Internet Divided Over 4-Year-Old's Hamas-Themed Birthday Celebration

A seemingly innocent celebration in Sydney, Australia, evolved into a heated row when photographs surfaced of a four-year-old Australian child standing proudly next to a birthday cake coated with Hamas insignia. This sparked outrage and condemnation from all walks of life, causing the bakery to remove its social media accounts after proudly sharing photographs of the cake on social media.

Background

The uproar started when Oven Bakery by Fufu, a Sydney bakery, posted photographs on social media of the birthday cake they had made for the young child. The cake featured the Palestinian flag and a photo of Abu Ubaida, a spokesman for Hamas, a militant group recognised as a terrorist organisation by several nations, including Australia. The toddler was pictured with the cake, imitating a gesture, while wearing an attire and a headscarf attributed to the Hamas operative.

Furthermore, the Hamas official's image appeared on some cupcakes decorated with a Palestinian flag.

Public Response and Outcry

The images quickly went viral online, triggering a wide range of reactions from the public. While some supported the bakery's creative attempt and praised the child as a "champion," the majority of the online community condemned the bakery's choice of theme as highly inappropriate and offensive. The response forced Oven Bakery by Fufu to swiftly remove their account from social media, after witnessing the magnitude of the public's outrage.

Robert Gregory, CEO of the Australian Jewish Group, denounced the portrayal of the child as a terrorist, labelling it as "reprehensible" and a form of "child abuse." He added, “Islamic extremism and the radicalization of youth are not just problems for the Jewish community. They are threats to all Australians.”.

Whereas Chris Minns, an Australian politician, described the photographs as "horrifying". "Kids parties should be innocent and fun, not hateful," added the politician.

Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, stated that anyone glorifying terrorist organizations in this manner was suffering from "a rare kind of psychosis." He added, "It takes a rare kind of psychosis to want to teach infant children that Hamas terrorists are to be admired and emulated. If this is what is happening in some Sydney homes, we should prepare for a generation of violent extremists."