Written By Minah Saravanos
Discovery Green Park is a beautiful area in Downtown Houston, and a great place to spend a Saturday. On May 19, 2024, it was the site of an International Festival, where many countries and cultures were represented, including Palestine. Many Palestinian supporters congregated near the Palestinian booth adorned with Palestinian-themed decor-including button pins, stickers, flags, henna, watermelon-flavored candy, and flyers. Many passersby got Palestinian-themed stickers to show off their support of Palestine.
Inshirah while managing the Palestinian booth
Volunteers distributing Palestine-themed stickers to passersby
But why is it important for Palestine to be seen and heard at public events like these?
The simple answer is, the more people know about the humanitarian catastrophe happening there for more than 75 years, the more they will be motivated to do something about it. The history of Palestine is long, spanning decades, but one major event was the “Nakba”, a word that means “disaster” in Arabic. This was the cruel, bitter, and ruthless expulsion of roughly 650,000 Palestinians from their own homes, now in present-day Israel. This ethnic cleansing took place in 1948, and since then, Palestinians haven’t been able to return to their homes of origin. If they did, Israel would be a Palestinian majority state, which it has consistently opposed. And now, 75 years later in 2024, Israel is targeting Palestinians once again, and making them homeless once more.
According to the International Rescue Committee, “Some 1.7 million Palestinians, nearly 75% of the population, are estimated to be internally displaced-with many having been displaced multiple times.” In other words, more than a million civilians are currently homeless due to Israel, while the world silently watches. And if acting idle during genocide is not bad enough, some countries (unfortunately including ours) actually support genocide! This is devastatingly unacceptable.
Here in Houston, we must continue to spread knowledge of Palestinian history, and this is exactly what we did at the International Festival.
Free Palestine themed Henna
Inshirah, who planned the Palestinian booth at the festival, explained, “For decades, many of us have been fed propagandized, highly biased, misinformation about Palestine, which in turn has resulted in the oppression of millions of Palestinians for nearly a century; therefore, we must take great care in obtaining credible sources to learn about the history, social and political situation in Palestine. In doing so, we are not only learning the truth, but helping to bring justice to a people who’ve been oppressed for nearly a century.” In other words, we must make sure we use unbiased sources and provide unbiased information to others in order to undo the misinformation spread about Palestine.
As the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, “Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” This is the reason Inshirah thinks pro-Palestinian people should speak up for Palestine. As Inshirah puts it, “This is the time to use our hands and feet to march and act, our tongues to chant or scream, and if we cannot do that, then at minimum, stay informed about the struggles of the oppressed in Palestine, in the Congo and in Sudan.” We must apply this to our lives during these ongoing genocides, particularly by going to protests and events.
Passersby spinning the wheel to get prizes
In conclusion, the Palestinian and Arab American Center booths at Discovery Green’s International Festival were an effort to honor, represent, and recognize Palestinian culture. On that beautiful Saturday in May, many festival attendees stopped by these booths, seeking to better understand Palestinian history and support Palestinians however they could.