
Raya Al-Jadir
Raya Al-Jadir is an Iraqi-British freelance writer. She holds an English degree from Queen Mary, University of London. Raya’s interest range from culture, TV social projects and initiatives, literature and art but her main focus is disability rights issues, and she is the co-founder of Disability Horizons Arabic; the first Disability lifestyle e-magazine in the Arab region and runs her own site, Careless. Visit her blog and follow her on Instagram.
Items by Raya Al-Jadir
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- October 14, 2024 Raya Al-Jadir
‘My days just feel wasted in Gaza, living in fear, screaming from the sounds of rockets and bombs’
Like all Palestinians in Gaza, 30-year-old Abeer Harkali has lost everything over the past 12 months, she has been displaced from her home, and again from so-called ‘safe shelters’ numerous times. Her father has been killed, and she lives in constant fear as a result of Israel’s endless bombing and…
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- May 14, 2024 Raya Al-Jadir
‘In Gaza, we are soulless bodies, living in constant fear, aware that we may die at any second’
The worst choice you have to make in life is the decision to save your loved ones by asking them to leave you behind to face death alone. That was the choice that Abeer Harkali made in order to save her youngest brother, Nidhal, from being shot by the Israeli…
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- November 6, 2015 Raya Al-Jadir
The art of living with a disability in Gaza
Living with a disability can mean coming face to face with numerous challenges during your everyday life, in addition to society’s attitudes which can stifle and limit you, but what happens when you’re also fighting a military occupation? This is precisely the battle that Mohamed Dalo, 21, from the Gaza…
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- September 24, 2015 Raya Al-Jadir
A Syrian Love Story: Humanising the revolution
Last week, London’s British Film Institute hosted the preview of “A Syrian Love Story” a documentary by Independent newspaper journalist Sean McAllister who, over a period of five years, followed the lives of Amer and Raghda in an attempt to humanise the Syrian conflict and make it accessible to every…
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- August 25, 2015 Raya Al-Jadir
Weaving the way into the Palestinian fashion industry
Celebrating the resilience, patience and perseverance of every woman that has fought and struggled to succeed and survive in or out of Palestine, Untha is an upcoming fashion collection which was showcased in Jerusalem in June. Untha, which means female in Arabic, is a tribute to Palestinian women who have for…
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- June 15, 2015 Raya Al-Jadir
Sewing together Palestinian history
For some, when you mention Palestine, images of war, bombings and destruction come to mind, most forget that Palestine has a rich and beautiful history and a colourful culture. Taita Leila is a project that challenges these ideas and brings together Palestinian history through a different language: the language of…
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- May 19, 2015 Raya Al-Jadir
Eating yourself: Reclaiming Palestinian identity through food
“Palestine on a Plate” is a cookery application that offers food lovers the chance to taste the beauty of Palestine through its famous dishes. The person behind the application is Joudie Kalla, a professional chef born to Palestinian parents who has lived most of her life in London. Kalla says…