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- calendar_today October 9, 2026
Arts Council Initiates Internal Review Following Poem in The Ex-Puritan
An internal review has been launched by the Canada Council for the Arts after the literary journal The Ex-Puritan, which receives government funding, published a poem seen as supporting terrorism as a form of resistance. The poem, written by Toronto author Bahar Orang, has sparked significant controversy for its interpretation of the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel.
Details of the Controversial Poem
The poem, titled Flood, appears in the latest issue of The Ex-Puritan. Bahar Orang's work references the events of an October morning, aligning with October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis, marking the deadliest day for the Jewish community since the Holocaust. In the poem, Orang writes, “Praise the paragliders, their gentle ascension, their unbroken morning, and of course their triumphant descension…,” referring to a key element of the attack, as Hamas fighters entered Israel using powered paragliders, according to reports from Reuters and CNN.
Orang further writes, “praise the fighters,” acknowledging their "courage, cunning and patience," and goes on to describe “the tanks on fire, the enemy fleeing.” The poem continues with, “Praise the missiles, the recognitions written in blood on each one, the names carved already into your own flesh.”
Reactions from the Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts, which supports The Ex-Puritan through a four-year grant awarding $22,000 annually, responded to the situation with a public statement. The council emphasized that it “takes concerns regarding the content published in the most recent edition of Ex-Puritan very seriously.”
According to the council, legal counsel has been retained to assist with the internal review. The statement clarified, “The opinions expressed in The Ex-Puritan do not reflect the council’s views.” The council maintained its position as an arm’s length funder, supporting a diverse range of artistic and literary expression across the country, but acknowledged, “freedom of expression is not without limits, and concerns that published content may contravene Canadian law warrant careful review and consideration.”
Bahar Orang’s Editorial Note and Background
Bahar Orang, who served as guest editor for this issue of the journal, included an editorial note articulating her rationale for focusing on armed resistance. Orang wrote, “Among our obligations as Westerners, one is straightforward: to honour that creation of possibility, even when — or especially when — it takes the systematically disavowed form of armed resistance.” She added, “Taking resistance seriously in all its forms alters what we, as cultural workers, are able to perceive: the violence already structuring ordinary life, and those who fight it as political agents.”
Orang is described by Book*hug Press, which published her debut in 2020, as an award-winning author and practising psychiatrist in Toronto. Her work is expected to appear in Best Canadian Poetry 2027. National Post has contacted Orang’s publisher for comment.
Funding and the Broader Debate on Cultural Expression
The Ex-Puritan’s funding, awarded in 2024 by the Canada Council for the Arts, supports its overall operations, shining a light on the complexities of government funding, editorial independence, and cultural expression in Canada. The situation has reignited debates around censorship, the boundaries of artistic freedom, and the responsibilities of publicly funded organizations.
Next Steps in the Review Process
The Canada Council for the Arts’ internal review is ongoing, with legal counsel involved to determine whether any content may contravene Canadian law. The case prompts further conversation about the intersection of arts funding, literary grants, and limits to artistic expression in Canada.
Source: nationalpost.com.
