Mohammed el-Kurd

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Mohammed el-Kurd
Born (1998-05-15) 15 May 1998 (age 26)
Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem
NationalityPalestinian
Occupation
  • Writer
  • poet
Known forPalestinian activism
RelativesMuna el-Kurd (twin sister)

Mohammed el-Kurd (Arabic: محمد الكرد, born 15 May 1998) is a Palestinian writer and poet. He is currently based out of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem.[1] Prior to the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, he was pursuing a master's degree in the United States, but returned to protest Israel's eviction of Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem (see Sheikh Jarrah controversy).[2][1] He has gained prominence for his description of Palestinians' lives in the Israeli-occupied West Bank; el-Kurd has referred to the evictions as a form of ethnic cleansing,[3] and has also accused Israel of imposing apartheid-style laws and regulations onto Palestinians in the occupied territories.[4][5]

Early life and education

El-Kurd was born into a family of Palestinian Muslims in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, on 15 May 1998. In 2009, part of his family's home in Sheikh Jarrah was seized by Israeli settlers.[6] He was the main subject of the 2013 documentary film My Neighbourhood by Julia Bacha and Rebekah Wingert-Jab.[7] He had emigrated to the United States and settled in New York to pursue higher education, but returned to East Jerusalem during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.[1]

Return to East Jerusalem (2021)

Further information: Sheikh Jarrah controversy and Palestinian displacement in East Jerusalem

Since his return to the Israeli-occupied West Bank amidst the Sheikh Jarrah controversy, Mohammed has been documenting and speaking out against Palestinian displacement in East Jerusalem.[8][9][10] He and his twin sister, Muna el-Kurd, began campaigning to raise global awareness on Israeli policies in East Jerusalem through various social media channels.[11][12] In combination, the twins have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter and millions of followers on Instagram. While Muna's posts are usually in Arabic, Mohammed frequently posts in English to cater to a Western audience.[13]

On 6 June 2021, Mohammed and Muna were both detained by Israeli police;[14][15] they were later released on the same day after being detained for several hours.[16] During the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, Mohammed appeared on American television channels CNN, MSNBC, and CBSN.[13]

In 2021, Mohammed and Muna were named on TIME 100.[17][18]

Published works

Since 2021, el-Kurd has been the "Palestine Correspondent" for The Nation.[19]

His poetry and articles are in English, written on the themes of dispossession, ethnic cleansing, systemic and structural violence, settler colonialism, Islamophobia, and gender roles.

Notable examples of his work include:

  • Dear President Obama … I hope you won't remain silent (The Guardian, 2013);[20]
  • Palestinian women: An untold history of leadership and resistance (Al Jazeera, 2018);[21]
  • My Grandmother, Icon of Palestinian Resilience (The Nation, 2020);[22]
  • Tomorrow My Family and Neighbors May Be Forced From Our Homes by Israeli Settlers (The Nation, 2020);[23]
  • Why are Palestinians being forced to prove their humanity? (+972 Magazine, 2020);[12]
  • If they steal Sheikh Jarrah (Mada Masr, 2021);[24]
  • The Israeli Military Shot My Cousin—and the US Bears Part of the Blame (The Nation, 2021);[25]
  • Rifqa (Haymarket Books, 2021).[26]

References

  1. ^ a b c "This Palestinian Writer Is Going Viral For Challenging US Coverage of Israel-Palestine". www.vice.com. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Mohammed El-Kurd | Al Jazeera News | Today's latest from Al Jazeera". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Poet Mohammed El-Kurd Detained in Sheikh Jarrah After Condemning Israeli Apartheid on U.S. TV". Democracy Now!. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  4. ^ Hatuqa, Dalia (15 May 2021). "Settlement Push in East Jerusalem Neighborhood Shows Israeli "Apartheid"". The Intercept. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  5. ^ "It's not a 'conflict': how to talk about Palestine". Dazed. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  6. ^ Alfred, Charlotte (29 January 2016). "Young Palestinian Poet Brings To Life The Troubles Of Jerusalem". HuffPost. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  7. ^ Wingert-Jabi, Rebekah; Bacha, Julia; Smith, Emily (17 March 2013). "My Neighbourhood: a Palestinian boy's view of Israeli settlements – video". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  8. ^ "A new generation of Palestinians will not abandon Sheikh Jarrah". Mondoweiss. 9 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  9. ^ "'We're not leaving our rightful homes': Mohammed el-Kurd speaks to MEE on Sheikh Jarrah". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Palestinian poet and writer Mohammed El-Kurd on being forced out of his Sheikh Jarrah home by Israeli forces". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  11. ^ "How East Jerusalem flashpoint Sheikh Jarrah got its own hashtag". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  12. ^ a b El-Kurd, Mohammed (3 December 2020). "Why are Palestinians being forced to prove their humanity?". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  13. ^ a b Saba, Claudia (2021). "Mainstreaming Anti-colonial Discourse on Palestine: Mohammed El-Kurd's Discursive Interventions". Tripodos (51): 49–67. doi:10.51698/tripodos.2021.51p49-67. ISSN 2340-5007. S2CID 246367115.
  14. ^ "Israel arrests Palestinian activist Muna el-Kurd in East Jerusalem". BBC News. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Israeli police detain Palestinian activist twins from East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah". BBC News. 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Israel releases Sheikh Jarrah activists after hours-long arrests". Al Jazeera News. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Sheikh Jarrah's El-Kurd twins make TIME top 100 list". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  18. ^ "Muna and Mohammed El-Kurd: The 100 Most Influential People of 2021". Time. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Mohammed El-Kurd". 26 June 2020.
  20. ^ Kurd, Mohammed El (17 March 2013). "Dear President Obama … I hope you won't remain silent". the Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  21. ^ El-Kurd, Mohammed. "Palestinian women: An untold history of leadership and resistance". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  22. ^ El-Kurd, Mohammed (1 July 2020). "My Grandmother, Icon of Palestinian Resilience". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  23. ^ El-Kurd, Mohammed (20 November 2020). "Tomorrow My Family and Neighbors May Be Forced From Our Homes by Israeli Settlers". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  24. ^ "If they steal Sheikh Jarrah". Mada Masr. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  25. ^ Aqel, Ryah; El-Kurd, Mohammed (2 March 2021). "The Israeli Military Shot My Cousin—and the US Bears Part of the Blame". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  26. ^ El-Kurd, Mohammed (2021). RIFQA. [S.l.]: Haymarket Books. ISBN 978-1-64259-586-4. OCLC 1243968289.

External links

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