Mohammed El-Kurd Backlash Sparks Questions Over Palestinian Priorities

For the past year, 24-years old twins from East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood became icons of the Palestinian struggle against forced evictions aimed at advancing Israeli plans of settling Israeli Jews in the territory deemed Palestinian by international laws.

Also ReadHow Palestinian Activists are Shaping the Narrative on Sheikh Jarrah

The two siblings, Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd had devoted their time and effort to speaking up against the forced displacement that reached a peak in May 2021. At a time Muna was a frequent face on Arabic-speaking media, her brother Mohammed, a journalist and a published writer, became an English-speaking voice for Palestinian rights.

Mohammed El-Kurd's popularity reached another peak as Palestinians considered him as a national hero when he gave a speech at the UN last November condemning the international body's failure to protect Palestinians with unusually brazen remarks.

However, Mohammed El-Kurd has now come under Palestinian fire for supporting LGBTQ+ rights, after a 2019 photo of him taking part in an event organized by Palestine's only LGBTQ+ organization, alQaws, in New York where he was studying, went viral.

Some online people were quick to call for "canceling" Mohammed El-Kurd over his pro-LGBTQ+ stance, saying his association with the LGBTQ+ group "offends the Palestinian struggle" and the country's conservative voices.

While some angry commentators went on to assume that El Kurd is gay himself, a claim he did not comment on so far, others continued to attack Mohammed's sister, Muna, saying she is a "shameless feminist taking advantage of the Palestinian cause".

In response, other online users expressed solidarity with El Kurd twins, saying they "can't possibly take advantage of the fact that a settler is occupying half of their house in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah". 

Others questioned Palestinian "priorities", saying that "strong reactions against Mohammed El-Kurd over his pro-LGBTQ+ stances should have supported his activism for Palestinian rights instead".

Source

Translation: "In the same week, a German organization revokes his participation because he stands with his country's right to freedom and his people launch a campaign against him because he stands with people's rights to live however they wish. All the support for Mohammed El-Kurd".

Some social media users also went on to say that the backlash caused by El Kurd's photo with alQaws group has "stirred more anger" than the recent decision of a German institute to revoke an invitation to him, after labeling his activism for Palestine as "antisemitic".

Also ReadIsraeli Army Forces Arrest Palestinian Activist Muna Al-Kurd

Translation: "If you were half as angry over the suffering of Ahmad Manasra as you are over Mohammed El-Kurd, Ahmad would have been free and with his mom already."

Mohammed El-Kurd and his family have given no comments over the backlash so far.