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Playboy's decision to cancel Mia Khalifa over Israel draws praise, comparisons to Harvard's vilified response

In light of Mia Khalifa's insensitive posts, Playboy decided to sever ties with her and remove her as a creator from their CENTERFOLD platform

Warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Playboy garnered praise for severing its ties with former adult actress Mia Khalifa following a series of controversial comments she made on social media, which drew widespread condemnation for her apparent support of the Hamas attack on Israel.

The magazine confirmed this decision in a recent statement, marking an abrupt end to her association with their CENTERFOLD platform, which she had joined as a creator in February 2022.

Playboy's statement about Mia Kalifa's apparently pro-Hamas posts 

Playboy issued a statement that read, "We are writing today to let you know of our decision to terminate Playboy's relationship with Mia Khalifa, including deleting Mia's Playboy channel on our creator platform," as per the Daily Mail.  

"Mia has made disgusting and reprehensible comments celebrating Hamas' attacks on Israel and the murder of innocent men, women, and children. At Playboy, we encourage free expression and constructive political debate, but we have a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech. We expect Mia to understand her words and actions have consequences," it concluded.

Mia Khalifa makes controversial posts amid Israel-Hamas conflict

The controversy erupted when Mia Khalifa, who boasts five million followers on her X (formerly Twitter) account, made several posts that appeared to make light of the tragic conflict between Israel and Hamas.

One of the posts that read, "I can't believe the Zionist apartheid regime being brought down by guerrilla fighters in fake Gucci shirts - the biopics of these moments better reflect that," sparked online outrage.

Another said, "Can someone please tell the freedom fighters in Palestine to flip their phones and film horizontal." 

In an attempt to explain herself, Khalifa later posted, "I just want to make it clear that this statement in no way shape or form is enticing the spread of violence; I specifically said freedom fighters because that's what the Palestinian citizens are… fighting for freedom every day."

Playboy's decision to part ways with her received widespread support, with many lauding the magazine for taking a bold stance against hate speech. Some even drew comparisons to a controversial statement signed by dozens of Harvard student groups. 

What statement did some Harvard student groups make amid the Israel-Hamas conflict? 

The statement by Harvard student groups declared, "We hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence," and condemned the actions of the "apartheid regime" in Israel.

It also called for a stand against "colonial retaliation" and urged the Harvard community to take action to stop the ongoing conflict, as per Newsweek.

"The apartheid regime is the only one to blame," said the statement, adding, "From systematized land seizures to routine airstrikes, arbitrary detentions to military checkpoints, and enforced family separations to targeted killings, Palestinians have been forced to live in a state of death, both slow and sudden."

It concluded, "Today, the Palestinian ordeal enters into uncharted territory. The coming days will require a firm stand against colonial retaliation. We call on the Harvard community to take action to stop the ongoing annihilation of Palestinians." 

Netizens react to Playboy firing Mia Khalifa over apparent pro-Hamas post

Soon after Playboy issued a statement about severing ties with Mia Khalifa, the Internet flocked to show their approval. 

Attaching the statement, a person stated, "tfw Playboy issues a better statement than Harvard."

Another said, "Guess who fired Mia Khalifa? It’s PlayBoy $PLBY We can all agree that PlayBoy made a better statement than Harvard, Yale, Colombia, etc." 

"Integrity comes from odd sources," someone else chimed in.

One quipped, "I’ll subscribe out of principle." 

Khalifa's comments also had other real-world consequences, the CEO of Red Light Holland, Todd Shapiro, informed her that she had been "fired effectively" due to her "horrendous" posts.

She responded, "I'd say supporting Palestine has lost me business opportunities, but I'm more angry at myself for not checking whether or not I was entering into business with Zionists. My bad." 

Khalifa, who was born in Beirut and raised in the middle of the South Lebanon-Israel conflict, has long been an outspoken advocate for Palestinians. Despite her controversial past in the adult industry, she has since distanced herself from it and uses her platform to speak out against pornography.

Escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict

The Saturday, October 7 attack on Israeli citizens marked the beginning of a war, with over 900 Israelis confirmed dead as of Monday afternoon, October 9, and more than 2,000 injured. These numbers do not account for those still being held hostage in Gaza, the exact count of which remains uncertain but is believed to be in the hundreds.

President Joe Biden released a statement condemning the "inexcusable hatred and violence" of the terror attack on Israel, revealing that "at least" 11 Americans had lost their lives in the ongoing carnage. The situation in the region remains highly volatile.