{
  "id": 18982972,
  "title": "'They were calling Hamas heroic': Canadian Muslim student explains her post-October 7 Zionism",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/08/they-were-calling-hamas-heroic-canadian-muslim-student-explains-her",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-08T17:36:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/podcast/jpost-sits-down-with/article-914247"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Raihaana Adira, a Canadian Muslim student and Ismaili Shia Muslim, was raised with the belief that Islam was a branch of Judaism. Growing up in Canada, she spent afternoons with her grandfather who taught her about prophets and likened Jews to \"our cousins.\" This early lesson shaped her identity, leading her to become a proud Zionist at McGill University. Despite being labeled antisemitic by her sorority sisters, Adira sought to understand her own beliefs further by studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the summer of 2023. Upon her return to Canada, the October 7 terror attack occurred, leaving her friends uncertain about their safety. Adira found herself caught between two communities, facing harassment and hostility from her classmates who began to view Hamas heroically. She experienced a range of personal challenges, including antisemitic remarks on campus and a staff member at her Hillel telling her they couldn't support her because of her beliefs. Adira's father was murdered when she was 16, and this traumatic loss makes it difficult for her to comprehend people who celebrate killing. She has dedicated herself to building a support network for teenagers who have lost a parent to war, terror, or violence. Adira also addresses the issue of antisemitism within her own community, sharing her personal experience of being turned away from a campus mosque for being a Zionist. She prefers to identify as \"a Canadian Muslim, not a Muslim Canadian,\" reflecting on her grandparents' history as refugees expelled from Uganda and their resilience. Currently, Adira is back in Israel with the Ophir Foundation and has an innovative project in the works: a video series offering recommendations to improve Israel's \"apartheid,\" starting with the observation that a country seeking to erase Arab culture would not put Arabic on every street sign.",
  "summary": "From losing her father to murder at 16 to watching her classmates cheer October 7, Canadian Muslim Raihanna Adira speaks on her Zionism, her faith, and fighting hate on campuses.",
  "key_points": [
    "Canadian Muslim student Raihaana Adira became Zionist after studying in Jerusalem.",
    "Post-October 7, she faced harassment for identifying as a Zionist.",
    "Adira works to support war-affected teens and critiques Israel's apartheid."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}