Ramadan 7th: The Interwoven Struggles of Irish and Palestinian Identity

Maggie is wearing a special edition Irish kuffiya manufactured by Hirbawi Kuffiya Factory.

Echoes of Resistance

Written by: Maggie Slavin

As a third-generation Irish American, I can’t help but reflect on the historical parallels between the Irish and Palestinian struggles for freedom.

Both of our people have endured occupation and displacement by a powerful globally-favored military. Both of us have put our souls and bodies on the line refusing to be erased by the polemics and violence of oppressive supremacist overlords.

My ancestors fought for Irish independence and had every right to do so; as such, I feel a sense of kinship with Palestinians and their own God-given right to resistance.
The memory colonization lives in the marrow of every Irish bone. The consequences of occupation still echo in culture, art and folklore.

Maggie's father took her to see their ancestral homeland outside Belfast, in Northern Ireland.

Solidarity with Palestine for me is not only about recognizing shared experiences of oppression, but also affirming our shared humanity, dignity and right to be.

It is about acknowledging the systemic injustices perpetuated against Palestinians and advocating for their rights to land, freedom, and self-determination. 

I fondly remember the stories of Irish resilience that we heard growing up from my grandfather, whose green eyes lit up when remembering his beloved homeland – a homeland that, through centuries of righteous struggle, has finally realized near-independence from foreign rule. It is my every hope and duaa that Palestine is freed from the shackles of occupation, and that we may see both a fully free and independent Ireland and Palestine within our lifetime.