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Or sign-in if you have an account.Photo by Mark Lennihan/AP PhotoLast week, Israel’s Civil Commission on Oct 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children released its comprehensive report, “Silence No More,” after two years of meticulous research, interviews with survivors and an analysis of photographs and video evidence.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThis is a much-needed document because it provides hard evidence to counter the conspiracy theories and fake news surrounding the horrendous sexual atrocities carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.As always, there are the naysayers. In a scandalous article that seems to have been strategically timed to be released the day before the “Silence No More” report, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof countered the brutal attacks of Hamas by claiming that there has been sexual violence committed against Palestinian prisoners in Israel, including the alleged use of trained dogs to rape prisoners.This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe article has been called into question by numerous experts. Michael Gould, an expert in canine behaviour who previously served with the New York Police Department’s canine unit, told National Review that it is “absurd” to think dogs can be trained to rape humans. James Crosby, a retired police officer and canine expert, similarly told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that it’s “highly unlikely that anybody is going to be able to train a dog to successfully commit a sexual assault.”Kristof also relied on reports from anti-Israel organizations such as the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, which has previously circulated false or unverified claims about Israel, including the dog rape conspiracy theory. His reporting relies primarily on anonymous sources, but those who are named have a checkered past and their stories have changed over time.The column, for example, quotes freelance journalist Sami al-Sai, who was jailed twice, in 2016 and 2024, on charges of supporting violence or terrorism, and has a documented history of celebrating Hamas’s atrocities. The watchdog group HonestReporting detailed numerous discrepancies between the account he gave Kristof and one he told to a human rights organization in early 2025.It was similarly found that Kristof’s other named source, Issa Amro, had given a different account of his alleged abuse to the Washington Post in 2024.For its part, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said the New York Times column is an ” unfathomable inversion of reality” based on “an endless stream of baseless lies.”This contrasts sharply with the civil commission report, which relied on official records, interviews with more than 430 witnesses, survivors and their family members, more than 10,00 photographs, over 1,800 hours of video of the attacks and other primary-source materials. The timing of the columns also fits into a pattern of attempts to downplay or turn a blind eye to Hamas’s use of rape as a weapon of war.In the immediate aftermath of October 7, there was silence and denial about the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas against innocent Israeli civilians. Feminist groups, women’s rights groups, the United Nations and many in the media would not touch the issue, with some going as far as claiming that the rapes, mutilations and other horrors inflicted on innocent women had not happened at all, or that there was not enough evidence to substantiate such claims.Members of the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism (CMAA), where I serve as president, recognized the truth early on. As Muslims who are well-versed in Islamist ideology, we understood that weaponizing sexual violence as a tool of war was not outside the realm of possibility for Hamas.On March 3, 2024, five months after the Hamas attack, CMAA and Secure Canada hosted an event in Toronto titled, “Women on the Frontlines: Muslim Leaders Speak Out Against the Sexual Violence of October 7.”The focus of the event was to recognize the impact of sexual violence. It featured seven Muslim speakers, along with Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, a prominent Israeli legal scholar and founding member of the Dinah Project, an organization committed to seeking justice for the victims of conflict-related sexual violence.Despite having diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, they all had one thing in common: they felt the need to speak truth to power. And they did this very effectively.Kaddari described the horrific, sadistic actions of the Hamas attackers and how they revelled in their evil. Since then, the Dinah Project published a book, “A Quest for Justice: October 7 and Beyond,” which is described as, “The first comprehensive legal and evidentiary framework to analyze the systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war during the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.”Asra Nomani — a Muslim investigative journalist and founder of the Pearl Project, which was setup to investigate the murder of her Wall Street Journal colleague Daniel Pearl — said she was inspired by the event and the panel filled with the “brave voices” of her fellow MuslimsZuhdi Jasser, a former U.S. Navy commander and expert on terrorism who co-founded the Muslim Reform Movement, pointed out that no matter what people may think, this battle is not simply one of Israel versus Hamas, but of radical Islam launching an assault on the western values of freedom, women’s rights, free speech and democracy.Soraya Deen, a lawyer and founder of the Muslim Women Speakers Movement, said that, “Hamas desecrated Islam by taking women, children and the elderly as hostages. The mass rape and murder of Jewish women was an affront to humanity.”All the other speakers clearly condemned the brutal attack by Hamas and its use of sexual violence.Their voices are just as important now as they were back then. As Cochav Elkayam-Levy, who co-authored the civil commission report, wrote, “For victims of sexual crimes, recognition is inseparable from the possibility of justice. It is never merely symbolic: it forms a necessary step in the process of healing and the restoration of dignity.”We should not allow people like Kristof to hijack the narrative and prevent the victims of Hamas’s brutality from having their stories heard and seeking the justice they so rightly deserve.National PostRaheel Raza is president of the Council for Muslims Against Antisemitism. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. 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