IMEU Institute for Middle East Understanding
Palestinian-American Profiles
When Palestinian-American rock climber Miranda Oakley first stepped foot in a climbing gym, her sights weren’t set on breaking records or becoming famous in the climbing world. But in 2016, that’s exactly what happened when she became the first woman to climb the Nose of El Capitan solo in less than 24 hours.
on January 5, 2021
Palestinian swimmer Mary al-Atrash can't wait to make a splash at the Rio Olympics in August, but participation, rather than a podium finish, is probably the best she can hope for. Atrash competes in the 50 metres freestyle but her best time of 29.91 seconds is more than four seconds slower than the Olympic qualifying threshold of 25.28 seconds, in itself almost two seconds behind the world record.
on June 28, 2016
At an amateur track meet last month at Rice University in Houston, an eclectic group of runners from young children to the elderly gathered to compete in their respective heats. Amid the punishing Texas humidity, the so-called open meet — the most democratic of track and field competitions where all are free to compete regardless of age or skill level — was especially busy on this muggy Thursday evening.
on June 25, 2016
I watched and listened, often with tears, as Muhammad Ali was eulogised. I cried when the service opened with a reading from the Quran, because it was the first time in the history of the United States that a recitation of the Quran was read and heard in reverence on major national American television networks. I thought, even in death, he is a revolutionary.
on June 13, 2016
For the ninth year in a row, Palestinians in the city of Rafah will organize a football tournament in the memory of Rachel Corrie, a 23-year old American peace activist who was killed in the city while she was trying to protect Palestinian houses from Israeli demolition. The tournament, which will take place on June 7, 2016, will consist of 32 teams from across the Gaza Strip.
on May 26, 2016
alestinians were baffled when Tanya Habjouqa first explained her photographic project to them. “They felt a political obligation to talk about their suffering,” she says. “They were startled when I asked about pleasure. They would slowly ask, ‘Pleasure? We don’t usually discuss pleasure.’
on May 22, 2016
Tying the shoelaces of her bright green trainers, Inas Nofal prepares for her daily morning run. As Gaza's first and only competitive female runner, the 15-year-old makes heads turn when she races down the streets. "Running is my life," Nofal told Al Jazeera. "Before I go to sleep, I think about which routes I'll run the next day."
on May 6, 2016
When the sun rose over Bethlehem on April first, the streets were already buzzing with life. Families lined up along the sidewalks and police officers tried to direct a few confused drivers off the main roads. In the meantime, thousands of people in white t-shirts with ‘Right to Movement’ written over the chest flocked to the ancient Manger Square in front of one the world’s most famous Christian sites, the Church of Nativity.
on May 3, 2016
“It was amazing!” Anyone who knows a marathon runner has heard those words, or something similar, from an adrenaline-fuelled finisher on their post-race high. But this runner’s passion and excitement was fuelled by a very different reason. For my friend Miriam, the Palestine Marathon was not about time or even about being able to say she had run a marathon.
on April 5, 2016