Chronicles of a new “Anti-Semitism Scandal” (part 1): I am NOT “Collateral Damage!”

“Collateral damage” is how my lawyer insisted on referring to me since the “scandal of Deutsche Welle” set off when I was included in Süddeutsche Zeitung’s allegations attacking the Arabic service.

The said allegations mainly claimed that a couple of colleagues and I were Anti-Semitic and Anti-Israel, and were formulated, giving a sense of conspiracy led by the head of the Arabic service in DW, who allegedly chose the four of us to form a “systematic movement”.

These allegations were neither questioned nor their facts checked specifically regarding who actually hired us, our backgrounds, do we even work together, and if we have this common ground that SZ claims or not. A couple of hours later, the attack in the German Media began.

Suddenly, I was referred to with my full name on the front lines of some well-known newspapers and magazines like Der Spiegel, Bild and Die Welt, and for sure some Israeli newspapers, after being (Farah. M).

Stories became more specifically about me as well, and I went straight from being mentioned at the end of the report in SZ, into the leading figure in Der Spiegel. Of course, I was given increasing attention in the Israeli media, which invested more effort to bring allegations surrounding me forward from 2014 and 2015 to 2017, framing me to be deeply guilty in this public trial.

Being placed in the headlines without the ability to fight back since DW suspended me and began an external investigation made me sick. Furthermore, my full-time employment contract signed a couple of months ago with the organization in an attempt to focus on “my future in Germany” became a lock on my mouth when I needed to defend myself.

For its part, DW was spreading the word trying to protect itself from a storm that could damage its reputation (as it appears) and cancellation of funding from taxpayers that the parliament must approve.

Waiting was killing me, so I decided to take the initiative and free my pen, and later accept whatever consequences, to say: NO, I AM NOT COLLATERAL DAMAGE! I am a Palestinian Jordanian female journalist who went all the hard way to improve her life, freedom, judgments and career in Germany. I came to Berlin with BIG DREAMS to live a better life, learn from the German media and politics, and then bring these “great values” to my home in the Middle East!

Although my goals were aligned with DW’s since I came to Germany, I feel now that this apparently is not enough to be heard and is not enough to be defended by the place you sacrificed a lot for. Not because Deutsche Welle didn’t want it, but because the Storm is too big here, and it is far from logical or fair.

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*This article is a part of my “Chronicles of a new “Anti-Semitism Scandal” series documenting my experience while being wrongfully accused of anti-Semitism and subsequently under investigation by Deutsche Welle and the German media. I am a professional journalist who believes in my profession’s mission, ethics, and values, and I will not remain silent in search for the truth, facts, and honest dialogue. I will keep writing and documenting until the end of investigations on the 15th of January 2022 or longer if needed.