Why do we love Jon Stewart?

I was recently watching two episodes of Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, in which he was commenting on the war in Gaza: In one episode, he quizzed Hillary Clinton and in the second, he used his typical witty and sharp creative way to describe how US supporters of Israel stifle any balanced discourse on the issue of Palestine. Jon Stewart’s comic but clever approach has captured millions of audiences and loyal followers.

Watching The Daily Show, one can experience nothing short of sheer admiration for Stewart’s incisive and gutsy comments. It is very easy for an anchor sitting behind his or her desk in Dubai or Doha to criticise Israeli policies, but it takes a great deal of courage and character for Stewart, who is Jewish and who lives in New York, to express his views, despite knowing that he is going to face a great deal of criticism. New York City is one of the cradles of the pro-Israel lobby and standing up to it in a creative and entertaining way is the reason why we love Stewart.

I met Stewart last month during my trip to New York. He is an intellectual, humble and down-to-earth person who is truly concerned about peace. Someone like Stewart exemplifies a sincere desire to achieve peace and Arabs want peace. We are tired of wars. We are tired of seeing the killings of children. We are tired of seeing fighter jets destroying the homes of our kinsmen. We are really tired. But as Arabs, have we done enough to show support and encouragement to balanced and prominent figures like Stewart? Have we sufficiently acknowledged Stewart, given the undue criticism he has received and is likely to continue to experience for being upfront about the atrocities in Gaza?

I am not sure we have, given the apathy that is pervasive in the Arab world. Traditionally, we, as Arabs, have not supported those who support us and we have not punished those who stand against us. In short, by standing against Arabs, one can only gain; and by standing with us, one can only face a downside. Encouraging people who speak out like Stewart need not be a tedious task. Regular people who are moderately computer literate can just go to their tablet computers, smart phones and computers and send positive messages and appreciation on The Daily Show’s web page. It takes three minutes to accomplish this and if thousands of viewers and Arab sympathisers do that, it will hearten Stewart and similar high-profile figures to continue to speak out. Any entertainer or politician thrives on the support and appreciation of his or her audiences. We should encourage the spirit of eparticipation by the Arab world, especially the youth, and nurture this type of positive activism in our culture.

Like Stewart, there are many genuine people who have had the courage to speak out, including in the US, Europe and even in Israel. We need to support those individuals who are the best conduits to influence their own societies. Today, with the advancement of social media, anyone can be reached anywhere. The media can no longer package messaging and feed it to the masses — anything can go viral. This is an advancement in technology that we as Arabs should benefit from. We should identify those who are loyal to the truth and those who are genuinely moved by human suffering and we should show them our respect and appreciation.

When the Jews asked Jesus Christ for a strong leader to free them from the Romans, he replied saying that the truth shall set you free. I think this applies to Palestine. So far, Israel has been able to paint a rosy picture in the psyche of the western world and mainly in the psyche of the American people, where Arabs — and Palestinians in particular — have been given the image of bloodthirsty terrorists. We need to show the world the truth: That Palestinians are not terrorists, that they are a people who have been deprived of basic human rights and held prisoners in Nazi-style ghettos created by Israel. Only when public opinion changes in the West, namely in the US, and the average citizen becomes aware and sensitised to Palestinian suffering that they will no longer support political candidates who condone Israel’s aggressive policies. When the attitude of political candidates towards Israel becomes a factor in citizens’ choices at the polls, then US policymakers will no longer have this unconditional support for Israel and hopefully will show Israel some “tough love” that will compel it to reform its belligerent attitude towards Palestine.

Therefore, I think the best thing you can do after you read this article is to go to The Daily Show’s web page and type in the message: ‘We love you Jon Stewart.’

Dania Khatib is a communication specialist. She was recently awarded a PHD in politics from Exeter University, United Kingdom.