments were made public and he was even criticized as a ‘Hamas sympathizer’.
After learning about this decision, social media Xay Maha wrote, ‘Winning an award for bravery means facing various attacks and continuing your work despite all this. However, the organization that rewarded me for my bravery changed their brave decision under pressure.’