Gen Z Activists of Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem

The Gen Z activist twins of Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem

Muna and Mohammed el-Kurd are 23-year-old siblings who have become social media stars with more than two million followers. They are famous worldwide for live streaming the violence they witness on their streets in their neighbourhood. Charlotte Edwardes meets them

Saturday July 17 2021, 12.01am, The Times

Theirs began the way of modern movements of resistance: with Muna el-Kurd taking out her iPhone and live streaming the scenes right in front of her. Mohammed, her brother, followed suit. Two Palestinian 23-year-olds with their Apple Inc weapons, documenting the almost daily violence they witness from armed settlers and military police. What else could they do? They didn’t know if anyone would watch. They didn’t know if anyone would care about their neighbourhood in east Jerusalem. But the numbers began ticking up. Faster and faster. Suddenly everyone was talking about the Gen Z twins in Sheikh Jarrah. In a few short months they have amassed 2.7 million social media followers across Instagram and Twitter, among them the American politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Even The Jerusalem Post has called them “iconic twin activists”.

Last month their Instagram Stories drew so much attention that the authorities – perhaps unsure of how to handle the situation – arrested them. …read the full article on the The Saturday Times Magazine