Portrait of Rashida Tlaib.
American-Palestinian congresswoman Rashida Tlaib‘s recent dispute with US President Donald Trump has sparked a heartwarming response. Standing in solidarity with Tlaib and her grandmother, Palestinian diaspora from all around the world are flooding social media with recollections of fond memories with their own grandmothers along with the hashtag #MyPalestinianSitty.
In honor of @RashidaTlaib amazing sitty, here is #MyPalestinianSitty standing next to my mother sometime in the 80s. And my other sitty and seedo next to my dad (top right) and my uncle. pic.twitter.com/K0QBja6Tnk
— Shaza (@shath_ao) August 17, 2019
The hashtag which uses the term sitty (a colloquialism for “grandmother” in Arabic), was quick to go viral and trend on Twitter as supporters rallied with not only sweet pictures but also heartfelt micro-stories paying tribute to their grandmothers. “#MyPalestinianSitty is trending and I am overcome with emotions realizing how we are finally humanizing one of the world’s most dehumanized peoples,” Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted.
I love this hashtag #MyPalestinianSitty – she made me bamia for breakfast because she knew it was my fave she hugged so hard it hurt pic.twitter.com/qoJE9ok2aX
— hannah khalil (@hannykha) August 18, 2019
Twitter user Jehad Abusalim posted a picture of his grandmother and wrote, “Meet #MyPalestinianSitty Fatma. She witnessed the 48 war, 56 occupation of Gaza,67 reoccupation of Gaza,78 invasion of Lebanon, 82 invasion of Lebanon, 1st & 2nd Intifadas, 3 major Israeli attacks on Gaza, & 13 years of blockade w/6 hours of electricity a day. She still smiles.” Remembering her grandmother’s cooking, Palestinian writer Hannah Khalil tweeted, “She made me bamia for breakfast because she knew it was my fave she hugged so hard it hurt,” while another Twitter user Hadeel Asi wrote, “#MyPalestinianSitty use to walk along the Apartheid wall, up and down mountains, carrying a plastic tank of olive oil and fatayir to come see her grandchildren.”
Tlaib later posted a #MyPalestinianSitty tweet of her own:
This was my other #MyPalestinianSitty who no one could mess with. She was proud of being from #BeitHanina and was one fierce woman. pic.twitter.com/6VKUArdekD
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) August 18, 2019
It all started when the Israeli government barred Tlaib and Omar from entering the country over their support of the boycott of Israel, shortly after August 15, when Trump in a tweet said that Israel would be showing “great weakness” by allowing the two Democratic congresswomen to enter.
After Tlaib requested entrance to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank, Israel then decided to grant her entry but under a set of “oppressive conditions” according to the congresswoman who said, “Visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions meant to humiliate me would break my grandmother’s heart.”
In honor of @RashidaTlaib, here is my other #sitty, Mariam, for whom my daughter is named after. She was everything good in this world. Allah Yirhamitch sitty! #MyPalestinianSitty pic.twitter.com/k4PiTVqnAa
— Murad Awawdeh (@HeyItsMurad) August 18, 2019
Illiterate, but memorized the Quran front-to-back. Married at 13, but made me promise to finish school before settling down. My heroine, my badass. #MyPalestinianSitty pic.twitter.com/D8zdBhhMYs
— Ahlam (@Ahlam_Chehabi) August 18, 2019
#MyPalestinianSitty my amazing grandmothers fled Palestine by pretty much walking to Jordan carrying anything they could, one of them raising 7 wonderful children. Missing them both everyday 💞🇵🇸@RashidaTlaib pic.twitter.com/gTf13qpprJ
— Yanal دحدح (@YanalDahdah) August 18, 2019
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