Gal Gadot, Gaza, and Grace

Note: This article discusses sensitive topics, including war, violence, discrimination, and political conflict. Reader discretion is advised.

In light of global events, I wanted to write about my experience, observations, understanding, and the process of learning to navigate some of the world’s most sensitive issues — something I’ve been engaging with since childhood.

I began learning about war around the age of five, when I saw the news coverage of 9/11 in 2001. Around that time, I was also listening closely to conversations among adults around me about politics, war, religion, and international affairs. I took note of the names and terms that kept being repeated, and I remembered hearing the name ‘Saddam Hussein’ again when my mom, while watching Dennis the Menace with me, mentioned that one of the actors looked like him.

Me, at five years old, wearing my mom’s hijab, a green t-shirt and a pair of green shorts.

At five years old, I was aware that I didn’t fully understand contexts in the English language, and I was still learning words in my native language as well. This made learning about international events especially difficult at the time, but I tried to remember the names and terms that would later add to my learning process on these important matters.

Fast forward to 2020, when one after another person at work told me I resembled Gal Gadot.