The United Nations Security Council voted Monday to proceed with a U.S.-backed peace plan for Gaza, following more than two years of fighting.
The initial Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel killed more than 1,200 people and led to the abduction of 250 others.
The resulting conflict has also claimed more than 66,000 Palestinian lives, many of them women and children. Tens of thousands of others are injured, displaced or facing famine.
As the war continues to capture global attention, an exhibit in Placer County this weekend aims to provide a space to remember and learn about the history and culture of the Palestinian people.
“100 Years of Palestine: An Immersive Exhibition” will be open to the public Nov. 22-23 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., as well as by appointment for group visits Nov. 24-25 at the Tarbiya Institute in Roseville.
Shadi Qutub is a volunteer with the institute, a faith-based organization providing religious, educational and social services to the local Muslim community.
He spoke with Insight Host Vicki Gonzalez about the significance of the display and its contents, and the response from visitors.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
This is the second time the Tarbiya Institute is hosting the “100 Years of Palestine” exhibit. How did this all get started?
Everything started a bit into the siege in the war. It was a large community of us Muslims that really wanted to engage in a way where, I think, the news at the time was one-sided, one-dimensional, and we didn't really have an appropriate way of sharing and conveying the information on the other end.
So we sought out to bridge that gap and come out as a community of Muslims, from various ethnic backgrounds, to really give the illustration of the Palestinian people for people to better learn because we know that was deficient in that time. We figured it was such an important task for us to do so, started our venture, and [made] sure that we provide the context and the color that was needed for the Palestinian people.
What was the response like the first time it went on display?
[It] exceeded our expectations, which was wonderful. I guess you could say the proof is in the pudding. We had thousands come out and many of them, I think more than half of them, were non-Muslims. We had people come [from] as far as from the Bay Area to the exhibit. And this was all done with little to no marketing. These efforts really just came through the grassroots.
People were just starving to hear the story and the history, because I think we were strongly lacking that. We don’t learn these things in our school curriculum. I, being a Palestinian American myself growing up in the institutions here… we don't learn these things. They wanted to hear the other side, and we were very thankful to have that. The only loss I think we had was it was just a one-day event.
A series of maps at the "100 Years of Palestine" exhibit in 2024.Courtesy of the Tarbiya Institute
Now it’s going to be open a little bit longer, right?
Absolutely. We decided to make sure that we have a longer stay. This is all powered by our tremendous and amazing volunteers. We were able to get the budget together to do this for two days so people can really have the time and frame to come out there. And then, for the groups that really want to come in and engage — the classrooms, the institutions — [or] come privately, they can do that Monday or Tuesday.
What can people expect to see and learn from this immersive exhibition?
Oh gosh, everything. We're covering all aspects of Palestine and what it was. The historical context will be covered in detail, so that’s another reason for the naming of “100 Years of Palestine.” Covering all aspects of imagery, historical artifacts, a cultural immersive experience where people will be able to see the foods, the culture. All the senses will be satisfied through this experience.
"100 Years of Palestine: An Immersive Exhibition" opens Nov. 22 at the Tarbiya Institute in Roseville and sheds light on the history and culture of the Palestinian people.Courtesy of the Tarbiya Institute
Unfortunately, we’re two years into the genocide at this point. We are adding on a portion of it to better illustrate everything that has been happening in Gaza in the past two years, so people can have more context there as well. And also, we have an interactive experience that’s built up by the students here at Sac State from Students for Justice in Palestine. They’re getting involved, they did an interactive piece here which went very well for them, and we are having them display that at this museum.
And there will be a bazaar as well?
Yes, there’ll be a bazaar that will host all makes and walks of women’s wear. Or everything from the artifacts to even the olive oil soaps that are very well-known from the territories of Nablus. Also, the food vendors that we'll be hosting will be bringing out traditional meals and traditional foods from the region as well.
Do you have a favorite piece or part of the exhibit?
The one that stuck out to me certainly the most from the first one was the symbols of Palestine. I think the symbols of Palestine really speak to the deep culture and nature of the Palestinian people. One I think that everyone is really very familiar with is the keffiyeh. What’s great about what we do is we immerse people to better understand what these symbols really mean.
The keffiyeh is the squarish-shaped headdress that you wrap around your neck, it’s in black and white. It’s always been associated primarily with the fact that it is for the voice of resistance of the Palestinian people. But what it deeply means as well is, you have olive branches on there… the shape [of] woven branches. And the olive branches are kind of an inherent representation of the Palestinian people as far as their resilience, their strength, and their roots in that land. It is known to be one of the largest areas to cultivate olives as well.
The other piece of that keffiyeh is the fishnets on there. The fishnets actually represent the Palestinian people as fishers at the time, and also the people’ connection to the Mediterranean Sea. Again, this is all speaking to how they were part of that land. And the solid lines that actually split those areas of the keffiyeh are known to be the trade routes, the major trade routes of the silk trade actually went through various parts of Palestine as well at that time. So the keffiyeh has always been a standing piece for the Arab people for hundreds of years, and it just came to be more so the piece of resistance for them, but we wanted to give the context too of the history of it.
Another one that really stuck out to me was the watermelon. The watermelon came out because in 1967 after the Seven Day War, the Palestinian people were actually forced to not display the Palestinian flag. [Around 1980] the people creatively decided to use the watermelon as the symbol of the flag… the red, black, green and white. The watermelon became that piece of resistance. It grew to be the symbol of the Palestinian people until that [flag ban] lift was done.
As a Palestinian American, to have people that are coming from all over Northern California to see this exhibit — many of whom are not Muslim — what does that mean to you? To see a demand and interest in learning more about the history of Palestine?
This has been growing throughout my life, and just from my own anecdotes as well, there’s always been a starving nature by most people to learn the truth, and to see the other side of the story. I don't think that has been displayed in any way that really does justice to better understand the Palestinian people. That’s what really drove the crowds.
Again, the majority of Americans just question the narrative that they're being fed by the major media networks at this point. People seeing the daily death and destruction, they just want to have an opportunity to see the other side and better understand that. Mothers, brothers, fathers, sisters alike are having a difficult time believing just the simple narrative of self-defense, so they want to just be able to see the other side. See these aspects and how they're being told, and then come up with a solution… the narrative for themselves.
And, I think there's this gap that was trying to be met between, for instance, the millennials and their families. I do think the Baby Boomers and maybe the older Gen X, they tend to kind of prescribe to some of the media networks. But a lot of the youth have actually been coming out and seeing the things on display, and they don't necessarily do it through the “old channels.” I think having both of them attend and see the prescription for themselves, they can have a unified thought on it as well.
