Jerusalem: Palestinian activist twins Muna El-Kurd and Mohammed El-Kurd have entered Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the year 2021.
The names of the two 23-year-old twins became known after they joined the campaign to stop Israel’s efforts to expel Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah. The Muna and Mohammed El-Kurd families were forced to move from their home in Sheikh Jarrah’s East Jerusalem-occupied area.
As per the media reports, in the month of June, Israeli forces detained and interrogated Muna and Mohammed El-Kurd for several hours related to the campaign. In footage shared on social media, Muna appears handcuffed and was carried by security officers out of her home.
“Through postings on social media, activist brothers Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd opened the world’s eyes to see life under occupation in East Jerusalem season. This can help in inspiring a change in international rhetoric between Israel and Palestine,” said Time magazine.
In response to the announcement, Mohammed El-Kurd wrote, “My sister and my selection as part of the ‘100 most influential people in the world’ may be a positive indicator of the centralization of the Palestinian cause in the global public sphere. However, the creation of symbols – which reduces the struggle of a whole people to a single face – is not enough.”
“What we are demanding is a tangible, radical change in the media system (including the Times) to end its Zionist bias.”
Muna and Muhammed are two activists who are aggressively defending the rights of Palestinian families on land disputes in Sheikh Jarrah.
On Twitter, both have more than 200,000 followers, while on Instagram they influence over 1.6 million people. The twins actively campaigned against Israel with the hashtags #SheikhJarrah and #SaveSheikhJarrah.
Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal said the top 100 list features outstanding leaders from around the world who are working to build a better future.
The list also includes current US President Joe Biden, his predecessor Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Nafatali Bennett. Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who is of Palestinian origin, was also named.