‘P is for Palestine’ Children’s Book Teaches Kids to Support Violence

ashley.rae | November 20, 2017
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A Palestine-centered alphabet book for kids teaches children to sympathize with violent uprisings against Israel. This book has been causing concern among mothers in New York City.

The “P is for Palestine” book, written by “feminist” history professor Golbarg Bashi, recently launched after it received over $15,000 in funding from supporters. 

The description for the project claims that the book will tell the story of the “sunniest people” who live in Palestine:

Anyone who’s ever been to Palestine or has Palestinian friends, colleagues, neighbors knows that this proud Mediterranean nation is at the center of our world. It is home to the sweetest oranges, most intricate embroideries, great dance moves (Dabkeh), fertile olive groves, and sunniest people! Inspired by Palestinian people’s own rich history in the literary and visual arts, we have created a book titled P is for Palestine in English where we tell the story of the Palestine that we love as simply as ABC…in an educational, colorful, empowering way, showcasing the beauty and strength of Palestinian culture— and we want to offer our forthcoming book at a greatly reduced price to our community who in turn are enabling our independent self-publishing endeavor.

However, according to pages from “P for Palestine,” the book actually includes support for violence.

The Algemeiner reports that on the page for the letter “I,” it reads, “I is for Intifada, Intifada is Arabic for rising up for what is right, if you are a kid or grownup!”

As The Jewish Chronicle explains, while the literal translation of the word is “tremor,” it also refers to the two violent Palestinian uprisings in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip that left thousands dead.

Indeed, Bashi’s crowdfunding campaign claims the book—for children—fights “misinformation” about the Palestinians’ “historic struggles”:

The simple story of Palestine is today shrouded in convoluted misinformation and contested narratives. But at the heart of the matter stands a proud people with a compelling truth which sustain their historic struggles to tell their story of dispossession to the world. Our P is for Palestine is a modest step in that direction.

After author Bashi wrote about a reading scheduled at a Manhattan bookstore in a Facebook group for mothers in New York City, she was met with backlash.

The New York Post reports one of the mothers wrote, “I can’t believe it’s real and in NYC!” Another said, “You must have known you would be igniting a political firestorm by posting that in the hopes of drumming up sales for your ridiculous book . . .It’s disgraceful.”

Bashi posted on Facebook that because of comments accusing her of anti-Semitism, she considered hiring police security for her recent event. “In New York City. In November 2017,” she added, for emphasis.

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(Image source: Golbarg Bashi and Golrokh Nafisi, via Launchgood.com)

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