Hala Alyan - author of Salt Houses

Hala Alyan is a Palestinian-American writer, poet, and clinical psychologist who has become widely known for her lyrical exploration of identity, as well as the burdens and blessings of displacement. Her debut novel, “Salt Houses,” which won the Arab-American Book Award in 2018, tells the story of a Palestinian family who was uprooted from their home as a result of the Six-Day War in 1967.

Addressing the themes of conflict, displacement, assimilation, and belonging, Alyan’s work humanises the struggles experienced by 21st-century diaspora communities around the world. Her words serve as a powerful reminder of the impact that hope, resilience, and empathy can have on the human spirit.

11 Palestinian Voices Shaping the Contemporary Narrative on Palestine

by Selma Nouri

October 26, 2023

https://www.gqmiddleeast.com/culture/palestinian-voices-shaping-narrative

[AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES or quotes IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine]

Rashid Khalidi has become one of the world’s most prominent Palestinian scholars. Born to a Palestinian father and Lebanese mother in New York City, Khalidi has dedicated his life to the intellectual understanding and preservation of Palestinian identity. Across the world, his writing and scholarship have become fundamental to contemporary movements in support of dignity and justice in Palestine.

Plestia Alaqad is a 22-year old Palestinian journalist, who rose to prominence after using social media to share daily video diaries from her home in Gaza. Her videos expose the realities of a life under siege. From the horrifying sound of explosions to close-up images of rubble and destruction near her home, Alaqad’s videos offer a human perspective to the issues of conflict and displacement. Now, with over 800,000 followers on Instagram, Alaquad has transformed the way that many people receive the news, breathing life into the headlines and statistics that many have become desensitised to.

Alongside her twin brother Mohammed El-Kurd, Palestinian activist Muna El-Kurd became known across the world in 2021 for co-founding a viral social media campaign against the forced removal of Palestinian families from their homes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. Through her viral posts, El-Kurd offered a window into the unsettling realities of life under occupation and became a voice for the many Palestinian families, who, like her own, sought to protect their homes from forced seizure.

Named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in 2021, El-Kurd continues to use her platform and voice to uplift the Palestinian identity and share their struggles for justice with the world.

Wissam Nassar is an award-winning photographer and 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist whose images have served as a form of visual activism across the Arab world. Born and raised in Gaza, Nassar’s work has covered the Arab Spring, as well as the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. His images have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other noteworthy publications and are widely revered for their ability to capture vivid expressions of humanity amidst conditions of brutal conflict and oppression.

As Nassar explained in an interview with TIME Magazine in 2017, his photographs from Gaza focus on how the people simply “want to live normal lives.” They are human beings with hopes, dreams, and families who, even in the midst of rubble, play sports, listen to music, and share meals with friends. These difficult realities are what Nassar captures through his photos.

Mariam Barghouti is a Palestinian-American writer, researcher, and commentator based in Ramallah. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, and other notable news outlets.

Throughout her career, Barghouti has served as a prominent academic voice for the Palestinian people, bringing their issues to the global conversation on equality, social justice, and human rights. Her honest and poignant reporting has encouraged people from across the world to not only acknowledge but value the Palestinian perspective amid realities of conflict and occupation.

Ahmed Hijazi

Ahmed Hijazi is a Palestinian content creator capturing the realities of life under siege. With over 1.2 million followers on Instagram, Hijazi has managed to expose the suffering and challenges endured by the Palestinian people.

By communicating via social media, Hijazi is able to reveal a side of conflict and occupation that is most often ignored. Rather than simply reporting on the frequency of attacks or death tolls, he takes viewers into the hearts and minds of those suffering.

Mosab Abu Toha is a Palestinian poet, short story writer, and scholar who was born in Gaza. He is the founder of the Edward Said Library in North Gaza, the city’s first English-language library, and recently published his debut book of poetry entitled, “Things You May Find Hidden in My Ear: Poems from Gaza.”

His poetic words speak for those whose voices have been silenced or whose lives have been cut short as a consequence of conflict, psychological suffering, and deprivation. He is asking them to never turn a blind eye to the realities of conflict or injustice.

With 5 million followers on Instagram, photojournalist Motaz Azaiza is sharing a different side of Palestine with the world. Azaiza explores the duality of life in Palestine, where laughter and smiles can, within milliseconds, be wiped away.

For years, Azaiza has worked with the UN to document conditions on the ground in Palestine. Through this work, he has seen relentless suffering and joy – livelihoods built but then suddenly destroyed. In situations of both laughter and grief, Azaiza is always ready with his camera pointed, proving that, even in the midst of darkness, there is hope and humanity to be captured through images.

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin

Ahmed Shihab-Eldin is an Emmy-nominated journalist, producer, and actor of Palestinian descent who has become known globally for his unwavering dedication to the achievement of social justice and human rights in the Middle East. Throughout his career, Shihab-Eldin has used his platform as a poignant and skilled journalist to ask “difficult questions,” explore “taboo” topics, and amplify voices that are often ignored by Western media.

Shihab-Eldin has proven that he is never willing to remain silent. This is especially true in his continued support of the Palestinian struggle. When justice is on the line, no amount of censorship, criticism, or indifference will keep Shihab-Eldin from speaking up.

Mohammed El-Kurd

GQ Middle East’s April 2023 cover star, Mohammed El-Kurd has become widely known across the world for his activism and eloquent writing on the struggles for justice in Palestine and the Occupied Territories.

His debut collection of poetry, titled “Rifqa,” offers a vulnerable and vivid account of the ways in which settler colonialism and occupation can manifest in the lives of those subjected to its brutalities. For many Palestinians and young people across the world, El-Kurd has become the voice of a generation seeking hope, humanity, and justice in the midst of oppression.

Annie's New Letters (& notes)

Thursday, November 30, 2023