While participating in a unique women’s day event at Radio al Balad, entitled “We Are Not Numbers” Her Royal Highness Princess Dina Mired gave a special tribute to Palestinian women.
The event features prominent Jordanians reading on-air names of Palestinian women who were killed by Israel during the last months. Estimates are that nearly nine thousand Palestinian women in Gaza and the West Bank lost their lives in Israeli attacks against civilians since October 7th.
“I am honored to recall the names of the Palestinian martyrs on the occasion of International Women’s Day, in commemoration of their memory and to thank them for the precious sacrifice they made for the sake of Palestine and the liberation of Palestine.”
After being introduced by Daoud Kuttab, the director general of Community Media Network, Princess Mired called for a serious stand with the women of Palestine. “I call on all women of the world to stand with the women of Palestine and I call for an end to the war and an end to all types of violence, including killing, starvation, and abuse,” she said on Radio Al Balad. Upon reading the age of a number of the victims of the Israeli aggression the princess stopped and commented about the cruelty of killing innocent young women. (see the video here)
The event held on the occasion of International Women’s Day featured well-known Jordanians such as the veteran actress Juliet Awwad, political leaders including the secretary general of the Mithaq party Mohammad Momani and Rula Al Far of the Jordanian Labor Party, as well as sports, art, and community leaders. Women activists such as Layla Naffa head of the Arab Women’s Organization, Lind Kalash of the Tamkeen NGO, Ruba Rihani of the Arab Women Today, and Randa Nafaa of the Sadaqa NGO participated in the eight-hour marathon. Human rights activists such as Assem Rababa and Riyad Soboh, and journalists Ghada Sheikh and Linda Maaya were among the participants reading the names of Palestinian women, their ages, and place of martyrdom on air.
Public figures at times choked or teared as they read the names of Palestinian women and their ages. At one time reading the names with the last name, many of the figures noted that entire families had been killed. A Palestinian family in Jordan upon hearing the reading of the names decided to come to the radio station and join in the name readings.
In a press release issued earlier by the Community Media Network, the campaign was explained as an attempt to honor Palestinian women. “This campaign comes considering the current events and the ongoing genocidal war on Gaza that civilians are subjected to. The reading of the names aims at honoring women in Palestine who face waves of double violence in the war, and in memory of the female martyrs of Palestine.”
Daoud Kuttab, Director General of Community Media said that the media initiative is part of a humanizing campaign of Palestinians. “Media needs to convey the human aspect of the conflict. We must refrain from numerical narrative and pay attention to the human story. Everyone should not be treated as abstract numbers, everyone has a story, a family, and dreams.
Etaf Roudan, Director of Radio Al-Balad, said that the campaign aims to emphasize two things. The first is the humanitarian role of the media, especially community media, which does not search for news, but rather for the daily human details of all people. Secondly world attention to the rights of women. While the world celebrates Women’s Day, it is important to remember the victims of wars. The women of Palestine are a ray of hope to be treated as human beings who have the right to protection and the right to live in freedom and dignity with their families.
“It is worth mentioning that the involvement of public figures from Jordanian society came to embody communal support. By reading the names on air it is hoped that the idea of sincere solidarity with the victims of the genocidal war against the Palestinian people will become clear,” the statement said.
