Seen the New York Times full page ad calling out supermodel sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid together with singer Dua Lipa for anti-Semitism and “accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing”, among other things? Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the head of the pro-Israel World Values Network, also said in the fine print of the ad that these three have “vilified the Jewish state”.
The three ladies have been vocal on their respective social media accounts, in support of the Palestinians. Bella was also spotted on the streets of New York City in a #FreePalestine protest at the height of Gaza-Israel conflict.
Unbeknownst to many, especially Malaysians, the Hadids can trace their lineage to the prince of Nazareth and Sheikh of Galilee, Daher Al Omer. Mohamed Anwar Hadid, the supermodels’ father, was born in Palestine but moved to the United States when he was young after losing their home to a Jewish family they sheltered.
On our shores, support for Palestine began flooding social media ever since the Al-Aqsa mosque was attacked on May 7, mere days before the Aidilfitri celebrations. The social media support by top Malaysian personalities expressing solidarity with the Palestinians has been remarkable, let’s take a look at some of the posts.
Mizz Nina
A humanitarian mission led Mizz Nina to Palestine a couple of years ago, and her love and support for the oppressed state runs deep. On social media, she often speaks about her mind-altering journey in Palestine and particularly her experience at the Al-Aqsa mosque. To-date, the former rapper has raised RM17.8 million with fellow Malaysian artists and the money raised will be channeled to the Malaysia-Al-Aqsa clinic, poor families in Jerusalem and Gaza emergency fund, while also supporting legal services in Sheikh Jarrah.
Caprice
Singer, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, and social commentator Caprice has been raising his voice on countless issues on his “What’s on the news today” Instagram posts, and this includes the Palestinian cause. Caprice is proactive in finding ways to resolve the noise on social media by having live debates and forming a pact to keep the peace between the Jews, Muslims and Christians.
Magie Abang Saufi
Magie Abang Saufi posed with daughter Arafah Edruce (who is also better known as Arabyrd) while donning the kefiyyeh, a symbol of Palestinian nationalism since the 1930s Arab revolt. Magie also shares her take on the latest news on her IG stories, where her followers often check in for first scoop.
Datin Dian Lee
Datin Dian Lee’s post on the destructions around Gaza was underlined by “We don’t need to be Muslims to stand up for Palestine, we just need to human” and ended with a call to donate to the Malaysian Red Crescent society. Funds collected from Malaysia will be forwarded to the Palestine Red Crescent chapter to purchase ambulances, medical supplies & equipment.
Joe Flizzow
The country’s top rap star, Joe Flizzow, posted the Takbir Cinta song he penned in 2013. Performed with Yasin and Amy Search, the song is a poesy to end wars and sufferings around the world, and that a happier future is possible with the absence of puppet leaders, ego and greed.
Kavita Sidhu
Kavita did a throwback to the 1992 Malay movie Selubung; written, produced, and directed by Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba. The premise of the movie centres around women’s roles in society and the Palestinian cause. We also learned from her post that the film was dedicated to the people at Malaysian Social Research Institute, led by the late Dr Alijah Gordon and Dr Dolly Fong. Dr Alijah was a socio-political activist who had dedicated her life to the Palestinian refugee causes.
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(Main image: Magie Abang Saufi/Instagram, Mizz Nina/Instagram)
Dian Pasquinal Kaur
Head of Digital