The principal of a Nepean high school is facing backlash and calls for him to lose his job for the decision to play a song in Arabic during a Remembrance Day ceremony.
But a parent of one of his students is now speaking out in support.
On Tuesday, Aaron Hobbs, the principal at Sir Robert Borden High School, included the song, which is associated with support for Gaza, in Remembrance Day ceremonies.
The school board has launched an investigation and apologized to families for the song, which it said could be seen as politically charged and “caused significant distress.” Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod, a self-proclaimed Zionist, has expressed outrage on social media, calling for Hobbs to be fired from the school board.
The reports say the Arabic-language song, titled “Haza Salam,” was played during a slide show of Canadian soldiers and that some students and parents were upset about the music choice.
The song is used as a backdrop in many online videos showing destruction in the Gaza Strip and expressing support for Palestinians, but the lyrics do not explicitly mention the conflict, according to accompanying translations.
In a note to Ottawa Compass, MacLeod said playing the song was “shameful” because it was not from a list of pre-approved songs for Remembrance Day ceremonies from the Royal Canadian Legion.
“The song was inappropriate and disrespectful to Canadian veterans,” her note read. “As a parent of a (Sir Robert Borden High School) alumnus, local MPP and wife of a veteran, I was appalled at the lack of judgement by the school and the selfishness of those who would distract from the true meaning of Remembrance Day to further their political agenda.”
On X, formerly Twitter, MacLeod said it was a“politically-charged move including a Palestinian war song at a Remembrance service for Canadian veterans.”
“It diverted attention from our military men and women as my constituents – the parents of the students – started looking at translations from a song in neither official language,” the post continued. “If you respected our military history and the sacrifices for freedom you wouldn’t have played this card.”
The Jewish Federation of Ottawa also issued a statement criticizing the choice to play the song, saying it “reflects poor judgment in a public school setting.”
A few days after Remembrance Day, “Hamas High” was graffitied across the high school’s front sign. It was quickly removed.
In a letter to families, Walter Piovesan, acting superintendent of education for Central West Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), said the board is “committed to ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment for all students” and will not be commenting further on this matter until the investigation is complete.
Hobbs and OCDSB did not respond to requests for comment from Ottawa Compass.
But despite public outcry, one parent of a Robert Borden student has another view.
Single parent Melissa is a mother of three; her eldest is a Sir Robert Borden graduate, middle child is a current student.
She asked to be identified by a middle name to protect the identity of her family and avoid being doxxed online. Members of her community have reported being slandered professionally and on social media for expressing pro-Palestinian and pro-Islam views.
Melissa’s daughter was not in school on Remembrance Day, and Melissa heard about the issue over social media. She met with Hobbs the day after.
“I contacted him right away, honestly out of anger,” Melissa told Ottawa Compass. “I didn’t understand why this issue was getting so much backlash.”
Melissa’s daughter, who is of mixed race and Muslim, attends Sir Robert Borden High School, and has experienced bullying and racism in the past. At that time, Melissa said she didn’t feel her daughter was properly prioritized or protected.
“There are these issues we’ve dealt with and made complaints about, but not much happened as a result,” she explained. “So given how things like this have been handled in the past, I was angry that there was such a response to this.”
Despite being used by pro-Palestinian movements, the song does not explicitly discuss Gaza or Israel or express anti-Semitic views; the lyrics reference sorrow and a desire for peace.
However, MacLeod has insisted that the song is offensive and insulting to Jewish students and members of the community. To Melissa, the song is being framed as anti-Semitic simply because it is in Arabic, which she says is “sad and worrying.”
“I saw [Hobbs] had apologized and I was even more angry because it’s just appeasing one side and not representing the diversity in the school and in the country,” she said. “There’s this pushback that promotes the ideology that Canada is just white people.”
Her 18-year-old son is currently enrolled with the Canadian Armed Forces at the Royal Military College, and he and her daughter were both in Canadian Cadet programs. While the use of this song could have shown a lack of inclusion in “acknowledging our diversity and those who have been impacted by past wars,” apologizing for it shows the opposite, Melissa explained. “We often use the words ‘never again’ on Remembrance Day. But ‘again’ is still ongoing.”
After the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, and during Israel’s war with Gaza that has unfolded since, Melissa’s daughter has also been labeled as an anti-Semite for being Muslim.
“She has had Jewish friends, we have no issue with any other faith or ethnic background,” Melissa explained. “But it’s had an impact on my daughter’s willingness to come forward with these kinds of issues.
“This ideology is so childish and so ridiculous. People are trying to frame anything Arab or Muslim as terrorism,” she continued. “Some bad guys speak Arabic, so now all who speak it are bad guys? I just don’t understand.”
When she met with Hobbs, Melissa said they discussed previous issues at the school, and he acknowledged that he is making efforts to include all voices.
She said a song in Arabic can help students like her daughter feel included in their communities. Instead, her own government officials are perpetuating misinformation and stereotypes.
Melissa converted to Islam as an adult and, at the time, she was working for the federal government. When she was expecting her first child, she recalls that a coworker told her other colleagues that she was “carrying a terrorist baby.”
“Ironically, my son is now in the military,” she said. “This was about 19 years ago and I really feel like nothing has changed at all in all these years.”
And although she was born in Ottawa, she has also been told by strangers on the street to “go back to where she came from.” But she was born in Ottawa, and she says she’s frustrated that she and her children are not being accurately represented by her government officials.
“[MacLeod] is my MPP. but she’s not representing my views. They aren’t supposed to only represent one voice, and clearly, we’re not all being represented. Who decides who gets to be heard?” she continued. “Clearly, not all people in Canada are allowed to have their voices heard.
“Everyone wants to eat Middle Eastern Shawarma, but doesn’t want to share the rest of the culture or language?” Melissa asked. “By making statements like these, you’re painting images that not everybody is welcome, that students like mine have to suppress their ethnic background.”
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board now says it is looking into the issue to ensure it’s addressed “appropriately and meaningfully.” A number of petitions have been circulating and rallies hosted, both in support of the school and opposed, including an upcoming protest that argues that Arabic content in high schools is “against Canadian values.”
Although the song itself does not explicitly mention Palestine or the war in Gaza, Melissa said it’s “all connected”.
“It’s this idea that has been planted by the media and by some government officials,” she said. “It’s the fault of these adults who have framed a song as bad or terrorism just because it’s in Arabic.
“It doesn’t have anything to do with the Jewish community. This just doesn’t make sense, and it makes me question everything,” she continued. “I feel like the politicians and media are dividing us rather than representing and bringing together all Canadians.”
with files from the Canadian Press
