Nov/Dec 2024

In recent years, popular social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have emerged as powerful tools for raising awareness and supporting humanitarian causes worldwide. Theve presented information that may not appear in traditional news outlets: supported the organization of demonstrations against foreign policy and illuminated protests against human rights violations. Currently, social media is also helping in raising funds for Palestinians suffering in Gaza.

TikTok Filters Help Raise Money and Awareness for Gaza

In November 2023, one month after the genocide started, a filter named FILTER FOR GOOD started making its way into young people’s TikTok feeds. Created with augmented reality (AR) effects — digitally-added objects, text, or images that enhance the real world seen through a phone, computer, or AR headset — by designer Jourdan Johnson (@xojourdanlouise), it allows users a free and easy way to donate to Palestinians. The more a filter is used, the more money it generates. Johnson has donated all the proceeds to Doctors Without Borders and to buy eSIMs for Palestinians to stay connected. 

While raising thousands of dollars, this filter has also opened a new pathway especially for young donors. Thousands of TikTok creators started making videos, filters, and sounds to donate the proceeds to Gaza. Using the watermelon emoji as a symbol of support for Palestine became popular as well, so that videos weren’t flagged or taken down.

These methods made it easy to help those in Gaza. Filming a video with a filter or sound takes less than 10 seconds; however, it could help a family evacuate. This online activism also educated many TikTokers about the conflict. 

Additionally, many Gazans have now turned to TikTok to raise donations directly. Palestinian families have created their own filters and sounds, and regularly post them on TikTok asking for contributions to their GoFundMe accounts. Many TikTokers use this platform to donate directly to those accounts by interacting with their videos, using their filters, and creating sounds to help them generate money.

Instagram Gathers Support 

Many of these activism techniques are available on Instagram. Palestinian families and those trying to raise funds for organizations in Palestine turn to the reels feature, short videos similar to  TikToks, to gain support. Instagram users interact with these videos to generate money for the creator, and often share these videos on their public stories to raise awareness and increase donations.

Instagram is also a central platform for journalists and press in Gaza. Bisan Owda (@wizard_bisan1), a journalist who has been documenting her life of displacement in Gaza, has accumulated over 4 million followers since October 2023. Her activism has reached many, and her account has allowed supporters to track her life and truly understand the conditions in Gaza. 

Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza (@motaz_azaiza) is another key figure in spreading awareness via Instagram.. Although he evacuated Gaza in January 2024, his work reporting under Israel’s bombardment gathered him over 17 million followers and an extremely large amount of support. His photos of life during the genocide  have been shared in thousands of stories, bringing more support and awareness to the ongoing issue. .

Let’s Talk Palestine (@letstalkpalestine), an organization dedicated to conveying accurate information about the conflict’s background, has almost 1 million followers. With posts such as Israeli Apartheid for Beginners, A Guide to Boycotting for Palestine, and numerous ways to donate to and support Palestinians, the account  is  a key player in educating Instagram users. Their broadcast channel contains daily updates on Palestine.

Additionally, many such activist organizations establish their home base on Instagram. National organizations such as Hearts in Gaza Project, Operation Olive Branch, and Doctors Without Borders use it as a central point of their platform, by reaching a wide audience and directing them to their website via their accounts. One of these organizations, Watermelon Warriors (@watermelonwarriors.io), uses Instagram as one of its main platforms.

Sanaa Asif, a senior at Hinsdale (Ill.) Central High School, is an avid reader and loves to learn and write about others and their experiences.

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By the ISNA Green Initiative Team

Sep/Oct 2024

The barbaric and genocidal onslaught in Gaza, among the worst cases of slaughter and destruction in history, has been extensively covered in the media and Islamic Horizons. It now sits in the top quartile of the most devastating bombing campaigns, as evidenced by a group of satellite images taken from the U.S. space technology firm Maxar Technologies (Julia Frankel, Jan. 11, https://apnews.com/).

Environmental and Ecological Impact

The coastal territory’s orchards, strawberry fields, and sandy beaches that were once the Gazans’ pride are now a dehumanizing landscape of military bases, craters, and ruins. Two-thirds of the land in northern Gaza was agricultural, but not much of it is left. Israeli bulldozers have razed fields, destroyed centuries-old olive trees, and orchards to clear a buffer zone more than one-kilometer-wide (0.6-mile) inside Gaza along the northern border between Israel and Gaza. 

The army has built dikes and earthen mounds to protect its tanks and clear the view. In addition, 2,000 agricultural buildings have been razed — including 90% of all the northern districts’ greenhouses. 

According to a June 18 United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) report, the Gazan slaughter’s environmental impact has created unprecedented soil, water, and air pollution problems that have destroyed sanitation systems. Explosive weapons have generated some 39 million tons of debris. Each square meter of Gaza is now littered with more than 236 pounds of debris. The report also found that water, sanitation, and hygiene systems are now almost entirely defunct, because Gaza’s five wastewater treatment plants are no longer operational.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that 67% of Gaza’s water and sanitation system, poor at the best of times, has now been destroyed (Jon Donnison, June 21, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd119dz515wo).

A study titled, “A Multitemporal Snapshot of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Israel-Gaza Conflict,” conducted by an international team of researchers and published on June 6, details the significant environmental impact of the ongoing genocide. Co-authored by Benjamin Neimark (senior lecturer, Queen Mary University, London) and Patrick Bigger (research director, the Climate and Community Project), it provides a comprehensive estimate of the ensuing enormous greenhouse gas emissions. This report says the additional emissions associated with rebuilding Gaza are projected to be higher than many countries’ annual emissions (www.researchgate.net/).

Environmental and ecological impact is among the immense problems that Palestine will have to deal with in the coming decades. The planet-warming emissions generated during the first two months of Israel’s genocidal campaign was greater than the annual carbon footprint of over 20 of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations. In addition to its water supplies and food security already being threatened by sea level rise, drought, and extreme heat, Israel’s indiscriminate bombing has rendered Gaza’s environmental situation catastrophic. 

During this and previous military campaigns, Israel has prioritized weaponizing water, gas, electricity, and other resources. It has also targeted the environment by destroying essential infrastructure. For instance, during the genocide’s first days, Israel limited Gaza’s water, electricity, and fuel supplies. As electricity and fuel are essential for water pumps and desalination, raw sewage continues to flow into the Mediterranean Sea (Zeinab Shuker, Dec. 19, 2023, www.tcf.org).

Besides the severely damaged public water supply systems, wastewater treatment facilities, and drainage networks, the toxic oil and other chemicals leaking from demolished plants into surface and groundwater has brought risks of soil erosion and triggering long-term health disasters, including sanitation crises and the spread of waterborne diseases. 

The rockets and missiles not only cause immediate humanitarian crises, but also have long-lasting hazardous impacts worldwide. Specifically, toxic residues, including those from metals, plastic, and electronic waste, heavily contaminate the soil with widespread pollution. As a result, local agricultural areas will suffer from desertification, soil erosion, and land degradation. 

Since 1967, Israel’s military actions have induced the uprooting of over 2.5 million trees — more than one million of which were olive trees — an essential source of income in the region. This ongoing destruction of native trees and crops has worsened the habitat fragmentation of local species and accelerated biodiversity loss and desertification. 

Heavy bombardment has not only decreased the amount of human habitat, but has also increased air pollution, as toxic and hazardous compounds are released into the environment from burning buildings and industrial facilities. Green spaces and agricultural land have also been heavily damaged. The generational and other profound health effects in children are unknown. The same goes for how exposure to toxic chemicals affects pregnant women. 

Ana Rule, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health told Grist.com, “These microparticles can be kicked up by footfall or vehicles or lofted to other places on the wind” (https://www.scientificamerican.com, Jan. 29). Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to climate solutions and a just future.

Inhaling silica, a key ingredient in cement and glass, also increases the risk of cancer. The long-term projections of cancer and pulmonary diseases will not be known for some time. These typically have lag times. For cancer, it’s 20 to 40 years, a period that could be accelerated by repeat exposures. Intensive bombing, demolition, and damage to multistory buildings has spread huge amounts of cement particles and other particulates over both Israel and Egypt. These will be inhaled by people and deposited on farmland, with as-yet long term and unknown dire consequences.

The Future

Air and water pollution, as well as soil contamination, have no geopolitical boundaries and thus also affect global natural resources and ecosystems for generations. Therefore, recognizing the urgency of environmental preservation and ecological responsibility even amid warfare is crucial. 

Forty public health scientists have called for an immediate cessation to the violence. The authors have drawn attention to the urgent need to rebuild Gaza’s health care system and restore the physical and human infrastructures that make a livable environment possible and promote human health and well-being (Environmental Health, June 28). 

In addition, these individuals say that environmental remediation should form one of the most important parts of international effort to assist reconstruction, through which it is hoped lasting peace could be achieved. Health and sustainable development are among the accepted international human rights obligations. 

They have also urged that the global community support Gaza and the Palestinians in its post-war recovery and reconstruction, including the rebuilding of the health system, the remediation of environmental pollution arising from Israel’s extensive use of weaponry, and the implementation of population-wide mental health programs to address the current, future, and intergenerational effects of trauma.

Sadly, the quieting of the bombs and guns will merely mark the end of one chapter of Gaza’s suffering. Once this genocide ends, the UN and the international community must find a way to launch and scale up reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts. Such a collective commitment to post-war environmental restoration will contribute to a sustainable and resilient future by rebuilding the linkage of global well-being and environmental governance.

In Palestine, there will be a special need for investment in water storage facilities, both for domestic consumption and agricultural use. Ecosystems will require additional protection, because saltwater will likely push into coastal aquifers. Endemic species are now under threat (Israel and Palestine are part of the Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot, https://tcf.org/). The Mediterranean Basin hotspot is home to about 515 million inhabitants, 33% of whom live on the coasts. But Gaza’s in a weaker position than ever before for providing any of these protections. Any lasting peace in Gaza must go beyond a ceasefire and political solution, difficult as the latter may be to attain. Peace will also require environmental justice.

Given that climate change doesn’t recognize borders and political arrangements, Israel will also experience environmental degradation. For instance, Ashkelon (originally al-Majḍal), a mere eight miles from Tel Aviv (originally Yafa), one of Israel’s desalination plants has been shut down several times during the past few years due to pollution from Gaza. As the genocide will increase the amount of pollution in Gaza, Israel’s water security will also be jeopardized. Without enabling the Palestinians to protect their own environment, Israel cannot protect itself from a cross-border environmental disaster.

The current movement among universities to divest from those companies that produce these armaments and supplies to Israel is encouraging. We, as supporters of peace and justice for the Palestinians and other oppressed people, should raise our voices against production and profiting from such destructive armaments. A sovereign Palestinian state must be established as soon as possible so that its people can live with dignity, honor, and peace. But this can only be achieved if the U.S. becomes an honest broker. For a lasting peace to hold, environmental justice must be part of any solution.

ISNA Green Initiative Team members include Saffet Catovic, Nana Firman, Uzma Mirza, and Saiyid Masroor Shah (chair)

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Sep/Oct 2024

“Were there not an Israel, the United States of America would have to invent an Israel to protect her interests in the region.” Senator Joe Biden, 1986.

On-the-ground Palestinian journalists are being martyred, and foreign-based media outlets and social media sources are being cyberattacked, expelled, slandered, and censored. 

The Zionist regime routinely asserts that these martyred journalists are related to Hamas or other Muslim organizations. It alleges that “approximately 30% worked for media outlets affiliated with or closely tied to Hamas” (The Guardian, June 25). 

According to Niqnaq, “The Guardian published an investigation showing some in the Israeli army view journalists as legitimate targets in war, though doing so is a violation of international law” … The Guardian added that Israeli officials have repeatedly characterized journalists killed in the war as ‘terrorists.’ … A senior Israeli military source told The Guardian:’ I’m sure that if you count the number of dead teachers, the number of dead janitors, the number of dead taxi drivers, you will end up with higher numbers as well’” (https://niqnaq.wordpress.com, July 6).

Working with the Jordan-based nonprofit Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ, https://en.arij.net), the Guardian identified at least 23 individuals killed since October 7 who worked for the largest Hamas-run outlet in Gaza, the al-Aqsa media network. Considered to be the movement’s official channel, it employed hundreds of people and operated a widely watched TV channel and numerous radio stations until the war curtailed its output. 

In 2018, the IDF bombed al-Aqsa’s offices, claiming that its building was used for military purposes. The following year, Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is also defense minister, used broad legal powers to designate Al-Aqsa a “terrorist organization.” 

“Asked about the al-Aqsa network casualties, a senior IDF spokesperson told reporters in the Gaza project consortium that there was ‘no difference’ between working for the media outlet and belonging to Hamas’s armed wing, a sweeping statement legal experts described as alarming” (https://dailystormer.in).

However, a legal expert told The Guardian (June 25) that such designations, which were made in domestic law, is not a license to kill its employees. Under the laws of war, journalists can lose their civilian status if they plan, prepare, or carry out combat operations. In other words, simply working for an organization such as al-Aqsa doesn’t make its employees a legitimate target.

“Reporting the news is not direct participation in hostilities,” says Janina Dill (co-Director, the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict). “Even if they reported the news in a biased way, even if they did propaganda for Hamas, even if Israel fundamentally disagrees with how they report the news. That is not enough” (Elvis Dunderhoff, https://dailystormer.in, June 26).

Israeli Censorship

Alain Gresh (director, online journal Orient XXI), wrote in his “Palestine: Un peuple qui ne veut pas mourir” [Palestine: A People Who Refuse to Die] (Les Liens qui Libèrent, 2024)) says “Lastly, unlike in other Western countries, there is strict censorship in Israel — though the general support for the army’s objectives means it’s far from vital. Israeli academic Sebastian Ben Daniel (who also writes under his pseudonym John Brown) has described ‘a parody of journalism’ in which the army is exalted and the IDF spokesperson’s pronouncements [are designed to] convince the public that all is swell [sic].’” (How Israeli journalists carry out PR for the army, Feb.19, www.972mag.com/).

Akiva Novick, a prominent news anchor and correspondent for Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, believes that the role of journalists is to raise the national morale (Haaretz, Jan. 14, 2024). No one wants to hear bad news.

Gresh says that “With an added advantage that other states lack: Western officials and media start from the assumption that Israel tells the truth.”

Daniel Boguslaw (investigative reporter, The Intercept) revealed that the “CNN runs Gaza coverage past the Jerusalem team operating under shadow of IDF censor” (The Intercept, Jan. 4, 2024). 

Israel also has the advantage of being a “Western” country, which means it’s always given the benefit of the doubt. A CNN journalist explained where this bias leads, ‘“War crime’ and ‘genocide’ are taboo words. Israeli bombings in Gaza will be reported as ‘blasts’ attributed to nobody, until the Israeli military weighs in to either accept or deny responsibility. Quotes and information provided by Israeli army and government officials tend to be approved quickly, while those from Palestinians tend to be heavily scrutinized and slowly processed” (Alain Gresh, “Hasbara: the dark art of spinning a war,” Le Monde Diplomatique, May 2024). 

Congress also continues to abet Israel’s suppression of the truth. The House of Representatives passed Rep. Jared Moskowitz’s (D-Fla.) amendment to H.R. 8771 H. Amdt.1052, which prohibits the State Department from citing statistics obtained from Gaza’s health officials.

Are Journalists Legitimate Targets?

The ARIJ investigation, part of the Gaza Project, involves 50 journalists from 13 organizations and is coordinated by Forbidden Stories (https://forbiddenstories.org), said, “Attacked in the field, in the office, and at home, 1 in 10 reporters in Gaza have been killed in Israel’s military campaign” (“Israel’s War on Gaza is the Deadliest Conflict on Record for Journalists,” The Intercept, June 25).

After stating that 100+ journalists were killed in the first nine months, the deadliest conflict on record for reporters, they added: “The exact number … is difficult to determine, with several organizations collecting the information differently, but they all agree that the number is record-breaking.”  Aljazeera’s report “How deadly is the Israel-Gaza war for journalists?” (Nov. 9, 2023) states, “The Israel-Hamas war has seen more journalists killed in the first month of conflict than any other conflict since the CPJ first started collating statistics for journalists covering conflict in 1992” (“Israel’s War on Gaza is the Deadliest Conflict on Record for Journalists,” June 25, https://theintercept.com).

Hoda Osman (executive director, ARIJ) stated that “Gaza is the deadliest place on Earth for journalists by far. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, over 100 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since October. The Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate puts the figure even higher at 140 journalists and media workers killed since the start of the war. According to the group, the deaths represent 10% of all journalists in Gaza” (www.democracynow.org, June 27).  

An ARIJ survey said that almost all of the 200+ journalists in Gaza said they had been displaced; half said they were living in tents. In addition, 86% said their homes had been either partially or entirely destroyed (“‘The Grey Zone’: How IDF Views Some Journalists In Gaza As Legitimate Targets,” June 25, The Guardian).

In her June 27 podcast, Osman told Amy Goodman, “And by any standard, it’s unprecedented. … Nothing like this had ever happened to journalists before. It’s a crisis not just for Palestinian journalists or Arab journalists, but it should be a crisis for journalists worldwide, the journalists’ community. And to be honest, we weren’t seeing the outcry, the sort of the reaction that this crisis deserves” (www.democracynow.org, June 27).

“It’s psychologically very difficult,” said Mohammed Abed, a Gaza-based Agence France-Presse photojournalist. “So many journalists have died while sleeping along with their families. When we interviewed the survivors, they told us they were at home. ‘We had dinner and talked to the neighbors. And when we went to sleep they bombed us.’”

Officially, the Israeli military maintains that journalists aren’t being deliberately targeted. On June 25, The Guardian echoed this assertion. Many in the military attribute the record number to the IDF’s intensive bombardment of a densely populated territory. The Guardian also cited the scale and intensity of the bombardment.

“However, an investigation by the Guardian suggests that amid a loosening of the Israel Defense Force’s interpretation of the laws of war after the deadly Hamas-led attacks on 7 October, some within the IDF appear to have viewed journalists working in Gaza for outlets controlled by or affiliated with Hamas to be legitimate military targets” (https://dailystormer.in).

Carlos Martinez de la Serna (program director, CPJ) said, “Without protection, equipment, international presence, communications, or food and water, they [the journalists] are still doing their crucial jobs to tell the world the truth. Every time a journalist is killed, injured, arrested, or forced to go to exile, we lose fragments of the truth” (June 25, https://cpj.org/).

In 2023, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that Israel was the sixth-worst jailer of journalists globally. 

“The scale is really astounding,” Odeh told VOA from Ramallah, adding that she thinks the goal behind the crackdown is “showing who’s boss.… You don’t really have to do anything to get arrested. There is no protection,” Odeh said. “There’s nothing that will shield you” (Liam Scott, www.voanews.com, Jan. 18).

The official hostility toward those journalists in Gaza and elsewhere who are doing their best to keep us informed, not to mention the many others who have been bought off or become no more than mouthpieces for government propaganda, reveal a depressing truth: We need more journalists who are committed to telling us the truth of what is happening in our increasingly violent and fractured world. 

Umberine Abdullah is a freelance writer.

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By Naazish YarKhan

July/Aug 2024

Zahra Basha, a newly minted graduate of University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, used her May wedding as a platform against the genocide in Palestine. It made perfect sense, considering she was one of 46 students arrested for protesting on campus. Every place setting at her wedding had the name and age of a martyr, and the program had a designated moment for guests to make dua for their assigned martyr. “Free Palestine” embossed wrappers adorned 650 chocolate coins. Her speech made sure that Palestine was on every single mind during the festivities. 

Basha is still shocked at the police brutality she and her peers were subjected to at their school administrators’ behest. It began in response to a peaceful student sit-in on Nov. 17, 2023. “The Regents and UMich administration mobilized not only campus security and police, but also police departments in neighboring counties. They not only kept us from entering the school building, but the way the police handled the situation was inherently escalatory,” Basha recalls. “They were violently brutalizing, handcuffing, shoving students who were peacefully exercising their right to freedom of speech. Students were thrashed on the ground. It caused mass hysteria.” 

Among the 200+ protesters, Basha and 45 others were arrested and criminally charged that day. A police officer yanked off her hijab. As PR director for Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE; www.facebook.com/SAFEUmich/), her role has been to record everything — and she has horrific footage of that day. What unfolded that first time has only been the beginning of extremely violent repression of its students.  

The injustices against Palestinians have always struck a chord with Basha, particularly as a Muslim with Indian origins who saw the links and connections between Israel’s occupation of Palestine and India’s occupation of Kashmir. Having attended a “very Zionist high school that was always pushing a particular agenda about Palestinians and misconceptions about Muslims,” joining SAFE, once she was at college, was only natural. 

When she was a sophomore, SAFE comprised seven board members. “Palestine, then, was an issue that only those in the Muslim community or those affected by it spoke up about,” she remarks. Raising awareness was SAFE’s first order of business. Though tiny in terms of scale, it held annual cultural events, a mock Apartheid Wall demonstration to display the on-going injustice, protests against the Birth-Right trip event on campus, as well as teach-ins about the history of the occupation, how Israel came into being and what the term Nakba means. 

Michigan is familiar with large-scale protests and mass organizing in support of Palestine, given that Dearborn is home to a huge Palestinian population. That said, on campus “it was the same people, the same SAFE board members who were mobilizing and organizing. Few others cared to respond or show up.” As a result, the organization faced little backlash from school administrators during her first years on campus. Naturally, all that changed after October 7th. In addition, she had never anticipated the level of police brutality, how violently administrators would crack down on the student movement or how consistently they’d ignore student demands.  

She believes the urgency is so much more potent today. The current board has grown to 20 members. SAFE is also at the forefront of a coalition of 69+ student organizations, mainly comprising minority student groups and those centered around civil rights. Beginning in early October 2023, the coalition issued a list of student demands asking the school to take accountability for the anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiments being encouraged on campus even by the administration. It also continued to call on the school to stop profiting from The Genocide in Palestine and to divest. “It’s our tuition that goes towards the school’s endowment that profits from war, and not just in Israel but across the globe. We continue to demand that the school stop funding the murder of some of our student’s family members in Palestine,” says Basha.

Even as students were being criminally prosecuted, brutalized by the police and doxed, the demand for dialogue was ignored. Even worse, the school responded with policies to repress freedom of speech. This became the spark for the encampments. “The encampments were a physical manifestation of the students’ refusal to be silenced and ignored,” Basha said. What began as a student-led effort burgeoned to include community members who’ve been willing to put their jobs and careers on the line.  

On May 22, 30+ days into the encampments, the police used bulldozers and tables to plough through tents and destroy property, tear-gassed and pepper sprayed students. “Even after this next level of violence, our movement has not only grown but been strengthened by our refusal to take ‘no’ for an answer. We must remember that the repression we are facing is part of a global hegemonic system to perpetuate colonial agendas and silence minorities,” Basha concluded.

At the time of writing, the UMich administration continues to ignore demands to engage in dialogue.

Naazish YarKhan is a writing tutor and college essay coach. To learn more, visit WritersStudio.us.  

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By Nayab Bashir

July/Aug 2024

There is an American dream beyond the standard striving for upward mobility. It’s a dream of inclusion and integration, of equity. Perhaps that is what some mothers were looking for when they signed their daughters up for Girl Scouts Troop 149. 

The Girl Scouts has long been a coming-of-age rite of passage. One in three women in the U.S. was a Girl Scout at some point in their life. The organization claims to build “girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.” Unfortunately, as of late, some disagree. 

This past cookie season, Troop 149 of St. Louis, Mo., wanted to sell bracelets instead of cookies and donate the proceeds to Palestine. Not long after they announced their plans, their parent chapter, the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, aggressively responded with a very clear message that the organization didn’t participate in political and partisan activities: “Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri and Girl Scouts of the United States have no other choice than to engage our legal counsel to help remedy this situation and to protect the intellectual property and other rights of the organization” (Erum Salam, “Girl Scout troop disbands after parent chapter blocks Palestine fundraiser”, March 5, 20245, The Guardian). Not only was this surprising, but also hypocritical, as other Girl Scout troops had organized to help Ukraine after Russia’s February 2022 invasion. The Girl Scout’s website shows a troop in Ohio awarded one of the organization’s highest recognitions, the Girl Scout Bronze Award, for collecting medical supplies and packing first aid kids, friendship bracelets and cookies to be distributed in Ukraine (www.girlscouts.org/en/site-search.html?q=ukraine).

Hurt and Disappointment

Aside from the fear that accompanies a threat of legal action, the situation was hurtful and triggering for Troop 149’s founder Nawal Abuhamdeh, a Brooklyn-born Palestinian American. The stark contrast of the organization’s response to the Ohioan troop and her own stirred memories of being excluded as a child because of her identity. Both her parents were born in Beit Hanina, a West Bank village on the road connecting Ramallah to al-Quds (Jerusalem). Despite a daily yearning to return to her homeland, Abuhamdeh hasn’t visited her beloved Palestine since 2016. “Palestine is my home, my true love, and I dream of a day I can live there freely,” she states. 

A freelance product designer and mother of four, Abuhamadeh has worked with various Islamic nonprofits in St. Louis. She and her husband have dedicated their lives to raising practicing Muslim children who will make a positive difference in the world. “We want to ensure that they have more opportunities as second-generation Muslim Palestinian Americans than we did as the first-generation,” Abuhamadeh said. 

“This was one of the reasons behind founding the troop in 2019. My intentions were clear: ‘I wanted our girls to learn the skills they need to be strong, independent community leaders, using their Muslim identity as their superpower.’”

She believes the Girl Scouts’ mission aligned with her values of boosting “girls’ courage, confidence and character.”  She feels it’s like following the Prophet’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) sunnah — to use our values to make the world a better place. 

Every year, the troop put in a lot of energy into cookie season, selling about $8,000 worth of them each year. They followed each rule. 

But this year was different, for there are no rules and policies when it comes to advocating against a genocide. Thus, the troop decided not to participate in the annual cookie season. “We believe that in times of crisis and hardship, it is crucial to prioritize empathy, compassion and support for those who are suffering,” Abuhamadeh said. “At such a time cookies didn’t feel like the right focus. We couldn’t fathom selling cookies when our brothers and sisters are being forced to starve. We couldn’t sell cookies during a genocide.

“I am no longer going to stay quiet to make other people feel more ‘safe’ or comfortable about my identity. How could anyone see images of children and people in shreds, videos of children being amputated without anesthesia, mothers screaming for their children, children begging for their parents and not do anything about it? It is all horrific. And the worst part is that this is all man-made and our ‘leaders’ are doing nothing about it.” 

While the leaders may not be doing much, when the 10-year-olds in troop saw the images, they were in tears and ready for action. They watched “Farha,” – a 2021 internationally co-produced historical drama film about a Palestinian girl’s coming-of-age experience during the Nakba (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farha_(film)), at a group movie night and followed it with a restorative circle with a mental health specialist where each girl cried and expressed their feelings about what is happening in Palestine. They said they felt guilty for being happy when kids in Gaza are being killed, displaced and injured. 

The girls, of Pakistani, Jordanian, Somali and Palestinian heritage, didn’t feel they could be happy selling cookies. They asked if they could sell bracelets instead to raise funds for Gaza. Adults agreed and quickly set their idea in motion. 

Girl Scouts Disapproves

It is uncertain how exactly The Girl Scouts of USA found out about the troop’s plans. It was never a secret, as at the time the foundation’s reaction was unexpected.

Before Abuhamadeh could respond to the first email, she had three more in her inbox. She was afraid they may take legal action against her. The message was clear. The email called for immediate removal of all communication, social media posts and reference to the organization in the troop’s efforts, stating clearly that this was not an approved activity. Upset, confused and worried, Abuhamadeh contacted CAIR-Missouri and was asked to “keep them in the loop.”

“I independently responded to them, expressing that this is not political or partisan and how dire the humanitarian crisis is in Gaza.” More than anything, she was disappointed. She exchanged a few emails and texts with CAIR but was told that “they didn’t notice a discrimination case.” Some feel the matter is resolved; however, Abuhamadeh and her troop do not agree. 

The troop disbanded because it felt that The Girl Scouts don’t practice what they preach. Prior to this situation, everything their troop had participated in embodied the organization’s values. Abuhamadeh ensured that the meetings and activities were girl-led, that members left each meeting better than they’d come, were honest and fair with each other and the people they were around and made their communities better through their service. 

The Girl Scouts no longer holds any appeal for the former troop. “After their long silence, we aren’t expecting them to apologize. We’ve come to accept that, and [it] further makes us feel that we made the right decision to leave Girl Scouts. Their organization isn’t a good fit for us, who we are and the causes we stand for. If you aren’t pro-peace and anti-genocide, we don’t want to be associated with you. We’d prefer to stay on the right side of history.” 

After CAIR contacted Girl Scouts, their chief executive, Bonnie Barcykowski wrote that they “were disappointed and disheartened by what recently transpired” and they “recognize the greater clarity and additional education is needed regarding fundraising policies.” Further adding “this is a learning moment for our organization as we realize we can always do better. We know we should always lead with empathy and recognize the incredible need for kindness and compassion during this difficult time, we are also deeply committed to advancing belonging, inclusion, and anti-racism as an organization and within our membership, and we will continue to ensure that we address all communities, including the Muslim and Arab communities. GSUSA will be working alongside our council partners to review this incident and make the necessary adjustments to prevent it from happening in the future. We realize we missed an opportunity to champion our troops while they make a difference.”

Bracelets Bring Big Bucks

The resilient group of girls has moved onward and upward. On their first order form they sold 600 bracelets in two weeks. Once the story hit social media, they sold 2,106 bracelets in less than four days and had to close orders again. They called out to volunteers and were humbled by the response as people from all over southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois joined them to help complete and dispatch orders. 

As of early May, the troop has raised over $20,000 for Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. 

Abuhamadeh accepted every interview request from all media sources, including STLPR, NBC, Washington Post, The Guardian and more, but refused to interview with FOX for their biased and racist coverage of Gaza. “I wasn’t going to give them an opportunity to slice my interview into being the story that they want to tell, putting me in jeopardy of portraying me in a negative light.”

Her daughter Mariyah Abdelbaset,11 joined her for an interview with NPR. It was an emotional moment for both. “It was my first interview with my daughter, and I was proud of her for using her voice. I was sad to hear her talk about how she doesn’t feel like she could be happy when the kids of Gaza are not. I was thankful that I was given the opportunity to tell our story, amplify the voice of Palestinians and could inspire others to stand up for what is right in the world. It is only when we are united that we can make an impact in the world.”

Unsure of what the future holds, Abuhamadeh and the girls are choosing to focus on the positive and hope to enter the new chapter with excitement and motivation to make a positive difference in the world. 

Nayab Bashir is a literature aficionado with an English literature degree to prove it. 

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By Naazish YarKhan

July/Aug 2024

A generation once written off as soft and self-absorbed, as kids raised on filters, selfies and trigger warnings, is showing the world what they are truly made of. Shorouk Akarah, a senior at DePaul University, joined the pro-Palestine, pro-ceasefire efforts through the DePaul Divest Coalition, a group of organizations that want to make sure that DePaul is on the right side of history. She also worked on efforts to get Chicago to pass the resolution in favor of a ceasefire. 

“In a sense, Chicago passing a resolution gave us a leg up to do more things. I had never imagined it would get to encampments,” Shorouk said. “That students would have to camp out for days and weeks on end for schools to acknowledge that this was happening. We don’t know exactly where our tuition dollars are going, and students across campuses want to know. Our tuition dollars are killing our family members in Gaza. No matter whether you have a relative in Gaza or not, we are all Palestinian.”

Her role in the DePaul encampment is to manage the supply, medic and food tents, and collect donations, to ensure that those staying at the encampments overnight have all they need. “Us students are the next generation. We are the ones that are going to see this through, insha Allah,” Shorouk said. “No matter how old or young you are, it is very important [to be involved] not just as Palestinians, but as people in general. It is about time.” Awareness and education are critical to keep the momentum going, she emphasizes. 

She agrees that this all started way before Oct. 7, 2023. The siege on Gaza is heading into 17 years. The occupation has [lasted for] over 76 years.  “Why do people continue to let it happen? Knowing all this is very important, because it keeps you going,” she said. She believes that calling for divestments, besides the economic ramifications, is also a call for schools to recognize what is happening right now. 

Police Brutality

However, the police brutality that ensued in response to the encampments across some campuses did not surprise her.  

“We’ve always been taught that the police look at us as ‘the other,’ the aggressors, when it is the opposite. Police escalate things or do nothing to protect the students in encampments,” she relates. “That is why we always say at the DePaul encampments, ‘We protect ourselves; we protect each other. We don’t need outside security.’ We check in with fellow students. We have trained marshals who know what to do if the cops show up. We also have lawyers on hand, just in case.”

These youth believe that the Palestinians are showing them what resilience looks like. They feel the encampments are not just important for them, but also to other minority groups who’ve come together to create this coalition. “The encampments and protests show that Palestinian voices have been heard and are being lifted by us,” Shorouk said. 

“We can do more here to help them there. My university is trying to give us ‘our space’ but, sooner or later, we expect them to come and say, “Enough is enough.” But we are not going to back down. Our school is openly Zionist, and our end goal is to get DePaul to divest. One thing we are doing well is to ask our administration to send people who can help us with our negotiations, people in positions who can help us.”

All this is not to say she wasn’t afraid. She is pursuing law and wants to work for the state. She is, to an extent, afraid because she has had people come to the campus and take photos. We emphasize safety and [ask students to] put masks on. Someone I know is on the Canary Mission website. He told me, “Being on that website is a badge of honor.” I’ve started to say that a lot myself. 

As we witness the second Nakba unfold, Shorouk and those around her hope that their efforts and the efforts of all those around them will, God willing, destroy the status quo when it comes to Palestine. 

Naazish YarKhan is a writing tutor and college essay coach. To learn more, visit WritersStudio.us. 

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By Luke Peterson

July/Aug 2024

The great majority of U.S. pundits and talking heads within the authoritative news media estimate that between 80 and 100 of our country’s institutions of higher learning are currently in turmoil, having seen a wellspring of protest encampments as the Spring semester of 2024 ends. 

Located on many universities green spaces, their occupants gather to protest Israel’s ongoing war against Gazans (and to a less immediate extent, the West Bank) and, more specifically, to seek to compel their respective universities to divest from Israeli war industries. In so doing, they are both defying university edicts against such public displays and facing intimidation and threats from universities and/or city officials who declare such assemblies unlawful, against university policy or, using an all-too-familiar mode of castigation, antisemitic. 

Many of these brave students have been disciplined, punished, censured or expelled for their humanitarian actions for Palestine. In other places, particularly universities across the South, students have been set upon by riot police or National Guardsmen, even though Lois Beckett, writing for The Guardian (May 10), noted that nearly all of their activities have been peaceful and non-threatening to staff or students on campus. 

In all, 2,000+ students and supporting faculty members have been arrested and an untold number maced, trampled or beaten by police. In one case, Columbia and Barnard University students arrested at encampments during the first week of May were tortured via denial of food and water for 16 hours (Akela Lacy, May 6, https://theintercept.com). 

But what has prompted this organic expression of solidarity with Palestine among American university students now? One obvious answer is the duration of Israel’s current cruelty toward Gaza’s civilian population, all funded and at least tacitly supported within their country’s halls of power. 

But a closer look at the proscription of academic discourse surrounding Palestine and Israel may provide a more detailed answer. Indeed, the university system has seen a notable uptick in activity from a number of well-organized and evidently well-funded organizations. Their remit is to censor students, professors and other members of university communities nationwide who accuse Israel of crimes against humanity or suggest that its targeted attacks against Palestinian civilians — 40,000+ deaths in Gaza since October 2023 — constitute genocide (Julia Frankel, https://apnews.com, April 6).

One such organization that exists solely to target and condemn any human rights advocacy in North American academia is the online extremist organization Canary Mission (https://canarymission.org/). Its raison d’être is to meticulously document any scholarship and advocacy that is even remotely critical of Israel or its primary paymaster, the U.S. Canary Mission has organized branches in North America for the stated purpose of documenting “individuals and organizations that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews on North American college campuses and beyond.” Their scope and reach is as ambitious as it is broad, and they clearly view their remit in contemporary political discourse as critical — their website tagline reads, “Because the world should know.”

In that regard, that organization and this author agree. The world should know that, despite protestations to the contrary, Canary Mission is an explicitly political organization whose operational goals have nothing to do with creating safe spaces for university students or protecting marginalized or vulnerable populations. Rather, it seeks to silence every utterance of Israeli criminality, past or present, across North American university campuses. 

For example, its “Organizations” tab brazenly equates international media organizations like Al-Jazeera with neo-Nazi agitators like the Daily Stormer and the Goyim Defense League. Such falsification of plainly non-existent connections makes Canary Mission’s painfully clear: Paint with as broad a brush as possible, condemn and associate as many individuals as possible and tarnish all who dare to criticize Israel as hateful antisemites no matter the truth or logic of their arguments. It’s a clumsy practice, as dishonest as it is dangerous, and potentially, if defamation laws were to be applied fairly and on balance, an illegal one. 

Operating with an identifiable hubris and self-importance, Canary Mission clearly fears no reprisals for publicly listing the names and affiliations of professors and students, aid organizations and media outlets, who speak out against the ongoing genocide. Its operations seem to grow daily: pointing out and castigating as many critics of Israel as they can, maneuvering with increasing impunity in the wake of the militarized American response to the ongoing university protests, and Canada’s very tepid response to the protests of hundreds of Canadian students and organizations. 

In sum, any U.S. university student questioning Israel’s official narratives about its creation and brutal military record over 75 years, or publicly asking about this country’s uncritical fealty to Israel, is a suitable target for identification. Reminiscent of other oppressive, authoritarian organizations, the Canary Mission’s blacklists continue to grow.

A similarly constituted group, the anti-Palestine propaganda initiative CAMERA (Committee For Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis; www.camera.org) and Camera on Campus, targets and defames pro-Palestinian groups located on American university campuses. Its supporters take videos of pro-Palestine demonstrations and protests, spuriously reclassifies them publicly as hate speech or antisemitic antagonism and then posts the humanitarian demonstrators’ personal details online to engender negative professional and personal consequences for them. 

Professing to be non-partisan defenders of the truth behind Zionism, Camera on Campus (https://cameraoncampus.org/), like other anti-Palestine hate groups, deliberately ignores Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948-49, its mass confiscation of land designated for a future Palestinian state via the U.S.-funded settler movement since 1967. Camera on Campus also deliberately obfuscates the idea of indigeneity within historic Palestine, using an indigenous spokesperson from American Samoa in a highly skewed and historically inaccurate video on their X page to praise with false laurels the Zionist colonial project. 

The intent of this loose coalition of anti-Palestine groups is to quieten any and all criticism of Israel on American university campuses and to do their best to dehumanize Palestinians to the greatest extent possible. This hate campaign is being conducted alongside a simultaneous repackaging of organic pro-Palestine university demonstrations as thinly veiled antisemitism, a baseless hatred of Jews as a whole. 

In effect, these groups intend to gaslight membership of the American academy by convincing the public writ large that the Palestinian victims of genocidal oppression are in fact the victimizers of Israel and global Jewry. Supporters of Palestine are falsely castigated as mindless thugs, and as modern-day brownshirts who intend anti-Jewish violence simply for the sake of it while having no coherent political agenda to speak of. 

The monitoring, outing and doxing campaigns organized by Canary Mission, CAMERA, and other like minded organizations censor free speech and humanitarian action focused on aiding the besieged and bombarded Palestinians of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They have had real-world, lasting consequences for conscientious student-activists. Emboldened by the false equivalence that equate legitimate criticism of Israel with blanket antisemitism, in the months since campus protests have mounted against the Israeli genocide in Palestine, Zane McNeill notes that a number of otherwise talented and qualified university students nationwide have had job offers rescinded (https://truthout.org, Oct. 19, 2023).

In other cases, protesters for Palestine have been disciplined, fired or denied tenure simply for being outspoken on behalf of Palestinian rights within the context of the American educational and political system (https://www.chicagotribune.com/2019/03/06/steven-salaita-rejected-by-u-of-i-over-israel-tweets-seems-to-have-found-peace-driving-a-school-bus/).

These cancellations, broken promises and false equivalencies continue to haunt doxed pro-Palestinian speakers in the academy and in professional circles around the country. This reality demonstrates these techniques’ effectiveness and the damaging nature of the sanctioned anti-Palestine hate speech now common within popular discourse. As such, it would seem evident that the much-lauded right to free speech said to resonate throughout this country in the contemporary political era continues to be conditioned by that speech’s content and the speaker(s) in question’s proper alignment with the ideological and/or political interests of both the U.S. and Israel. 

Luke Peterson received his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at The University of Cambridge — (King’s College). His new book, “The U.S. Military in the Print News Media: Service and Sacrifice in Discourse,” has been published by Anthem Press.

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By Kiran Ansari

July/Aug 2024

Anwaar Saadeh’s mom always had Palestinian decor around the house, even though they had migrated from there to Chicago during the 1970s. “It felt like a museum of artifacts I had to appreciate but didn’t know why. It wasn’t until I was old enough to ask the right questions that my parents told me the stories behind every piece found in our house,” Saadeh told Islamic Horizons. “I learned my mom made and sold beaded flower pots to help my dad with the bills when they first moved to America. She had made tatreez pillows as a little girl in Palestine, and they had souvenirs from Jerusalem because they smelt like home.”

Her parents worked hard to keep Palestinian culture alive. She remembers being taken across Chicagoland to meet other Palestinians since she was a little girl. “I come from a very long line of farmers who have taught me that working with my hands is something I can always find solace in,” Saadeh said. “Even in our backyard in Chicago, we try to garden the way my parents did in Palestine before they immigrated here, while they share practices and secrets whispered by their parents and forefathers.”

Reem Hussein, another first-generation Palestinian American, had been exposed to tatreez all her life, for her mother and all her aunts are avid embroiderers. However, her personal journey began in March 2020 amid the anxiety of college exams, restlessness brought on by Covid’s quarantine and a longing for connection. “Unlike my transient hobbies, tatreez resonated with me on a deeper level — it became a meaningful conduit to reconnect with my heritage and roots,” Hussein said. 

While growing up, these young women didn’t see the thobe, a traditional Palestinian dress, as just attire for special occasions, but as a symbol of their heritage. “Learning to tatreez wasn’t about mastering a skill; it was a journey of self-discovery and cultural reconnection,” Hussein stated. “Through each stitch, I found a deeper appreciation for the strength and creativity of Palestinian women, whose efforts have been a powerful form of resistance.”

Tatreez isn’t just about adornment or embroidery – it’s a centuries-long artistic tradition passed down from mother to daughter. While Israel was attempting to cleanse the land of its people and history, tatreez was used to tell stories. It didn’t just beautify homes and bodies, but also bonded women and kept their families fed. 

Once you understand this artform’s history, you can gain a newfound respect and appreciation for those who produce these works. They can provide a look into women’s roles in the resistance beyond the more visible physical resistance, for their products continue to evolve a centuries-old tradition so that it can include the Nakba, the Naksa and the two Intifadas. The Palestinians’ commitment to ensuring that no one forgets is unmatched and has provided a window into a rich, unique and revolutionary culture. 

Learning Tatreez 

Hussein founded Jariri Stitching with the intention of fostering consistency in her creative pursuits. Through social media and in-person workshops, she shares new ideas and lets everyone know that it’s okay not to be perfect when we start something new. She currently offers workshops, but also wants to establish an educational program in schools and community centers to foster an appreciation for Palestinian culture and heritage among younger generations.

When Hussein began her journey, her mother wondered why. To her, tatreez wasn’t just a pastime; it was a form of labor used to create gifts, mend items and participate in the creation of thobes for her family. Unlike her daughter, she never got the opportunity to enjoy it as a leisure activity. “As I immerse myself more into Jariri Stitching, my mother has found her curiosity for the art again and often asks me if she can help with my current projects,” Hussein remarked. “I am glad I can help her realize that each stitch isn’t just labor, but a labor of love.”

To a layperson, this traditional artform may just look like cross-stitching. However, Palestinian tatreez includes other aspects of embroidery as well, like manajel (connecting stitch). Tatreez is of and from the land, meaning that it pulls from everyday lives, featuring motifs depicting birds, nature, agriculture and more. 

Tatreez differentiates itself from other cross-stitching practices found across the world and is sacred to so many indigenous cultures. Because of Palestinians’ history of differentiating themselves from other countries, tatreez was part of that movement of creating a unique identity that is shared through oral, physical and written practices. It’s not a matter of only one faith practicing tatreez; it’s a matter of people who can appreciate historical practices and art that can be worn or hung on a wall. 

Although red, white and black are often seen as popular color combinations, that palette is not set in stone. Color combinations and thread color are typically dependent on the village or region. Historically, the thread was hand dyed with whatever they could find, like pomegranates and walnuts. Red, one of the more common colors because it’s the color found in Ramallah motifs, has become iconic. Attendees of tatreez circles are taught about the common color combinations, but they’re also free to choose whatever shades they want. 

The Chicago Collective 

Saadeh and Hussein co-founded the collective with the intention of embedding Palestinian resistance through everyday practice, preserving traditions and celebrating heritage by emulating our ancestors. As Palestinians are vilified even during a genocide, they believe it’s important to share and commemorate their identities by organizing tatreez circles, workshops, culture talks and community outreach events. 

They wanted to create a community for people who had never practiced it before, or who have but always on their own. Their first circle was born from that missing piece, and they decided to build on it to educate, preserve and celebrate Palestinian culture. 

They hosted their first fundraiser on their social media that allowed people to choose from certain hand-stitched pieces and donate to Heal Palestine’s initiative in Gaza. They donated their time in creating individual pieces for all the donors. They also hosted a “resistance iftar” to talk about the role of tatreez in resistance. It was their first official paid event, where the cost of entry covered the materials, food and venue costs. They have also worked with local libraries and educational centers.

Many of these circles’ attendees are beginners, so the event’s first part is dedicated to demonstrating how to cross-stitch. By the end of the night and with the instructors’ support, everyone has learned how to do this — even if they need more practice to really execute the patterns properly. 

About 40-50 people attend the monthly stitching circles. They try to host events at pro-Palestinian Arab or Muslim businesses to continue supporting the community and encourage attendees to purchase goods from them as a thank you for graciously hosting them. 

Saadeh likes how tatreez can calm her ever-moving mind and let her focus on her hands. “It became a semblance of peace for me. It makes me feel closer to my farmer ancestors, seamstress mother and resilient family. It is another way to resist consumerism and fast-fashion trends because I can make my own sustainable clothes.”

Any Pushback?

Tatreez serves as a powerful bridge-building tool that transcends cultural and religious divides. Thankfully, everyone they have shared it with have been very receptive. However, they’re not so naïve as to ignore the incredible amount of animosity toward revolution.

“Something that I appreciate about art is that it does not discriminate,” Hussein remarked. “While Palestine is a Muslim-majority country, it’s home to people from various backgrounds. Tatreez doesn’t limit itself to a specific faith. Anyone can learn it and show appreciation for native cultural practices. Learning how to tatreez challenges participants to understand different layers of the resistance. It teaches us that, despite massive efforts, Palestinians refuse to be erased from history.”

Saadeh agrees that she never felt like only Muslims loved tatreez, especially considering the co-existence in pre-Nakba Palestine. That is something they’re trying to recreate: a camaraderie for the oppressed, or even for those willing to join the fight for preservation. Through these events, they’ve also been able to engage in meaningful conversations about settler colonialism, history and politics. 

Since the members are currently self-funding the initiative, they hope to find a way to sustain future goals through collaborations with others and to host a weekend event filled with talks, workshops and community building dedicated to tatreez and Palestinian women’s resistance efforts. Because this art form is based in community, they want to find fresh ways of bringing it to life with community projects, art installations and even virtual tatreez workshops. However, their biggest hope is to see a liberated Palestine. 

Kiran Ansari is the assistant editor of Islamic Horizons. While she used to cross-stitch in her teens, she is keen to try her hand at tatreez. 

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By Raudah Mohd Yunus 

July/Aug 2024

I have a very good friend who lives in Gaza. She and her daughter once stayed in Malaysia for a few years because her husband was a student at a university in Kuala Lumpur. I was also in Malaysia during those years, and we became friends.

On Oct. 14, 2023, as the current scourge of genocidal mass killings began to ravage Gaza, I became desperate to know their condition. I sent her a message: “Sister, please tell me how you are. I am worried.” Her reply was, “Thank God. I’m still alive. We are moving to Khan Younis.” At first, Khan Younis was dubbed a “safe zone,” so I was relieved to hear that she and her family were moving there. At least they would be safe for the time being. We communicated with each other until Nov. 21, 2023.

During December 2023, news broke that Israel had begun shelling Khan Younis after destroying much of Gaza. I sent her another message on Dec. 2, 2023. To my utter dismay, there was no reply — my message was not even delivered. Subsequent attempts to reach her went futile. I then tried to message her daughter’s number — no reply. To this day, I don’t know if they’re alive or dead. Perhaps I’ll never find out.

A Personal Darkness Descends

As the days went by, I watched in horror at the Israeli apartheid regime’s continuous brutality and arrogance as it mass-murdered Palestinian children, women and men. Seismic images and recordings of mothers holding their dead babies, children screaming in pain and wounded all over, children being operated on without anesthesia and frantic men searching for family members under the rubble have become daily scenes for the global audience. 

At one point I stopped watching or reading the news, not because I stopped caring, but because it was too much to bear and the news was taking a toll on my mental health. I tried to channel my frustration by talking with academic and activist friends from other countries and organizing online talks and discussions to solidify support for the Palestinian cause.

But each day the same questions kept coming back: “What can I really do? What is it that I can best do?” I had once been outspoken about the Rohingya genocide and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, the political suppression and human rights abuses in the Arab world (particularly Egypt) and other calamities that hit people across the globe — all stemming from political and economic injustice.

I had visited Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon in 2007 to learn about the Sabra and Shatila massacre that took the lives of more than 3,000 Palestinians and Lebanese. Later in 2019, I toured the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg to explore that country’s history of colonial and segregationist oppression.

But this time I felt paralyzed while witnessing the atrocities and cruelties inflicted upon the Palestinians, especially those in Gaza. Somewhere deep in my heart was a sense of despair. My inner voice whispered that dismantling the Israeli regime is impossible and that fighting the superpowers supporting Israel is out of the question. But I nevertheless forced myself to continue my work, but with great pessimism. Every moment felt like torture, and all I saw was darkness.

Columbia University Students Reignite my Optimism

In such moments of despair, on April 17 New York Columbia University’s students began pitching tents on their campus, after which 108 students were arrested. What initially seemed like an isolated, sporadic event quickly transformed into a global movement. This time, I watched in awe as the encampment movement grew in speed, momentum and courage. My sense of hope was rejuvenated, and my dying spirit was energized. 

It is obvious now that the tide will continue to grow and that suppression will only cause more resistance. As I cry for the brave souls who were handcuffed, arrested, threatened and expelled with each episode of oppression and violence by the police that appears in the news, my conviction only grows stronger that we — every one of us — need to speak the truth to power no matter what and despite the consequences.

Scenes across American universities now resemble those in Egypt. I lived in Alexandria for six years during the early 2000s and witnessed countless peaceful student demonstrations demanding greater democracy, transparency and better governance, only to be met with suppression and outright brutality by the police and special forces. 

Some of those protesters were my friends and classmates, who were among the most brilliant students on campus. They had nothing but love for their country and concern for justice. If there’s anything I learned from these unfolding events and my past experiences, it’s that the youth are an incredible source of strength for our community, our biggest asset and greatest hope.

What Does the Future Hold?

The spirit of justice among the young protesters at American universities and their struggle for a better world have set examples for us to emulate. It made me realize that we must invest in the young people and that these students are actually our teachers, because they’re showing us how to be truly transformative and that there is no difference between theory and practice. These students are giving us real lessons that cannot be conveyed in the classroom setting even by the smartest professors. This is what education is all about.

To the police force assaulting and harassing our young people and the cowardly authorities hiding in their ivory towers, where is our freedom of expression? Will there be any accountability for these unwarranted arrests and brutality against the innocent?

Raudah Mohd Yunus is a public health expert. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Medical College of Wisconsin. This article originally appeared on www.newagebd.net on May 21, 2024. It was copyedited, with the author’s permission, to fit with Islamic Horizons’ style.

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By Kiran Ansari

July/Aug 2024

Four doctors. 42 bags. 2,000 pounds of supplies. One mission.

As they entered Gaza, they heard the drones buzzing. From maghrib to fajr they heard artillery being fired from tanks. They were not new to serving in medical missions or even new to Gaza. But the Gaza they saw during April 2024 was new to them.

“It was apocalyptic,” said Azeem Elahi, MD, a pulmonary and critical care specialist. “Nearly everything was destroyed or crumbling.”

The level of destruction they saw is nothing compared to their 2009 Gaza medical mission. In 2024, their room shook every night due to the bombs exploding nearby. That was their wake-up call to head straight to the emergency room to deal with the influx of patients. 

Anesthesiologist Ismail A. Mehr (member, ISNA’s Founders Board; chair, IMANA Medical Relief), in collaboration with HEAL Palestine (Health, Education, Aid, and Leadership Palestine; www.healpalestine.org/), led the latest IMANA mission. He has been on 36 global medical missions so far. In addition to Elahi, his handpicked team included emergency medical doctor Kanwal Chaudhry, MD, and vascular surgeon Shariq Sayeed, MD. 

“We chose the most experienced and veteran team,” Mehr said. “It’s critical in an active conflict area to have a team who can work in a high stress environment and remain focused. Many want or feel the need to volunteer and be in Gaza, and though that is admirable, Gaza presently isn’t for everyone.”

Leaving for Gaza: Sandwiched by Bravery

These veteran health-care professionals knew what they were signing up for. As serving in an active war zone entails a lot of risk, members updated their wills and Mehr ensured that if they were killed, they would be buried back home so their families would have closure. 

“Our intention is always to be of value,” said Mehr. “In 2009, I was younger and more emotional. Now I know IMANA’s main goal is to establish sustainable and impactful work, so we worked through several logistical issues to finally get through the approval process. Our connections over the years helped. We wanted to lay the framework for future medical teams too.

“Of course, my family was concerned, but they were also very proud,” he continued. “I was so sad and angry after the genocide unfolded from Oct. 7, that this mission gave me purpose. My family knew going there would be like therapy for me. IMANA doesn’t just go to one place and leave.”

Sayeed, who also grew up with ISNA, shared that his 9-year-old daughter was emotional to see her Baba leave. With spotty Wi-Fi and time difference, it wasn’t always possible for him to stay in touch.

“In 2009 I was scared to tell my parents I was going to Gaza,” remarked Chaudhry. “In 2024 I wasn’t. My parents were immediately proud of me. I didn’t FaceTime with them, as I was hoping the out-of-sight-out-of-mind tactic would work rather than them being reminded I was in an active war zone.”

Just a few weeks before the mission, Elahi was sitting at jummah with his father and son, when it struck him that three generations of Elahis have been listening to the stories of injustice in Palestine. He felt compelled to help.

Sandwiched between brave parents and brave children, these dedicated doctors finalized plans.

As word got out, people donated so much that they were able to fill personal luggage of 42 bags with around 2,000 pounds of surgical equipment, cardiac monitors, portable ultrasounds, antibiotics and wound-care supplies. They also packed food so they wouldn’t have to depend on Gaza’s limited food supplies, and distributed some supplies to the Shuhada’ al-Aqsa and Kuwaiti hospitals.

“It was basically protein bars and Ramen noodles, but we were so busy that sometimes we didn’t even remember to eat,” Chaudhry said.

Martyred Limbs are Waiting for us in Jannah

When Elahi left for Gaza in 2019, there was a full medical staff there waiting to be trained. “To say the current healthcare system is fractured is false. It has collapsed. Yet the amazing local physicians and staff find ways to keep going as they have no choice. Most of the hospitals in northern and central Gaza have either been destroyed or are operating in the Middle Ages. Historically there has been some scaffolding to build upon. Right now, it is piles of indiscriminate crumbled cement.”

Gaza’s European Hospital, where they served for nine days, is the only functioning hospital left in southern Gaza. Its usual capacity is 200 inpatients; now, around 30,000 displaced people are living on its grounds. Its stairways and corridors are all lined with people and tents.

Many of Gaza’s senior doctors have fled or been detained, martyred or buried under the rubble. The IMANA team sought to train the younger ones, many of whom had been training at al-Shifa hospital before it was destroyed.

Nearly everyone they met had lost multiple family members. But still… Even the word “resilience” falls short for them.

“There was nothing similar in the 2009 and 2024 missions except for the resilience of the Palestinians,” Sayeed remarked. “It is a disservice to try to describe their resilience and warmth. I never once heard anyone complain to me about their situation or difficulties even during the most difficult times and losses they have experienced.”

“They were more concerned about our food and safety than themselves,” said Mehr. “They never cursed or complained. They kept repeating ‘This is Allah’s will, and we will get through it.’”

“Even when they lose a limb, they say my leg was shaheed (martyred). I will get it back in jannah,” said Chaudhry. She was an asset to the team, as many female patients preferred that she perform some procedures or exams for religious and modesty reasons. 

“I have worked for 17 years in the ER, but here in the U.S. the nurses do a lot of the actual nitty gritty. With extremely limited staff in Gaza, we all had to do far more.”

As a woman was rushed into the ER with injuries to her face from an explosion. She just kept saying, “Save my child.” Her husband and another child had already been martyred, but she kept saying Alhamdulillah. “We are so behind in our faith,” Chaudhry said. “We stub our toe and don’t stop complaining.”

According to Elahi, “They are the chosen ones. Allah has chosen them. Their level of iman is unmatched. The doctors in Gaza have not had a day off since October 7. They are truly special people driven by a holier purpose. My favorite part was seeing all healthcare professionals like doctors, nurses, lab technicians and cleaning staff work, pray and eat as a family. In America, medical teams are often segregated in non-clinical settings, such as [at] mealtimes.”

The IMANA team has fond memories of Gaza’s children who waited for them every day. They tried to converse in English. “There is a universal language which breaks all barriers — love,” Mehr stated. “These children made our days easier by bringing smiles and laughter and reinforcing that we too, as healers, needed to be resilient.” 

“Even though we didn’t have to operate without anesthesia as our colleagues needed to initially when the ground invasion began, we did have to change open wound dressings on the floor with minimal or no anesthesia,” noted Sayeed. “In the U.S., such dressing changes are only done with pre-medication.”

The thing that struck Sayeed the most was how many children he had to see. “There is no such thing as a pediatric vascular surgeon in the United States. Vascular disease usually affects older people, as it takes time to develop the disease. I don’t see 14 and 16-year-olds with trauma wounds while rounding here in Atlanta.”

He was really looking forward to transferring 11-year-old Yassin to Atlanta. But with the Rafah border closing, things are now in limbo. He hopes Yassin can make it sooner rather than later so he can escape the high infection rate in Gaza. 

What Next? Watching and Waiting

Upon her return to rural Illinois, Chaudhry went out for dinner with her coworkers to share details about her trip. She feels that middle Americans have stuck their heads in the sand. It’s convenient for them not to find out what’s happening “over there.” However, the dinner did have an impact. She feels that her coworkers are more engaged with the campus protests because they personally know someone who has been to Gaza. They don’t have the excuse of “we don’t know what to believe” anymore because they are getting a firsthand account from someone they trust.

IMANA had planned on sending another medical mission in May/June, but because of Israel’s invasion of Rafah — Gaza’s lifeline — has been placed on hold for now. As part of the WHO’s briefings, they are monitoring the situation. Medical teams from Fajr Scientific and Palestine American Medical Association have U.S.- and U.K.-based doctors currently stuck in Gaza. 

“This could have been us,” said Elahi. “As our lead [Mehr] carried a tarp and duct tape in case one of us was injured and needed to evacuate. It may sound morbid, but we had to plan for everything.”

 Mehr felt his team (and their families) had entrusted themselves to IMANA. So, he went through dozens of scenarios in his mind and formulated a crystal-clear action plan. Not until they were all on their way home did their operation’s magnitude really dawn upon him.

The team still cannot forget Hala, a beautiful four-year old girl who suffered 30-40% burns from the waist down. They were really hoping to evacuate her to Boston Shriners Hospital. She’d been transferred to Rafah’s IMC hospital for evacuation. All her paperwork, permissions and approval from the U.S. State Department were in place. Then Israel invaded, and the opportunity disappeared.  

Hala died on May 8.

Her story is just one of thousands, each one of which is more devastating than the last. The IMANA team’s message to the ummah is to please continue to speak up, make dua for the stranded medical teams and continue sharing and advocating for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.

Even though none of these four doctors had Palestinian roots, they each left a piece of themselves there. Chaudhry remains in touch with some people in Gaza. When she asks them how they are doing, they reply, “We are alive.” She is ready to go back as soon as possible. 

“Just tell me when.”

You can support more such medical missions at www.imana.org 

Kiran Ansari (assistant editor, Islamic Horizons) is in awe of the dedication of medical professionals choosing to risk their lives to serve in Gaza. She hopes to visit a free Palestine one day.

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