Advocates, Palestine, and SMU

Written by Leah Oake 

Thumbnail & Banner Photo by Ahmed Abu Hameeda on Unsplash

The most powerful tool in the world is education. So,  I wanted to embark on an educational journey of my own. I’ve been aware of the ongoing Palestinian conflict and have learned about the emergence of The Palestinian Society here at SMU. As a member of The SMU Journal, I felt it was my duty to share what I learned. I sat down with the president of the Palestinian Society at SMU to learn about the society's endeavours, advice, and goals. With any society, there comes misconceptions and ideas about how the society functions. As the voices of minority students are being encouraged to get louder and louder, there is no better way to encourage education than to give a platform to the Palestinian Society. I exchanged pleasantries with Abdul, the president of the Palestinian Society, and we then ventured into some difficult conversations to get to the core of the society’s purpose and goals.  

Leah:  Can you tell me about the formation of your society? 

Abdul: The society formed from me trying to connect with other Palestinian students at SMU. I literally made an Instagram group chat and just added as many people as I knew, and told everyone else to add anyone else that they knew was Palestinian at SMU. Lots of running around and talking! 

The society officially became ratified this semester, but plans for the society officially began during December of 2023. With the vast number of cultural societies at SMU, it was about time a space for Palestinians was created. Cultural societies are needed at SMU! Check out this article from a couple years ago about some of the international societies SMU offers.

Leah: What is the main objective of your society?

Abdul: The main objective is to raise awareness about Palestine and its culture. We want to connect Palestinian students together and do fundraisers and other cultural events to support the Palestinian spirit. 

The most important tool in society is education. Having on-campus access to free information about vastly different cultures from your own (or your own!) is an incredible gift SMU offers. Take advantage of your access to these learning resources. 

Leah: What impact do you think or hope your society will have on SMU and the whole student body?

Abdul: I’m hoping that this society will be able to get people to see and understand the Palestinian people and to let it be known that we exist. I’m also hoping that at least this year I’ll be able to inspire people to continue the society and keep it going. 

It is more important now than ever to learn about the Palestinian people. With the ongoing attacks in Palestine, it is crucial to be educated! We must, as a society, learn about their silenced voices. 

Photo by Latrach Med Jamil on Unsplash

Leah: With the current genocide happening, is your society doing anything specific to raise awareness? Is your society paying the majority of its attention to the conflict? 

Abdul: Our main focus is mostly on Palestinian culture, we do want to raise a bit of awareness but that is not our main focus as a society. 

Leah: What is the biggest misconception about your society?

Abdul: The main misconception is that we are only focusing on the politics and current world events that are happening in Palestine. We do want to raise awareness on it but we don't want to focus all our attention. 

Abdul makes a great point here! If the society was solely focused on the present issues it could take away from Palestinian joy and successes. Obviously, raising awareness is inevitable considering it directly affects them, but having the focus be strictly on the people and culture is great. 

Leah: Is your society exclusively for Palestine students or can anyone join and participate?

Abdul: It’s open to everyone! The majority of the people who signed up at our sign up table were not even Palestinian, which honestly makes me really happy. If anyone is interested in Palestinian culture and hears about us on the news or social media and wants to know more about what we are like you are more than welcome to join!

Join! You have an invitation right there! Why wouldn't you join a society that has a red carpet laid out for you to strut on in? As much as academic and hobby-oriented societies are exceptionally fun, they lack the hands-on person-to-person experience that cultural societies have. Those experiences you can join and bask in. 

Leah: What is something you hope people take away from this article?

Abdul: The main takeaway is that I hope people will join and know we are open to everyone. Also, know that we are a cultural society first and foremost, so we want to educate people about Palestine, its culture and its people.

Do not pass up on joining this society! The passion for uplifting people, voices, and culture is an important and admirable task and that is just what the society is doing. Before I concluded my interview with Abdul I decided to ask him one last question. 

Leah: Do you have any advice for fellow Palestinian students at SMU?

Abdul: My advice is, first of all, if you are a Palestinian student you are more than welcome to reach out to me or the society. We have a group chat created with Palestinian students and I’m hoping to get all the Palestinian students at SMU on it. What people can and should do if they are in support of Palestine is to do their due diligence and research on where to spend their money. https://bdnaash.com  is a website that allows you to search for brands and companies to see if they are part of the boycott or not. Do your research, shop local!

Abdul’s welcoming energy was something I could not dismiss. His advocacy, passion and pride for the society and his people were heartwarming and inspiring, and I personally can't wait to see what he and the other executive members achieve. I encourage you all to educate yourselves on the current world issues and take Abdul’s advice. We are all living on the earth together so we should work to live harmoniously and not just tolerantly.