Palestinian Enough for You

For many years, there have been efforts to silence Palestinian voices. However, in response to Israel's attacks on Gaza, Palestinian allies have risen elevate Palestinian voices around the world. People are supporting Palestinian businesses and restaurants. And many lists are being shared about Palestinians in literature.

I have been included on some of these lists, and while I appreciate being included among these accomplished Palestinians, I must admit, every time it happens, I feel surprised. It feels unearned.

I don't often write about Palestine. My stories are not explicitly about my Muslim or Palestinian identities. I haven't endured anything close to what those in Gaza are experiencing. I have spent only minimal time in Palestine.

Still, it seems my identity makes me valuable somehow?

When my stories come out, I hope someone tries to ban them. "But how could they?" I wonder. The stories aren't about Palestine or Islam. There's nothing for them to try and weaponize. Right?

Well, except for the back flap...
"Omar Abed is a Palestinian-American author who..."

Is that enough?

Is my mere existence enough to scare them? Is it enough to make them hate me and my stories? My silly, nonsensical stories.

Is it enough for you? Will you feel a sense of pride when you see that a Palestinian descendant was able to succeed and accomplish something, despite a concerted effort by an opposing force to discredit an entire ancestry of Palestinians? Is that one blurb enough for me to earn my place on the lists of Palestinian writers, among others more deserving, who have written to liberate an oppressed nation or shed light on our beautiful culture?

If my mere existence grants me a place among those who resist the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, then I hope it's enough to make the others hate me. What an honor it would be to be banned and censored for what I symbolize, rather than what I've done. In that way, I become more valuable than I could ever be on my own, as an individual. My identity elevates me and I become a representative. My writing becomes more than an individual piece of art. It becomes a symbol of resistance, and all for a single phrase at the back of a non-controversial story. "Omar Abed is a Palestinian-American author who..."

For those who have endured book bans and censorship, I hope you see your censorship as a badge of honor. Your work is a martyr, and I hope it will speak for you in front of God, singing your praise. And if I am given the honor of joining you in literary martyrdom, whether it be through banned books or missed opportunities or lost book deals, just know that I look forward to standing beside you on that day.

If my Palestinian identity is enough for some of you to value me, I hope it's also enough for the others of you to hate me.