Makchic under fire after write-up gives “neutral vibes” on Israeli occupation of Palestine

SHAH ALAM - An article on the current Israeli colonisation of Palestine by a Malaysian-based online parenting site, MakChic, has drawn backlash from readers for its neutral stance on the genocide.

The article “That Could Be My Child Too": Navigating the Israeli-Palestine Conflict as a Mother rubbed readers the wrong way with how it was written.

The title irked readers as it used the word 'conflict' instead of genocide or colonisation.

The article starts mildly enough, with the writer lamenting the deaths of innocent children from the ongoing attacks and how to navigate complex topics such as these with children.

However, in the middle, it starts to veer into neutral ground, where, in one paragraph, the writer illustrates that her young son had asked about the recent attacks after seeing her donning a tee shirt with a Palestine flag.

The writer had chosen to use the words 'Hamas attack on Israel' (which implies that Palestine had somehow started the war) and had said that her son had asked her:

"Aren't they the ones who killed lots of people the other day?"

In another paragraph, she illustrated that Malaysians, especially 'Malaysian Muslims', have been proud and longstanding supporters of Palestine but start questioning whether this particular group has any Jewish friends or has considered asking their international or non-Muslim friends what they think about the topic.

The writer then goes on to question whether people are really looking at the issue from both sides or whether people can make space for others who are apparently troubled by Hamas as an organisation.

Netizens were quick to slam the article, with user @mshfddle commenting, "You want to be cancelled? This might just be it."

Another user, @laikmh, commented, "It's frustrating that your organisation positioning itself as a media and news outlet in Malaysia has issued this post, which seems out of touch with the situation and history.

"Given the abundance of misinformation from other news sources and the serious consequences of vague language on this matter, it is disappointing that your choice of words doesn't quite reflect the gravity of the situation for the majority of your audience.

"This kind of carelessness only adds to the existing lack of decency and truth in the media," she said.

User @ridiannasution wrote, "Is there really a need to stay neutral in this matter? Mirroring the likes of western media might make your team believe that you are of the same standards, but sadly, as we can see, the western and international media are heavily biased, controlled, and manipulated.

"Sad that your team feels the need to follow suit and be 'politically' correct, especially considering your team consists of mostly parents. Call it as it is. Genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid! It's clear; there's no need to dumb it down. Your readers aren't dumb," she wrote.

Another user, @kuqis, commented, "Are you really trying to say that being Chinese in Malaysia makes what Palestinians feel tolerable?

"The issue is simple: Israelis occupy the land and go against agreements. You don't have to try and make more of the situation given its complexities; it's already so complex as it is," she said.

While user @du-dote wrote "not conflict. It's a genocide, the ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people of Palestine, not 'Israel-Palestine Conflict'. It is the colonisation of Palestine by Zionist settlers. Words matter," she wrote.

Makchic and the writer have since responded to the backlash in an Instagram post. The post reads:

"It’s been a rough time for my team at Makchic, and I feel personally responsible.

"The irony is that personally, I have been against the occupation for a long time and believe, too, that genocide is happening.

"Our team is firmly against this, and all of us want an end to the violence in Gaza.

"I thought the mention in the article that I had been wearing a shirt with a Palestinian flag or that I was at the protest march (and I have been to several throughout the years) was an indication enough of my stance. I was mistaken.

"This opinion piece was meant to reflect my own process of navigating this discussion with my children and the thoughts and conversations I’ve been having, not Makchic’s stance on this topic.

"Any carelessness or remissness, even naiveté, are mine to bear as @makchic’s head, and for this, I apologise.

"The team at Makchic has been beyond reproach, doing all they can to be on the right side of history. Any mistakes are mine alone."

A quick check in the comments section has found many readers requesting for the opinion piece to be taken down, but it is still available to read on the site.

Makchic describes itself as a Malaysian-based online parenting site for urban mothers and fathers, where the content mostly focuses on diverse stories of parenthood.