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• Anti-zionism and antisemitism are not the same—but Europe wants you to think so, says Mourad

ISTANBUL

French-Turkish author and journalist Kenize Mourad delivered a searing indictment of Western media and political complicity in silencing the Palestinian narrative, unveiling what she called “hidden censorship” in Europe—a bureaucratic and ideological suppression that cost the world its moral compass.

"In Europe, censorship is criticized a lot, sometimes in other countries, but in Europe there is no hidden censorship," Mourad said, challenging the common narrative of European press freedom.

In a public address delivered Thursday at the "Maarif Talks" series at Türkiye Maarif Foundation’s headquarters in Istanbul, Mourad said censorship, particularly in Europe, a subtle yet pervasive force, has shadowed her literary and journalistic career since the 2003 publication of her book on Palestine.

Mourad offered a rare and candid critique of Western media structures, political taboos, and the profound personal toll of defying them, recounting instances where her articles were ostensibly sidelined under the guise of "more important events" or competing priorities.

"But I was told, ah, but there are more important events this week, this year in the matter, and so it will be next week. And again next week, and the article never passed," Mourad told the audience.

Mourad clarified that while European states often champion press freedom, they engage in a nuanced form of suppression — concealed by bureaucracy, silence, or market justifications.

This duplicity, Mourad contended, has become glaringly evident in the Western media's insufficient coverage of the ongoing crisis in Palestine.

"We have seen it brilliantly, overwhelmingly, lately, with the drama of the Palestinians," she declared. "For the global south, for everything that is not Europe and America, I think that they no longer have any confidence in moral values, and that they no longer take into account the moral injunctions of the West, which does not know how to respect its own moral rules."

Peril of speaking truth

Mourad recalled writing her book during the early 2000s, amidst the Second Intifada, driven by an overwhelming conviction that the Palestinian narrative was not merely underrepresented but actively erased.

"I could see around me how many things were not understood, or at least misinterpreted," she said.

"I knew what risks I was taking… I did not want to get involved in this problem, because I know it is dangerous, at the risk of being treated as anti-Semitic by some, and anti-Arab by others. But I can no longer keep quiet, because the problem is too important."

The taboo surrounding criticism of Israeli policy, she added, had become so entrenched that even journalists feared being equated with extremism.

"In my opinion, it is much worse than saying that we killed ourselves," Mourad emphasized.

Zionism and power to silence dissent

Mourad directly addressed the conflation of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. "And of course," she continued, "the powers in power try to confuse anti-Zionism, that is, the criticism of Israel, with anti-Semitism. If you criticize Israel, you are called anti-Semitic."

She highlighted efforts in France to legally merge these two distinct concepts, an attempt she believes stifles legitimate political dissent and obscures journalistic truth.

She questioned the scarcity of information on Palestine in mainstream media: "Why is there so little information on the television, in the newspapers? Because for a few years, I regret to say, that all the means, all the media, are held by Zionists. And that the people who are not Zionists have to shut up or lose their place."

While Mourad did not suggest French complicity, she noted: "The French are not worse than others. If they really saw what was happening, they would react. But the political class and the media do everything so that they don't really see what is happening."

Profound price of truth

Mourad recounted the dramatic disappearance of media interest in her work after the publication of her book on Palestine, titled Scent of our land: Voices from Palestine and Israel.

"It was published in 2003, and since then, all my other books… Before, I was on all the televisions, radios, all the big newspapers. Since this book, there has been silence on my books," she revealed.

"In particular, the last one, which was published five years ago in Pakistan. Total silence. Not a radio, not a television, not a newspaper. Total silence."

'We built, they demolished'

Mourad also blended personal tragedy with searing political critique and echoed a poignant call for justice for Palestinians.

During a special reading event, Mourad’s French-to-Turkish interpreter and professor, Akif Emre Oktem, shared vivid accounts from her book, directly addressing modern-day geopolitical silences surrounding the Palestinian struggle.

The Turkish edition of her book painted a harrowing picture of a Palestinian family displaced by Israeli occupation.

"In 1967, when the Israeli army occupied East Jerusalem, we were taken hostage, and we became refugees again. We were five girls and five boys," Oktem quoted a Palestinian protagonist.

"We had to flee, like thousands of people, because the soldiers were threatening to destroy our house. We went to Shuafat Camp."

The narrative traced the family's repeated, heartbreaking attempts to legally build a home – applying and reapplying for permits, investing thousands of dollars with Israeli authorities, only to face consistent rejection.

The protagonist described constructing a modest home outside the official village plan, a structure ultimately demolished by Israeli soldiers in 1998.

Sabotaged negotiations and strategic violence

"It is true that this book was written 20 years ago. We have been seeing it for 20 years, and now it is clear. It was not clear at that time because there were negotiations with (Yitzhak) Rabin. Rabin really wanted real negotiations. Rabin was assassinated by the people of Netanyahu, by the extremists of Israel."

"As soon as there is a possibility of negotiation, Israel arranges for a tragedy, for someone to be killed. Today, I am very afraid. Two Israeli diplomats have been killed in the US.

"Was it really someone who wanted to avenge? Or was it someone who wanted to prevent the negotiations, the ceasefire that we were hoping for? I am very afraid that this is the second thing."

She reiterated that negotiations are systematically sabotaged, stating: "Israel eliminates the possibility of negotiation whenever it emerges."

Silence of Muslim states: Fear of democracy and financial interests

When Anadolu asked why many Muslim countries remain silent or complicit in the face of Palestinian suffering, Mourad responded: "I think that the Palestinian movement, Palestine, is a democratic country. However, all these small kingdoms, big kingdoms in the Middle East do not want democracy."

She accused regional rulers of fearing a free Palestinian state, viewing it as a dangerous precedent for their own populations.

"The peoples are all for Palestine. But what matters to the rulers is the money, to do business with Israel. They know that with Israel and the US… they will do extraordinary business. The rest, they don't care."

Mourad cited Egypt’s economic dependence on the US and the opportunistic trade ambitions of the Gulf nations as key drivers of their inaction.

'I have to write'

Following her conversation address, Mourad sat down with Anadolu for an in-depth interview.

She delved into her decades-long engagement with the Palestinian cause, the state of Western journalism, and the vital role of writers in an era of political censorship and disinformation.

Mourad emphasized that her mission is not driven by revenge but by the pursuit of justice through truth-telling.

"‘Scent of Our Land.’ It's coming from a poem of Mahmoud Darwish," she said, reflecting on the deeply personal and symbolic nature of the title.

Mourad pinpointed the Second Intifada as the catalyst for her decision to write the book. As a correspondent for international media outlets, she became deeply disillusioned by the imbalanced Western coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"The media in the West was not giving the right point of view... They were taking much more of the point of view of the Israelis... So I wanted to show the cause of the Palestinians."

Despite the personal risks and initial hesitation, she felt a profound moral imperative to act.

"I knew I was putting myself in great danger... but I felt if I was not doing it, I would feel I had not been true to myself. I have been a coward. And I have to write it."

Israel’s aversion to genuine negotiation

Reflecting on the current political landscape, Mourad offered a candid assessment of Israeli policy and its implications for any meaningful peace process.

"Netanyahu has never wanted to negotiate. They don’t want to negotiate. Because they know if they negotiate, they have to give back a big part of Palestine."

When questioned about the persistence of colonial-era imperial dynamics in modern geopolitics, particularly concerning the treatment of Palestinians by global powers, Mourad linked current hostility to Islam as a significant political and cultural force.

"In front of the Western ideology, we could say, globally, the only thing in front is Islam... It is very important in countries, very rich countries... They would be very happy if there was no Islam. I think."

Censorship and complicity in the West

Mourad was particularly critical of France and Germany, observing how their historical guilt over World War II has seemingly rendered them silent on Palestinian rights.

She cited the chilling effect of Holocaust memory being manipulated to justify contemporary policies.

"There is an American Jew, writer, very good writer. He's called Norman Finkelstein... [His book] is titled The Holocaust Industry. It shows how they use the Holocaust for everything. For justifying everything."

Mourad issued a clarion call to journalists, urging them to persist in telling the truth despite increasing dangers on the ground and relentless political pressures.

She warned that silencing journalists has become a deliberate tactic of oppressive regimes, particularly in conflict zones like Gaza.

"If the truth is known, people in general have a sense of justice... That’s why some powers, like Israel here, are killing journalists... The work of journalists is so important. But of course, it has become difficult."

Who is Kenize Mourad?

Mourad, born on Nov. 11, 1939, in Paris, is a French journalist and novelist of Turkish and Indian descent.

Her mother, Selma Hanimsultan, was the daughter of Hatice Sultan and granddaughter of Ottoman Sultan Murad V. Her father, Syed Sajid Husain Ali, was the Raja of Kotwara, a princely state in India.

In 1970, she began her journalism career with Le Nouvel Observateur, reporting on major Middle Eastern events such as the Iranian Revolution and the Lebanese Civil War.

In 1987, Mourad published her debut novel, De la part de la princesse morte (Regards from the Dead Princess), a semi-autobiographical account of her mother's life. The novel was translated into over 30 languages.

She continued her literary work with Le Jardin de Badalpour in 1998, further exploring her family's history.

Mourad's later works include Le parfum de notre terre: Voix de Palestine et d'Israël (2003) and Dans la ville d'or et d'argent (2010), reflecting her continued engagement with Middle East issues.