One year after Oct. 7: A story of pain and resistance
Yasser Munif, Associate Professor at Emerson College, in a sit-down interview with reporter Birdi Diehl. Photo by Birdi Diehl
By Birdi Diehl
It has been over 13 months since Oct. 7, 2023. On Oct. 7, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, led an attack from the Gaza Strip into Israel, according to the Congressional Research Service. More than 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were killed and the militant group seized 451 hostages.
On November 19, 2024, Gaza’s Health Ministry (GHA) reported approximately 44,000 people have been killed. Over 104,000 people have been injured.
Mahmoud El-Rifai is a research scientist at Harvard University. He is also a Palestinian refugee who lived in a refugee camp in Lebanon. It is “what shapes [his] identity for the most part.”
With over a year of endurance of the Middle Eastern war, El-Rifai has found no comfort in any response from the public, news or government.
“I’m becoming more pessimistic when it comes to something that’s going to really change, somewhat that I personally or we can really go and do and then have it suddenly change,” said El-Rifai. “It’s definitely sad, to be honest with you.”
The world’s reaction also impacts how El-Rifai feels about themselves and their community.
“We don’t matter to the institutions, we don’t matter to the countries, we don’t matter to the law and regulations,” said El-Rifai. “They don’t really apply to us, right?”
Yasser Munif is an Associate Professor in Race Relations, Urban Sociology, Nationalism, Political Economy, and Middle Eastern Politics and Society at Emerson College. He is Syrian with his parents who come from across the Arab world. He has been active in politics from early on.
“And I keep that with [me] to this day,” said Munif.
Munif was active and present when Emerson College students held a Pro-Palestinian encampment from April 20, 2023, to April 25, 2024, in the 2 Boylston Alley.
“And what students discovered in the Alley and the encampment is that there is an entire life,” said Munif. “There are people who are experiencing homelessness, who connected with the students very quickly. The police are always patrolling and harassing people who are in the surrounding [area]. The students very quickly were harassed by the police because, from that point on, they were not simply students.”
Munif believes that social movements have to unite in different ways, situations, and times because they must continue with their efforts. He also believes that higher education institutions are providing students with useful information but do not teach the understanding needed for social impact.
“Universities and colleges are sites of resistance, could be sites. They are not always. They could be sites of resistance, but they cannot be sites of liberation,” said Munif.
But with the idea of mental health, how do you persevere through all of this?
“Despair is betrayal. This is a moment where everyone’s energy, momentum, and creativity are needed. And I think— I know that a lot of people are feeling despair,” said Munif.
Right now, there are no publicly scheduled Pro-Palestine protests in Boston.