Untitled

by Fala Urfali*

Warning: Violence 

When I look back, I am looking forward. Since I’ve moved back to the region, I have met many who are living, whether physically or mentally, in the never-ending conflict that we call home.

Stepping away, I realize that it is not uneducated to live in acceptance; not the acceptance that you know, but the acceptance that people in the MENA have created.

Acceptance—to do everything you can, stay positive, create awareness, and show the world that we are people too. We can laugh, we can appreciate, and we can change unwarranted discriminatory behavior.

In moving forward, we emerge from the past. We have every right to live as we choose, but always remember the environment and culture that raised you, HELP IT, because in many ways it helped you.

*This is a self-reflection based on an interview with Fala Urfali on HOTSHOE. 

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This work appears in Khabar Keslan Issue 0. MEDIUM.