Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Anjuman Rahman
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Why is the world silent about Israel imprisoning its youngest Palestinian child yet?
Ayham’s case is not an isolated transgression imposed by Israel; it is a reflection of a deeply rooted system of apartheid and oppression....
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‘SOAS Student Union is supposed to be independent, but it has been completely silenced’
In the months since Israel’s escalation in Gaza since 7 October, a chilling wave of repression has swept across UK universities, targeting pro-Palestine activists with alarming severity. At the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), a historic hub for progressive thought, this repression has been starkly visible. Students have...
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‘We believe in love and dreams’ - A Gaza love story tested by Israel’s genocide
“For me and Reham, we believe in love and dreams and we hold onto them,” Abdallah Abdou says softly, as if trying to convince himself as much as anyone who is listening. Sitting in a makeshift shelter in southern Gaza, Abdallah, a 31-year-old dentist, reflects on a future that,...
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Boycotting for Palestine: How Adil Abbuthalha's ‘Boycat’ App is revolutionising ethical shopping
In the fast-evolving world of activism, technology, and social justice, few individuals embody the spirit of both innovation and purpose quite like Adil Abbuthalha, the creator of Boycat, an app designed to revolutionise ethical consumerism. His journey from data science to launching a global movement through an app showcases the...
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‘I saw the hospital engulfed in flames, people burning alive, their bodies writhing in pain’
“My life was full of achievements, and then came 7 October.” These haunting words from 19-year-old Gazan, Shahd, mark the one-year anniversary of Israel’s war on Gaza, reflecting the unimaginable shift from a future filled with dreams to a present consumed by devastation and loss. On 7 October, 2023, the...
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Knights of Cinema: The Story of the Palestine Film Unit
Towards the middle of a chapter on “The Palestine Film Unit’s Cinematic Experience” in her book Knights of Cinema: The Story of the Palestine Film Unit, Khadijeh Habashneh notes: “The film unit decided to avoid using two languages: one for the people, and one for the world.” In its context,...
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Activists call for global strike against Israel war on Gaza
Palestinians from Gaza and Pick Up For Gaza have called for a global strike on 1 October 2024 in an effort to draw attention to the atrocities in the enclave and to unite protest movements to make a change and bring an end to Israel's 'killing machine'. Organiser Hanin...
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First Gazan to compete in World Boxing Championships: ‘My people are in need of help’
Shams Al-Tayeb, a 24-year-old Palestinian boxer from Gaza, is preparing to make history as the first Palestinian from Gaza to compete in the World Boxing Championship (WBC). But, for Al-Tayeb, his fight is not just in the ring – he is fighting for the freedom and future of his...
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Providing refuge and a sense of community through hummus
For the founder of HummusTown, setting up her enterprise meant battling stereotypes, red tape and her own fears, but the outcome has provided a safe haven for refugees from across the Middle East and delicious food for customers in Rome. ...
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‘I can be more useful here in Palestine,’ says Russian journalist resisting Israeli occupation
Andrey moved to Israel to escape possible persecution in Russia, what he gained was an understanding of the occupation and apartheid system which has pushed him to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians....
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The silence on Gaza from countries with feminist foreign policies ‘is deafening and deeply troubling’
UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, says countries who advocate women’s rights must ‘walk the talk’, applying their principles consistently and without selective advocacy by avoiding arms transfers that facilitate the killing of Palestinian women by Israel....
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Andrés Torres, Basque Culinary World Prize 2024 winner: ‘Children, our future, are dying of starvation’
Chef Andrés Torres defies conventional career paths, transforming from a war correspondent into a culinary activist. As the head of Global Humanitaria, Torres has seamlessly blended his passion with a deep-seated commitment to make a tangible impact in conflict zones through the universal language of food. From the war-torn streets...
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Pedaling for Gaza: Abed Rahman's ride from Germany to Palestine to raise funds for Gaza healthcare
Abed Rahman is riding from Germany to Palestine to raise funds for a healthcare centre in Gaza. This centre, staffed by 10 doctors, provides crucial services to the war-torn community, offering treatment for diabetes, cancer and injuries from bombings. Spanning several weeks and covering over 3,000 kilometres, Abed's cycle...
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‘I cannot stand by and allow a genocide to take place,’ says independent candidate Maxine Bowler
The UK is suffering from a ‘democratic deficit’, Bowler has told MEMO, adding that the government is happy to spend millions on weapons of mass destruction but when there are calls to help people for humanitarian reasons, no action is taken....
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‘If you want to rebuild a country, you start with their minds,’ says Gaza teacher
English teacher Ahmed Abo Rizik helped set up Gaza Great Minds, an organisation that continues to educate Palestinian children in Gaza in tent schools, giving them some semblance of normality at a time when they have experienced great loss, homelessness and struggle to survive each and every day....
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‘Gaza encampments symbolise a rising tide of global support for Palestinian liberation’
University campuses around the world have become hotspots for escalating student protests, demanding academic institutions divest from companies supplying arms to Israel. Launched on US college campuses, these protests have now spread to universities across the UK, Europe, Lebanon and Jordan. Students assert that their actions are a stand against...
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Palestinian women's unique struggle against occupation: MEMO in Conversation with Amani Mustafa
The prolonged nature of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land has meant women have to make life altering decisions from a very early age, the country director for Women for Women International in Palestine tells MEMO, their struggle is unique but women have been instrumental in rebuilding and healing their...
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‘Israel’s lies that are being exposed because of this genocide is the most powerful thing to watch’
MEMO speaks with Amytess Girgis, a PhD student and an organiser with Oxford Action for Palestine, who says the students' Gaza solidarity encampments are powerful. 'This moment is unique in that there are so many people, it doesn't matter where you're from, it doesn't matter what your identities are,...
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Blockout 2024: Celebrities silent on Gaza must remain blocked indefinitely
Celebrity influence extends far beyond entertainment, with many leveraging their platforms to raise awareness about important global issues. However, one issue that has highlighted the divide between outspoken celebrities and those who remain in comfortable silence is Israel’s ongoing war crimes of genocide in Gaza. The Blockout 2024 movement was...
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'Palestine is closer to liberation now than ever before'
Momodou Taal, a Cornell University student, was suspended for his pro-Palestine activism tells MEMO how different it is to be pro-Palestinian supporter and a pro-Israel supporter: ‘No one is losing their job for being pro-Israel. But you are losing your job for being pro-Palestine.’...
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‘In Gaza, dying is a blessing, being wounded is a death sentence’
Canadian eye surgeon Dr Yasser Khan has volunteered twice in Gaza since October, he tells MEMO that he has seen the ‘slow genocide’ unfolding...
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‘The world wants Gaza to burn, why else are they all just sitting and watching us die?’
Ahmed Suhail Al-Hattab had eagerly awaited for the month of Ramadan, anticipating the warmth of family and friends gathering for the cherished tradition of iftar – the break fast meal – at his home in Tel Al-Hawa, nestled in the southern reaches of Gaza City. For as long as he...
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Gaza's children are being starved to death: MEMO in Conversation with Alexandra Saieh
This Palestinian Children's Day Israel is blocking the entry of lifesaving humanitarian aid into Gaza and starving minors to death. Charities are unable to access aid that is waiting on the other side of the border and parts of Gaza remain completely off limits to them because of the...
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‘Women in Gaza are being raped and this is not being investigated or reported’
Canadian doctors volunteering in Gaza have reported women being sexually humiliated by Israeli occupation forces in front of their families, one woman was raped for 2 days until she was unable to speak, yet nothing is being done about it, Clinical Professor of Medicine Dr Aliya Khan tells MEMO....