Latest news with #Jarrar
The National
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Randa Jarrar on how her Fringe show tackles the Palestinian genocide
This is her first solo show, her first time in Scotland, her first time at the Edinburgh Fringe. Jarrar is part of Welcome to the Fringe, Palestine, a mini-festival at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe aiming to showcase Palestinian art 'with freedom and without censorship'. Her show is a sci-fi solo performance set in 2055, where a Palestinian woman wakes up to find she's the last person alive. 'I would not have thought to come to the Fringe if it were not for this fantastic group of theatre workers and volunteers who just have worked deeply with Palestinian artists in the past and feel passionate about Palestinian culture and art,' she says. 'They put out a call at the beginning of the year saying 'hey, if you would like to come, pitch us a show, tell us your ideas'. 'I hadn't written the show yet, but I love deadlines, I'm a Capricorn, so I was like, 'I want to do this'. I applied thinking, if I get it, that's a challenge.' In the show, the protagonist discovers an AI companion, which is modelled after UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese. Together they piece together how the world ended, and how people resisted before the end. We meet six different characters who are all played by Jarrar and share their stories. The show deals with genocide, survival and numbness, but never only as devastation. 'It's the severe pain and trauma of going through the genocide that has her, and her entire community, choose her to be the one they try to preserve,' Jarrar explains. 'It's my way of talking about the ways that Palestinians in Gaza [now] and historically have used their innovations and sense of inventiveness to survive these horrific circumstances and crimes that are imposed on them by outside forces.' Jarrar draws inspiration from Palestinian folklore which she describes as 'weird and futuristic and ancient all at the same time'. READ MORE: 'Double-edged': Gianmarco Soresi on identity, Israel, and his sold-out Fringe run She adds: 'These magical things happen and the impossible is not the impossible anymore. These folktales have a really big influence on me and rereading them over the past few years during Israel's attempt at annihilating the Palestinian people has brought me a very deep sense of comfort.' She also draws from speculative fiction writers like Octavia Butler, 'accessing women and queer stories and ideas of survival and the ways our communities have historically been able to survive through innovation and through mutual aid and working together'. Censorship and subsequent refusal have long shaped Jarrar's work. 'If you look at my history with censorship, my first novel, getting that published took a long time, almost five years and then in 2018 I dealt with a very extensive doxxing campaign begun when I called out Barbara Bush,' she explains. 'I dealt with a year-long attack by the right wing and newspapers, calling for civil speech instead of just celebrating what we all supposedly had in the US, which is the First Amendment.' In early 2024, she was physically removed from an event hosted by PEN America, who she had volunteered with for almost 20 years, after protesting the inclusion of pro-Israel celebrity Mayim Bialik. She continues: 'For them to platform a Zionist ... I thought I had the right to go there and protest. Of course, only certain people's speech is allowed. And so, I was escorted out of a free speech event. 'Censorship is a thing. And obviously, Palestinians pay with their literal lives. We have had more than 200 journalists, and we owe them a debt we will never repay as humanity. So, for me, I find that it's a privilege to deal with censorship and continue to live my life. So, I will not stop fighting against it.' More recently, she withdrew from the Edinburgh International Book Festival. It dropped Baillie Gifford as its sponsor last year after several visitors and authors threatened to boycott the festival due to the company's alleged links to Israel and fossil fuel firms. 'They invited at least two Zionist Israeli writers to come, and when I brought it up to them out of concern, especially about the one person I was concerned about who had been making statements about how what's happening in Gaza is not a genocide, I said I don't feel comfortable attending if he's there, and they said, 'Oh, you know, we're inviting him for his fiction',' Jarrar says. She adds that she was the first to withdraw, followed by Fady Joudah and Omar El Akkad: 'The person who I wanted to drop out, he also dropped out, which is a wonderful triumph for us – for me, personally.' For audiences, Jarrar wants to provide space, not just to witness, but to feel, to grieve and to move. 'I guess I want them to have an hour to immerse themselves in Palestinian art, culture and characters and to be entertained, but also have some ideas for what to do next,' she says. 'I would love for audiences to learn something new about Palestine and about being human and be given space to grieve with each other and with these characters what's been happening over the last few years, find joy in human resilience and the way humans can take deep, deep grief and anger and transmute it to comedy and art.' And for herself? 'Mostly I'm learning about the ways that people can really get together and make magic happen. That's the number one reason I'm going to Edinburgh – getting to sit for four days in one place and really enjoy Palestinian art and culture and the diversity of it. We're not just one story. We are so many different stories.' The Last Palestinian Alive is on Friday, August 15, 4pm at Portobello Town Hall. Tickets are available at and the full Welcome to the Fringe, Palestine programme can be found at
Gulf Today
20-07-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
MBR Library discusses shining traits of VP's leadership
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter The Mohammed Bin Rashid Library organised a session to discuss the book 'The Sheikh CEO: Lessons in Leadership', to celebrate the birthday of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The book delves into His Highness's inspiring principles of leadership. The session was introduced by the book's author, Dr. Yasar Jarrar, Board Member at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government. He presented to the audience the key leadership principles adopted by His Highness, which have contributed to qualitative transformations in government, economic, and social work in Dubai. The session highlighted His Highness's forward-looking philosophy and his vision for anticipating the future. Dr. Jarrar cited His Highness's statement: "The future does not wait. The future can be designed and built today." He emphasised the role of leadership in transforming visions into tangible achievements and motivating individuals toward creativity and excellence. The session discussed Dubai's transformation into a global model for future cities, and how His Highness adopted a policy of deliberate challenge and risk-taking to achieve qualitative accomplishments in record time. Jarrar explained that effective leadership, in accordance with His Highness's vision, relies on harnessing individual energies and unifying collective efforts to achieve major goals, while stressing the need for leaders to strive to make Dubai "number one" in multiple fields. Furthermore, the session included an open dialogue with the audience, allowing participants to ask questions and share their experiences and ideas. In his closing remarks, Dr. Jarrar emphasised that the leadership lessons inspired by the experience of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum will remain a source of inspiration for future generations, calling on everyone to embrace His Highness's leadership philosophy and creating remarkable accomplishments. At the end of the session, Dr. Jarrar signed copies of his book for the attendees. The session, part of a programme to empower young minds and enhance the role of women in society, witnessed a remarkable turnout of youth and those interested in leadership and management. The attendees engaged with the inspiring ideas presented on transforming challenges into opportunities and creating positive change. Recently, the Mohammed bin Rashid Library (MBRL) gifted 5,000 books in both Arabic and English to national service recruits in the armed forces, reaffirming its role in spreading knowledge and fostering a culture of reading as a way of life in society. This initiative, part of the "A World Reads" initiative, coincides with the Reading Month. Dr. Mohammed Salem Al Mazrooei, Board Member of the MBRL Foundation, emphasised that this initiative reflects the library's commitment to promoting reading and intellectual development among the nation's youth, contributing to the creation of a creative and knowledgeable society capable of facing future challenges. He stated that encouraging armed forces recruits to read helps empower them with knowledge and prepares them to become effective leaders in the future. Since its launch in April 2023, the initiative has reached a quarter of a million beneficiaries, with the library donating 80,000 books to more than 200 institutions and schools. The library is also inviting publishers and cultural organisations to donate books in support of this initiative. A report last year says many achievements have been logged by it and it has achieved many milestones during the period. They have contributed to consolidating its position as a prominent cultural and knowledge hub of the UAE. Since its inauguration, it has attracted nearly 1.5 million visitors of different age groups and nationalities. The library has also witnessed a significant increase in the number of books added to its collection, with more than 225,300 new Arabic books being included, with approximately 54,000 new books being in non-Arabic languages. It has organised nearly 500 diverse events, including cultural, scientific, arts, and literary commemorations, for different age groups, in both Arabic and English. They included a series of workshops, seminars, literary evenings, and art exhibitions. MBRL welcomed more than 200 high-level official and diplomatic delegations from inside and outside the UAE. The visits were to foster cultural ties and knowledge cooperation between the UAE and other countries and to contribute to the exchange of expertise and knowledge.
Jordan News
29-04-2025
- General
- Jordan News
Jordanian e-learning platform accessed by 1.2 million Palestinian students in Gaza, West Bank - Jordan News
Jordanian e-learning platform accessed by 1.2 million Palestinian students in Gaza, West Bank One point two million Palestinian students in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have benefited from the free services of the Jordanian e-learning platform dedicated to Palestinian students since the start of the current academic year. اضافة اعلان The General Manager of the Jordanian company for interactive e-learning solutions and content, Jo Academy, Alaa Jarrar, announced that the "Wise School" platform and application were developed in collaboration with the World Islamic Sciences and Education University, in line with royal directives. The initiative is part of Jordan's ongoing efforts to support the Palestinian people and ensure that students can continue their education despite the challenging circumstances, particularly during the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip. According to Jarrar, users of the application can complete their school education by downloading materials for offline study. He commended the World Islamic Sciences and Education University for its role in creating content and producing lessons in its studios. The app covers the Palestinian curriculum from first to twelfth grade (Tawjihi) and provides students with a certificate approved by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and recognised in Jordan. He noted that over 100 Jordanian teachers contributed to the preparation and explanation of the educational materials. Jarrar added that the app ranks among the five most-viewed educational applications globally and includes interactive academic content, worksheets, questions and exercises, as well as specialised educational videos on topics such as psychological support, e-marketing, design, programming and first aid. He emphasised that the app meets the needs of students, supervisors and the Palestinian Ministry of Education for general secondary school exams, assisting in the implementation of the standards and instructions for these assessments. Petra
Jordan Times
28-04-2025
- Jordan Times
‘1.2 million students in Gaza, West Bank benefit from Jordanian e-Learning platform'
AMMAN — Over 1.2 million students in Gaza and the West Bank have benefited from Jordan's free e-learning platform, which was specifically developed to support Palestinian students. The platform has been available since the start of the current academic year. Alaa Jarrar, CEO of the Jordanian interactive e-Learning solutions and content company, Jo Academy, said that the "Wise School" platform and application were developed in collaboration with the World Islamic Sciences and Education University. Jarrar told the Jordan News Agency, Petra, that the initiative was launched in response to Royal directives as part of Jordan's ongoing efforts to enhance the steadfastness of the Palestinian people and ensure that students continue their education despite the ongoing challenges, particularly the impact of the Israeli conflict in Gaza. He said that the platform allows students to download study materials and continue their education offline, without the need for an internet connection. He praised the role of the World Islamic Sciences and Education University in producing content, filming lessons, and recording them in their studios. The platform covers the Palestinian curriculum from grade one to the twelfth grade (Tawjihi) and offers students a certificate accredited by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and recognised in Jordan. Jarrar noted that over 100 Jordanian teachers contributed to creating and explaining the educational content. Jarrar said that the "Wise School" application is now among the top five most visited educational platforms globally, offering interactive academic content, worksheets, exercises, and video lessons. 'The platform also includes specialised content in areas such as psychological support, digital marketing, design, programming, and first aid.' 'The application [Wise School] is designed to support Palestinian students in preparing for Tawjihi examination and helps the Palestinian Ministry of Education implement the necessary standards and guidelines for exam administration.
Saba Yemen
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Saba Yemen
Jenin Municipality: Cost of destruction due to Zionist aggression $300 million
Jenin - Saba: The mayor of Jenin in the occupied West Bank, Muhammad Jarrar, said that the cost of destruction and devastation due to the Zionist aggression in Jenin and its camp in the occupied West Bank amounted to $300 million. Palestine Today News Agency quoted Jarrar as saying that the Zionist aggression against the city of Jenin and its camp has continued for the fourth month. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
