#PositivePalestinian — What it’s like to be a “high-profile” Palestinian small business owner right now
I don’t consider myself to be a high-profile Palestinian (I mean I am no Bella Hadid despite what my mum tells me about my good looks) but it has become abundantly clear that for many of my connections, I am one of the most prominent real-life Palestinians that they have ever met — that’s clearly what happens when you post so much on social media.
Take this morning for example; I woke up to a text from a friend who is a headmaster at an international school asking for my opinion, as a Palestinian, on a popular Palestinian pop song and whether it should be banned or not as it is causing tension between the Pro-Palestinian students and the Pro-Israeli students and their families.
Or the friend who rang me up at the time of the Armistice Weekend Pro-Palestine March in London to ask whether, as a Palestinian, I thought they should join.
People want definitive answers and in some ways it’s nice that they have reached out to me but I don’t necessarily have the answers; it’s not that straight-forward.
It’s a bit like the debate about the phrase: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and whether it should be banned.
Depending upon your “allegiance” you see this phrase as deeply offensive or a rallying call to show your support for a cause you see as unjust; it is far more nuanced than that and the reality is that both sets of people can be right at the same time.
The real solution is for the two groups to engage and try to understand the other’s point of view rather than attacking each other.
The worrying thing is that the longer this current conflict goes on, the more polarised I find people getting; it’s almost as though you have to be on one side or the other, there is no in-between.
For many people, they have oversimplified the situation into unconditional support one way or the other and therefore feel compelled to attack the other side. This is leading to ever increasing vitriol spilling out in all areas of society (like in my friend’s school).
What is the impact on me?
Before October 7th, I bet many of my loose business connections had no idea that I was Palestinian; it’s not been something I have overtly led with when I go for one of my many networking coffees.
When I did in the early days, I found that most people weren’t that bothered by this information but occasionally I would get some racist remarks like:
“Really Palestinian! If only all Arabs spoke with such a clear accent as yours then maybe there wouldn’t be all these problems!”
Or the client who once said in a meeting in which I was presenting:
“We better agree with Faris or he might blow us up”
Admittedly my response at the time was to laugh it off and return to other topics of discussion.
But in the current climate, it’s hard to do that for several reasons:
- My conscious feels that I shouldn’t be ashamed of being Palestinian; especially not at a time that great numbers of Palestinians (my family and friends included) are suffering. In this case, my conscious says I should take a proactive public approach
- Active pro-Palestinian supporters call on me to publicly support the Palestinian cause (and/or denounce Israel)
- Pro-Israeli/Anti-Palestinian supporters challenge me for being Palestinian — in the last 2 months I have been sent some quite shocking messages and had a few run-ins with strangers at networking events (I won’t go into details but suffice to say it has not been pleasant)
Of these, the strongest driver is reason 1; I can not idly sit by and ignore my heritage when what is happening is happening.
What stance have I chosen?
Rather than hide my Palestinianess away in the shadows (which is a perfectly acceptable strategy by the way), I have decided to engage and be more prominent.
But, I refuse to repost the horrific images of Palestinian suffering that I see daily on social media or to launch attacks on shocking behaviour/propaganda by the Israeli government [before anyone starts I 100% appreciate that there is also suffering by Israelis and propaganda by Hamas] — I actually watch many of the videos from both sides so I can see what is happening on both ends of the debate.
Instead my approach is what I call the #PositivePalestinian; an approach that is about showing the positive aspects of being Palestinian, engaging with everyone in a positive manner, leaving them feeling positive and sharing a different side of what it is like to be Palestinian right now, especially one that just happens to be a small business owner.
Sure I may call for a ceasefire but my main objective is to demonstrate that Palestinians are approachable, likeable, creative and beneficial people; building upon the fact that many people haven’t ever spent time getting to know one and the fact that the more people connect with others the easier it is to see them as human, just like them [something I feel is drastically missing in the current conflict].
I will happily take time for anyone to discuss the conflict in a rational manner, share stories of the beauty of Palestine and the ingenuity of its people.
What has been the impact so far?
In the last 2 months, I’ve had some fascinating conversations and been engaged by people I never thought would talk about the situation.
I have been buoyed by the support I have received every time I raise my head above the parapet (so to speak) but I have also opened myself up to more attacks.
Fortunately, so far, it hasn’t been anything I can’t handle but certainly some friends have suggested that I tone back on all the Palestinian posts.
Similarly my parents are worried about the fact that I wear a keffiyeh more prominently around town [they are scared by this story].
It’s times like this that I am glad that I am 6'2" and a big guy but still one needs to proceed with caution.
Am I making a difference?
Now, that’s the million dollar question.
Invariably my contributions aren’t going to bring peace to the Middle East but (as with much of what I do in life) even if it contributes to one person having a more positive experience and looking at Palestinians in a more positive light then I will feel like I have succeeded.
So, if you want to engage with a genuine Palestinian, I could be your person.
In the meantime, I’ll be quietly continuing my strategy so look out for the #PositivePalestinian hashtag all across LinkedIn 🇵🇸.
Oh yeah and I won’t stop talking about effectiveness, IQ, EQ nor FQ either so you’re in for multiple treats! ☺️
Faris is the CEO and Founder of Shiageto Consulting, an innovative consultancy that helps firms and individuals sharpen their effectiveness. Connect with him here
Success = IQ x EQ x FQ
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