A place for wonder. A space for reflection. A path back to the light

Glittery Gaze

Every image you see is from my personal journey captured through my own lens; in places I’ve walked.

  • A War on Perception

    Every time someone asks me how I feel about the ceasefire, all I can think of is: collective gaslighting.Gaslighting about the meaning of peace, about ethnic cleansing, about a slow, well-engineered genocide, and about colonization itself. One of the defining features of modern oppression is the battle over perception; the violence on the ground matched Read more

  • Rejoice Gaza, Breathe Through Sadness and Joy

    Salam Anas. You’ve been on my mind since yesterday. Like others, I was waiting for you to be alive, waiting for your voice to announce the ceasefire. I am sorry you are not. Anas, your friend Saleh woke up the rest just to tell them the ceasefire agreement was signed. He was near Al-Shifa’a hospital Read more

  • Between Laughter and Grief

    For most of my life, laughter has been my armour. Joking, smiling, finding something absurd in the middle of a crisis; it’s how I learned to survive. People often assume I’m always happy, and comment how beautiful my smile is, and how radiant my energy can be. Even the pharmacist looks surprised when I pick Read more

  • Correcting the Narrative

    Recently, I’ve read and heard media claiming that people in Gaza City “refuse to evacuate.” This language profoundly misrepresents the reality on the ground. It erases the impossible choices families face, and shifts blame from the aggressor onto the civilians trapped under its power. My father’s best friend in Gaza explained it to us plainly: Read more

  • When Accountability is Just Theatre

    A few years ago, I worked in a humanitarian organization where it was painfully clear we had a senior leadership problem. Eventually, the organization hired a well-known consultancy firm to come in, assess the situation, and propose solutions. After three months of interviews, surveys, and analysis, they convened a meeting to present the findings to Read more

  • So, tell me, Who Gets to Decide?!

    In my first term of my master’s in leadership studies, I was caught off guard when a professor referred to post-colonialism. “Post-what?” I wondered. When did colonialism end? No one told us?! As a Palestinian, I know we do not live in a “post” era! Our dispossession, our occupation, our erasure; these are not chapters Read more

  • The Stories We Repeat

    I was at a family gathering, the kind where the tea is strong, the laughter is loud, and eventually, someone brings up religion or politics (or both) 😁 I wasn’t paying close attention at first, until I heard someone say something that made me pause: “Shiism and Israel are two faces of the same coin.” Read more

  • Between Truth and Reckoning

    After our first class, she approached me. Her tone was quiet, and I could see the concern on her face. “I need to talk to you,” she said. “I know you’re Palestinian. And I want to make sure you know something.” She paused before continuing. “I was raised in a Zionist family. I believed what Read more

  • “Clear is kind. Unclear is unkind”

    This sentence by Brené Brown changed the way I relate to others and to myself. I’ve never liked mind games or vague communication. I’m someone who values directness. I don’t fear difficult conversations, I welcome them. I often tell people: Ask me the hardest question, and I’ll give you a real answer. Even if it’s Read more

  • Biased Towards Justice… Politically Incorrect

    For as long as I can remember, I’ve held a belief that guides how I see the world: I stand for humanity, I stand for justice, for the oppressed, and for the voiceless. I don’t believe anyone’s worth should be defined by their religion, skin color, culture, or nationality. As children, we instinctively reject injustice. Read more