For Palestine & From Palestine !
Supporting Palestinian national products is an inseparable complimentary act of resisting the Israeli occupation.
With this in mind, we decided to create a non-profit business model with the specific goal to promote genuine “Made in Palestine” Kufiyah worldwide. The kufiyah is one of Palestine’s oldest and most iconic symbols. It is incredibly important, therefore, that non-Palestinians, and particularly non-Arabs have a cultural understanding of its significance. It is important to wear it only out of respect for and in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
* I use the transliteration “kufiyah” here, rather than “keffiyeh” although the latter is much more common the former is more accurate compared with the actual Arabic, كوفية..
It is an insult to buy the cheap kufiyahs that are sold in the department stores. They are made by slave labor using machines in places like Bangladesh, and China. Globalization has allowed cheaper products to be made in other countries that actually care nothing about the identity of the people or the product itself. One of the things we were worried about was the fact that that mass production would take away from the authenticity of the product by ensuring it’s not made in Palestine anymore. Today Wholesalers buy cheaper versions of the scarf from China and continue to market them as the preservation of cultural heritage. The kufiyah has been mass produced as a hip, culturally appropriated fashion item to the effect that there is now only one Palestinian factory left.
The Hirbawi Textile Factory
The last and only Kufiya factory in Palestine
The Herbawi Textile Factory is the last operating Kufiya factory in Palestine. They have 16 machines but only two machines are used, making a mere 300 Kufiyas per week.
Originating in ancient Mesopotamia, the traditional keffiyeh pattern, which is still used today in Palestine and other Arab Nations, was modeled after fishing nets and ears of grain. During the Arab Revolt in the 1930s, the keffiyeh became a symbol of Palestinian nationalism and in the 1980s Yasser Arafat made the keffiyah a globally recognized symbol of the Palestinian struggle. Today, cheaper imports of the keffiyeh from China threaten an already troubled industry. (excerpted from Palestine Monitor)
Social media offers keffiyeh factory lifeline.
A Symbol of Solidarity?
Palestinians are not against cultural exchange or allowing those who aren’t Palestinians to show solidarity. If you are familiar with the conflict, and stand in solidarity with the Palestinians, you have every right to buy it, wear it, and flaunt it. There is absolutely no problem whatsoever with any people of any background, nationality, or ethnicity wearing anything representing Palestine as long as you support the Palestinian cause. However, it is important that those who do support Palestine buy the Keffiyeh from companies that actually benefit Palestinians and the cause. It is not cultural appropriation, and is a symbol of resistance, if it is purchased and worn the right way, with the right intentions. Palestinians encourage those who stand in solidarity to signify their support physically through such items as long as their stance is to support Palestinians. Wear the keffiyeh in your everyday wardrobe if you are prepared to answer questions about it, if you are doing it because you stand with Palestine, if you are doing it because you care, and if you truly support Palestine and want to raise awareness.
Most, if not all, Palestinians have no objection to anyone representing Palestine as long as they know what they are representing and they believe in it.
*Fair trade helps Palestinian farmers stay on their land |
If you are eying a kufiyah and it does not say صنع في فلسطين (“made in Palestine”) and الحرباوي الاصلي (“Hirbawi original”), do not buy it! The point is solidarity—not cultural appropriation.
TRADITIONAL PALESTINIAN KEFFIYEH
Show Your Solidarity and Support for the people of occupied Palestine today. Buy your Kufiya now. Official Made-in-Palestine keffiyeh’s (not cheap foreign imports) are regularly sold on Ebay for 30 dollars or more, but Thanks to our partnerships with The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, The Hirbawi® textile factory, and The Palestine Fair Trade Association we have been able to bring the Official Palestinian Kufiya to you for only $25.oo + Shipping costs. Keep in mind that every purchase, every Keffiyeh sold helps directly support the Palestinian economy. Also with every Kufiya sold TheTruther.us has pledged to donate an Olive Tree sapling To The Palestinian Farmer’s Union and land-of-canaan-foundation.org’s Trees For Life Program.
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