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Palestinian journalist's mock proposal to President Abbas

February 10, 2014 at 11:05 am

Iman Haridi, a Palestinian journalist from Ramallah in the West Bank, surprised her readers when she published an open letter on her Facebook account to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, asking for his hand in marriage.


Iman said that her letter aims to highlight the suffering of ordinary Palestinians at a time when jobs, social benefits and the chances of making a decent living are only available to the sons and daughters of Palestinian officials. She added that she wanted to give a voice to the oppressed who suffer injustice on daily basis yet are unable to speak for themselves. Iman, who holds a Master’s degree from the prestigious BeirZeit University, said that she intends to send her letter to the president’s office next Sunday.

In her letter, the young journalist wrote: “I am Palestinian citizen Iman Mohammed Haridi, 28-years-old. I am the daughter of an ordinary man who dreams of a decent living. I work as a journalist for Palestinian television. I propose to your Excellency requesting your hand in marriage so that I can have a decent life and humane treatment by society, so that I can realize my ambitions and dreams, the same dreams of many young people of my generation who want a decent job and services that help them bear the hard economic reality and increasing unemployment .I propose to you so that I can stop the injustices against me and my colleagues. I am not the daughter of an influential official who achieves for his children whatever they wish for or dream about, even if their dreams are at the expense of other people. I am not the daughter of a man of influence or authority; I am the daughter of an ordinary man whom I am proud of. However, the reality in Palestine has made me believe that a decent life and career and social, economic and even political privileges are only open to the families of officials, where “wasta” has become a way of living. Mr President, although I have the scientific qualifications and experience, an official’s son only needs his father to own everything while the doors remain shut before the children of ordinary Palestinians. Mr President, I appeal to you to put an end to this corruption in your official and unofficial institutions. I appeal to you to embrace our young Palestinians who constantly think about immigration. Please stop mocking us and stand with us. Increase our steadfastness and support our just cause so that we can erase the image of the official’s son from our bitter reality.”