Zainab Salam

An illustration of an American military officer shaking hands with Iron Man in the foreground, in the background are a group of MCU heroes one one side and American soldiers on the other
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Avengers, assemble . . . for the Pentagon and its allies

Peak Web June 24, 2025

By: Zainab Salam, Opinions Editor The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has become one of the most dominant forces in modern cinema. Yet beneath the visual grandeur and pop-culture appeal lies a subtler narrative thread — one that blends the art of filmmaking with ideological messaging. The MCU pushes out pro-military propaganda, leveraging its immense cultural reach to reinforce particular narratives about American power and militarism.  The root of this relationship runs deep. Since the inception of the MCU with Iron Man (2008), Marvel Studios has collaborated with the United States department of defence on several projects. These collaborations manifested as…

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An illustration that depicts a grocery store associate, talking to a customer during checkout
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Your cashier is not your therapist

Peak Web June 17, 2025

By: Yulissa Huamani, Peak Associate and Zainab Salam, Opinions Editor The checkout line at the local grocery store might seem like a pleasant opportunity for a friendly conversation. Chatting with the cashier at the register while going grocery shopping can be…

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Hands sticking out of the exterior front of the British Museum, reaching out to Turtle Island, India, and Australia. At the bottom, the text reads “the sun never sets on a totally authentic collection.” A small British flag is perched at the top of the museum.
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The British Museum’s new digital experience: Theirs spiritually, but ours legally

Peak Web June 16, 2025

By: Zainab Salam, Opinions Editor British Museum website update Preserving our history In a bold leap into the 21st century, the British Museum is proud to unveil its brand-new website, designed to educate, inspire, and preserve everything we had the…

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sketch of a woman looking at the mirror
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Monday Music: Mythologies of the self

Peak Web June 15, 2025

By: Zainab Salam, Staff Writer There is a strange beauty in the in-between. We often resist it — when life doesn’t offer clear beginnings or endings, where you are neither who you were nor who you will be. But as…

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A group of students holding signs that read “We want fake news!” and “ban news!” and “put the fake back in news!” and “humour is news!”
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My letter to the News Editor: It’s time to put the fake back in news

Peak Web June 13, 2025

By: Zainab Salam, Concerned Staff Writer Dear Hannah (The Peak’s News Editor), I write to you today as both a concerned member of the SFU student body and a staff writer for The Peak. With every passing day, I become…

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This is a photo of the very tall United Nations Building in New York next to a body of water.
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Tŝilhqot’in Nation calls for action around the toxic drug crisis on the global stage

Peak Web June 9, 2025

By: Zainab Salam, Staff Writer On April 24, at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, a delegation from the Tŝilhqot’in Nation presented a plan to combat the toxic drug crisis within their six member communities. This initiative follows…

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picture of the Italian Foreign Minister and edited protest signs behind him saying "my nona hates this song," "this is not what Vivaldi died for," "defending Italy one cup at a time."
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Italian-Estonian relations hit a bitter brew over Eurovision song

Peak Web June 4, 2025

By: Zainab Salam, Part-time barista Eurovision has presented the world with its fair share of entertaining spectacle. This year, the diversion presents a brewing controversy of the caffeinated kind. Estonian artist Tommy Cash’s performance of Estonia’s entry song, “Espresso Macchiato,”…

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A white pin on a navy duffel bag that says “They/them”
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“They” is correct, and so is respect

Peak Web June 3, 2025

By: Zainab Salam, Staff Writer Content warning: descriptions of misgendering and transphobia. A surge in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate crimes and discrimination in Canada over the past few years is emboldened by the anti-trans agenda pushed by right-wing figures like Pierre Poilievre.…

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An Indigenous-designed wooden open-air structure with a triangle roof made with wooden planks and totem pole pillars. Sunlight is entering through the spaces between the spread-out wooden planks in the roof.
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Decolonizing education begins with reimagining

Peak Web May 30, 2025

By: Zainab Salam, Staff Writer A decade ago, at a seminar for newcomer youth in downtown Vancouver, an Indigenous speaker shared a powerful observation that stuck with me. He asked us to think about the shape of rooms in buildings,…

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sourced photo from org that sent press release
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Police presence outside Downtown Eastside harm reduction sites sparks concerns

Peak Web May 28, 2025

By: Zainab Salam, Staff Writer and Hannah Fraser, News Editor Healthcare workers and patrons in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) are voicing concerns that the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is “deterring access to harm reduction sites.” Harm reduction is an “evidence-based…

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