London doctor’s ‘death to Israel’ post triggers backlash

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A London doctor has sparked outrage over a social media post calling for “death to Israel,” with some pro-Israel supporters calling for her medical licence to be revoked.

Dr. Nahla Al Sarraj, now in post-graduate psychiatry studies at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine, in a video post on X spoke about the months-long conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and called for “death to Israel and death to Zionism.”

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She also called for the “complete dismantling” of support for Israel in its conflict with Hamas, and about the injuries and deaths of children in the war’s bombings.

“This type of inflammatory language is shocking and the fact it comes from a health care provider is beyond the pale,” said Rob Nagus, executive director of the Jewish Community Centre in London.   

 “I hope authorities take this seriously. It is alarming,” said Nagus, who called for action to be taken through “appropriate channels” against Sarraj.

“This is hatred and incitement at an individual level,” he contended. “This case needs the utmost care and attention by the appropriate bodies.”

Sarraj could not be reached for comment Friday.

Western’s Schulich School of Medicine and the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons both declined comment, citing student privacy.

“We recognize this continues to be a challenging time for many within Western and well beyond. Support is available to our entire community through a range of resources for students, faculty and staff,” read a statement by Cynthia Fazio, a communications official at Schulich.

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“The school is aware of social posts that have caused concern for some individuals in our community.  Privacy laws prevent us from commenting on any matter regarding a specific student.”

The college, the regulatory body for doctors in the province, also said it is aware of the posts.

Sarraj, whose social media profile says she is from Syria, has 50,000 followers on TikTok and 150,000 on Instagram. On Instagram, her handle is @imdoctornahla  and on TikTok, @doctornahla.

According to information on the regulatory college’s website, Sarraj studied medicine at the University of Queensland in Australia. She is now in her third year of psychiatry studies at Western.

“I do not care what job I lose, what opportunity I lose,” she said in her post. “Nothing justifies what we have been seeing for the last seven months.”

Sarraj spoke out in response to Israel’s military offensive against Hamas in Gaza that has killed nearly 37,400 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health authorities.

Israel’s military offensive was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas militants against Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 240 taken hostage.

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The backlash on X was swift, with some calling for the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons to pull Saraj’s medical licence.

“How can you allow a doctor to practise medicine when they call for the death of a people? We need answers. Revoke Dr. Nahla’s license,” said Livi Lucas.

“We are looking for swift action” by the college, said another respondent, @zion_mensch. “Doctors’ job is to save and protect lives, not to call for their destruction.” 

Added Dahlia Kurtz: “I’m not a lawyer, but I somehow don’t think it’s okay to practise medicine in Ontario, Canada and call for the death of a people. Publicly. Vehemently. Repeatedly. Gleefully.”

ndebono@postmedia.com

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