We are Isra’a Ghrayeb

Injustice waters the soils of our world. Unfair treatment and inequality thicken our blood, poisoning us, but never like this. When the world was being created in whichever way you believe and god or whichever divine entity you believe in took part in making a decision that would essentially serve as the foundation of our human lives– he created a family. A man, a woman, and children became a mother and father and their offspring, who are all brought together to protect one another in this world, because god or whichever divine entity you believe in knew we couldn’t make it alone, at least as children. A disguised blessing, families are an individuals forever kin, they’ll always be there, regardless of where life takes everyone individually, in the end, they’re always there– to love, to protect, to hold, to trust. Heart-wrenchingly this wasn’t the case for a young girl named Israa Gharayeb. A young twenty-one old girl, well-known for her great passion and talent in makeup, was murdered by her father and brother earlier this week. The story brings chills down my spine every time.

Reportedly, one afternoon Israa went out with her fiancé and his sister (her soon to be sister-in-law) with knowledge and approval of both her parents, in fact her mother was the one to drop them off at the location they later had lunch at. Out of joy and whim, Israa decided to take a short video of the three enjoying lunch together, an innocent act that in essence brought her to her death. Being from the middle-east, and specifically Palestine, young girls grow up to either envy or support their cousins, it’s a competition, twenty-four seven, as to who’s the first to get married, who’s the first to graduate college, who’s the first to have a child and etcetera. Although a very dull and unforgivable mentality, such a thing should not have come to this.

Israa’s envious and jealous first cousin (fathers brothers daughter), allegedly named Riham, saw the video and saw an opportunity to criminalize and shun her cousin by showing the video to her father, which is Israa’s Uncle (father’s brother) and reportedly saying said things such as “your niece is bringing dishonor to our family, and is harming our reputation” and “the shouldn’t be on social media, this is giving our family a bad name” and things of that sort to anger and bring rage within her father. After this dispute, Israa’s uncle calls her father and brother to his home, in which he begun to shun his niece, blaming her for bringing dishonor to the family and harming their reputation waving around the recorded video to support his argument. The uncle began to say the reason his brother has let his daughter go and allows her to do things she shouldn’t is because of the fact that she supports them financially and out of fear of being cut off, he subverts her actions. In having said this, the father and brother of Israa grew rabid, they instantly believed and gave in to the falsified anger and intel about their daughter and sister. Once the father and brother arrived at home, they beat Israa to the point where they had severely injured her spine and her skin was plastered with bruises and marks of an abrasive beating. She was rushed to the hospital where she later posted photos of the situation, explaining what had happened and her story starts here.

Through this, Israa’s story began circulating social media, gaining awareness and angering her family members. There are voice recording of a dispute between Isra and Riham in which Israa was explaining to her cousin that she would never go against her father and she was raised better than that, and it was a shame that she had the ability to shun and shame her for doing absolutely nothing wrong and that it was unfair that she was exaggerating and fabricating information about her. While her mother was present in the room at the time of the recording she agreed not once but twice to dropping off Israa and knowing exactly where she was and who she was with. And the cousin replied ignorantly that she denies Isras’s mother was the one to drop them off and then begins to undermine and renounce the way Israa dresses and wears makeup, saying that a woman of honor wouldn’t do and dress as such, and she told Israa to get her name out of her mouth as if she did nothing wrong. And to top it all off, she said her family let’s her do the things she does because she supports them financially and they wouldn’t dare to question the things she does in fear of her cutting them off, a reoccurring accusation. It’s almost as if both the uncle and cousin are that envious that Israa was successful and had the ability to help and support her family. From the tone in her voice and her choice of words, Israa’s cousin spewed jealousy, and her family believed her, bringing Israa to ultimate injustice. Jealousy kills, literally in this case. Friends, family, supporters began to share her story in hopes that they can bring enough recognition to save her and agonizingly enough it was too late.

The brother and father paid a visit to Israa after she was hospitalized to finish what they had started. There is a video recording in which Israa is pleading and begging for her life through a hospital hallway in which reportedly a nurse had recorded. Organ tearing and heart-jerking the video will bring you to tears in which a daughter, a sister is pleading for her life that essentially her protectors are carrying out. A disgrace and an even bigger dishonor, the father and the brother beat her so badly, that her life was taken away at the strokes of their hands. Her blood stains their every inch, murderers, not a father and brother. Not in Islam, not in culture, not in any country or realm is what these men did is okay. They must be brought down and punished for their actions and the first cousin must be penalized for orchestrating all of this. I hope she’s smiling at her in her grave, a devil wouldn’t do what she has had the power of doing.

Not only are the men ignorantly and disrespectfully attempting to cover it up as a death caused by natural causes they are swiftly getting away with it because of Penal Code and article 99 that exists in Palestine, essentially a law that incentivizes honor killings. Earlier today in Bethlehem, a protest to bring awareness and fight against such a law occurred in honor of Israa.

A protest. A degree. A child. A career. All things that bring honor. Murdering your daughter is not a honor. Watching her bleed and suffer is not an honor to anyone’s family. Honor killings are past subdue in our society and the sad thing is, she did absolutely nothing to deserve it.

May justice be brought to Israa.

May the same amount of pain inflicted upon their daughter and sister be brought upon her father.

May discomfort and retribution be brought to Riham.

–

An angel looking over us.

Israa your justice will be served, and we will honor your name and your life with dignity and courage. With love and passion. Your day came too soon. You family didn’t deserve such a soul.

Rest In Peace.

Photo credits: @fatima_illustrations

Link to the voice recordings:

Israa:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1v6um3ApuC/?igshid=xj04ugetqo63

The hallway pleads and Riham:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1soRFQg8PA/?igshid=1t009rx35qr6t