we are not numbers

emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights

Salah Omar

    I'm a Palestinian activist and poet–Egyptian by birth, Palestinian by blood. For 19 years, I've been subjected to Israeli injustice, inflaming the rebel tide in my veins and encouraging me to pursue my dream of studying international law abroad and writing an autobiography.

    I started writing poetry at age of 8. I read a poem by Mahmoud Darwish and I fell in love with poetry; it helps me engage my emotions and create a picture for readers of anything I want to communicate. I believe  the power of the word is stronger than tyrants' weapons.

    I once read in a book that Mahatma Ghandi said, “Be the change you would like to see in the world.” That's what I aspire to do through my art. 

     

    my work

    Sometimes the suffering around me is simply overwhelming.