Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
Mohammad Nabil El Kurd (born 15 May 1998) is a Palestinian writer and poet from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem . He was studying for his master's degree in the United States before returning to Sheikh Jarrah to protest the forced evictions of its residents, including his family. He has gained prominence for his discourse on the Israeli occupation ; he often refers to the evictions as a form of ethnic cleansing , and the occupation as a whole as complicit in apartheid and settler colonialism . As of September 2021, El Kurd has been a correspondent for The Nation magazine covering Palestinian affairs.
In 2021, Mohammed El Kurd and his sister, Mona El Kurd , were named to Time magazine’s annual list of “ The 100 Most Influential People in the World ” for their success in portraying the reality of life under occupation in Jerusalem , which contributed to changing the discourse on the Palestinian issue at the international level.
Previous life
Mohammad al-Kurd was born in the Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. Israeli settlers took over part of his family's home in Sheikh Jarrah in 2009 when he was 11 years old. Al-Kurd was the main subject of the 2013 documentary My Neighbourhood directed by Julia Basha and Rebecca Wingert-Gaby.
Sheikh Jarrah Campaign
Kurds document and speak out about the forced eviction of Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah , where Mohammed and his twin sister Mona started a campaign to raise awareness about the forced evictions in Sheikh Jarrah through social media channels.
Israeli police arrested Mona and Mohammed on June 6, 2021, and later released them after detaining them for several hours.
Published works
Kurd writes poetry and essays in English on the themes of dispossession, ethnic cleansing, systemic violence, structure, settler colonialism, and gender roles :
“Dear President Obama… I hope you won’t stay silent,” The Guardian , 2013.
“Palestinian Women: A Rich History of Leadership and Resistance,” Al Jazeera , 2018.
“My Grandmother, Icon of Palestinian Resilience,” The Nation , 2020.
“Tomorrow Israeli settlers may force my family and neighbors out of our homes,” The Nation , 2020.
“Why Are Palestinians Forced to Prove Their Humanity?” +972 Magazine, 2020.
“If They Stole Sheikh Jarrah,” Mada Masr 2021.
“The Israeli Army Shot My Cousin—And the US Shall Partly Blame It,” The Nation , 2021.
“Companionship,” Haymarket Books, 2021.
Source
Achievements and Awards
- Years in active
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