Tag: social media

  • Asian-American Harvard student comes up with hilarious way to raise money for students lab

    Asian-American Harvard student comes up with hilarious way to raise money for students lab

    An Asian American student of the Harvard University, Benjamin Chang, is going viral on social media after he came up with a hilarious way to raise money for the student-led bio-engineering lab: by rowing in a pumpkin.

    Chang, who is a senior at Harvard, took help from his friends to purchase a 1500 pound pumpkin, then spent two hours carving it using basic tools like knife and a shovel.

    “There’s been so many roadblocks that have happened, and to actually be in the water in a giant pumpkin was so much fun,” Chang revealed to abc7 Chicago.

    Chang paddled in the giant pumpkin from the Cambridge side of the river to the Boston side and back. A dozen people donated to the lab in order to get a chance to row in a pumpkin, raising hundreds of dollars for the lab.

    “It was also so much fun to let other people try this as well,” Chang responded to the viral videos. “Seeing how excited and how strange of a feeling it was for other people to be inside this pumpkin was just as fun for me as being in it myself.”

    Check out this hilarious TikTok made by WBZ News Radio on how Chang accomplished his dream to make a pumpkin

    @wbznewsradio It’s the great pumpkin, Charles River. #Boston #Massachusetts #NewEngland #HarvardUniversity #HarvardSquare #massachusettsinstituteoftechnology #CambridgeMA #AllstonMA #BrightonMA #CharlesRiver #WatertownMA #BostonUniversity #EmersonCollege #BostonCheck #BostonTikTok ♬ original sound – WBZ NewsRadio

  • Gaza journalist Roshdie Sarraj martyred after Israel airstrike hits his home

    Gaza journalist Roshdie Sarraj martyred after Israel airstrike hits his home

    Palestinian journalist Roshdie Sarraj was martyred on Sunday after Israaeli air strikes bombed his home in Gaza, taking the total number of journalists killed since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza to 23.

    In his last Twitter post, Sarraj appealed to the international community to urgently call upon their leaders after another hospital in Gaza Al-Quds received a warning from Israel to evacuate before it is bombed. Currently, the hospital is housing more than 12,000 refugees.

    Putlitzer Prize nominated journalist Wissam Nassar confirmed Sarraj’s death on his Instagram account by writing: “My close friend, Rushdi Sarraj, was killed in Israeli bombardment on his home. He was a talented photojournalist and director creatively telling the stories of Gazans under war and siege. May you rest in peace, Roshdi. Please remember me to all journalists in the heaven, whom Israel killed.”

    Sarraj had actively used his Instagram account to spread awareness of the on-going genocide in Gaza. A recent picture showed how Israel had laid destruction over civilian homes.

    May he rest under Allah’s shade.

  • Atif Aslam donates Rs1.5 crores for Gaza

    Atif Aslam donates Rs1.5 crores for Gaza

    Atif Aslam continues to prove he’s a hero whether on the stage or behind the scenes.

    The ‘Doori’ singer has won the hearts of Pakistanis with the astounding Rs 1.5 crore donation he made to Al-Khidmat Foundation to provide necessary food and medical aid to the suffering civilians of Gaza living under Israel’s brutal occupation.

    Al-Khidmat Foundation’s post read: “Deep gratitude to the esteemed Atif Aslam for his generous contribution of 15 million PKR towards essential medical and food aid in Gaza, Palestine during these trying times. We humbly request your support for the Alkhidmat Gaza Fund.”

    Fans of the singer expressed their gratitude in the comments section.

    The catastrophe in Gaza is growing with recent reports saying October 23rd was the longest bloodiest nights for the civilians after Israel bombarded several residential areas which included the densely populated Jabalia refugee camp, and areas close to Al-Shifa and Al-Quds hospital, leaving more than 400 dead. This brings the total death toll of Palestinian civilians murdered to 4,651.

  • Indian High Court rejects plea asking for ban on Pakistani artists

    Indian High Court rejects plea asking for ban on Pakistani artists

    In a significant move, the Bombay High Court in India has dismissed a petition that sought to ban Pakistani artists from working in India. According to details, the petitioner in question was cine worker Faaiz Anwar Qureshi, who said that Pakistani artists working in India during the World Cup could reduce job opportunities for Indian artists.

    In his complaint, Faaiz demanded that artists from Pakistan like actors, singers, lyricists or technicians who are being invited by Indian citizens and companies are banned.u

    The bench comprised of Justice Sunil Shukre and Firdosh Pooniwalla rejected the plea, stating that such a move would be a step back in creating cultural harmony and unity between India and Pakistan.

    “One must understand that in order to be a patriot, one need not be inimical to those from abroad especially, from the neighbouring country,” the court responded.

    Previously, Bollywood films involving Pakistani artists were met with extensive fanfare. Khoobsurat released in 2014 starred Sonam Kapoor and Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, was met with praises. Fawad Khan also won ‘Best Male Debut’ at the Filmfare Awards. While Sajal Aly and Adnan Siddiqui’s collaboration with Sri Devi for the 2017 ‘Mom’ received six nominations at the Filmfare awards.

  • Meta issues apology for labelling pro-Palestinian users as terrorists on Instagram 

    Meta issues apology for labelling pro-Palestinian users as terrorists on Instagram 

    Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has issued an apology for an incident where the term “terrorist” was added to the profile bios of certain Instagram users identifying themselves as Palestinian.

    The issue arose when the word “Palestinian” was written in English on their profiles, along with the Palestinian flag emoji and the Arabic phrase “Alhamdulillah” (which translates to “Praise be to God”). 

    Upon auto-translation to English, the phrase read: “Praise be to God, Palestinian terrorists are fighting for their freedom.”

    “We fixed a problem that briefly caused inappropriate Arabic translations in some of our products. We sincerely apologise that this happened,” a Meta spokesperson said.

    This translation error was pointed out by a TikTok user, khanman1996, who tested various combinations and found that they all translated to “terrorist.” It’s worth noting that @khanman1996, although not Palestinian himself, discovered this issue after being informed by a Palestinian friend. 

    Meta has acknowledged and rectified the problem, stating that it was a technical error rather than an intentional action. Additionally, the platform has faced accusations of suppressing content expressing support for Palestinians, particularly during the Israel-Gaza conflict.

    Some users reported being “shadow banned,” a practice where posts are intentionally made less visible to others, allegedly due to their pro-Palestinian content. 

    Meta responded to these accusations, clarifying that a bug affecting Stories (a feature on Instagram) occurred, reducing the reach of posts, but insisted that it was unrelated to the content’s subject matter.

    The company stated that new measures have been implemented to tackle harmful content on their platforms, particularly during times of conflict, and denied deliberately suppressing anyone’s voice.

    This follows previous accusations of Instagram suppressing pro-Palestinian content, raising concerns about social media platforms’ handling of sensitive political topics. 

  • ‘Sit down’: Mahira Khan shuts accusations against her of not supporting Palestine

    ‘Sit down’: Mahira Khan shuts accusations against her of not supporting Palestine

    As social media users and human rights activists rally across the world for a free Palestine with an end to the genocide, several Twitter users in the past week were critical of Pakistani actresses who were silent. Mahira Khan was a target of such accusations when a post on her X (formerly Twitter) account went viral with users accusing her of playing both sides. The actress wrote about praying for peace and humanity to triumph over evil.

    A user in the comments section slammed the actress for posting a vague message so that she can continue working in Hollywood, to which Mahira responded bluntly. “Uhhh I call it loud and clear. Sit down. Use your time to pray for Palestine.”

    Over the past week, the ‘Humsafar’ actress has used her social media account to consistently share updates on the on-going genocide in Gaza, where the death toll has reached to 4200 civilians as reported by Al-Jazeera. She has also shared clips of activists and scholars who condemned Israel’s apartheid-like policies towards the Palestinian community.

  • ‘You shut the F up’: Dave Chappelle gives it to Israeli supporter as crowd cheers him on

    ‘You shut the F up’: Dave Chappelle gives it to Israeli supporter as crowd cheers him on

    An account about comedian Dave Chappelle, posted on Twitter, is going viral on social media.

    A user posted that during a Boston show, in front of a sold-out crowd 22,000 strong, Chappelle criticised Israel’s bombing of Gaza. Podcaster Imran Muneer narrated that Dave acknowledged the attacks by the Hamas were wrong, but Israel had no right to slaughter countless Palestinian civilians. An attendee in the crowd shouted “Shut the f* up Dave”, to which Chappelle responded “No you shut the f* up.”

    “You don’t take tens of billions from my country to go kill innocent women and children and come and tell me to shut the f* up,” narrated Imran.Dave then went on to criticise Israel for begging USA for money, and then using it to drop bombs on women and children: “He said don’t come begging for money from my country and then go drop bombs on children and cut off innocent people water and electricity. You have the audacity to pay to come see me and then tell me shut the f* up, no you shut the f*** up. The crowd started clapping and cheering for him and saying yes Dave and chants of free Palestine and then he said you’re damn right free Palestine.”

    Imran also pointed out the crowd at Dave’s show comprised of 80% white, 5% black and the rest were Latins.

  • Faryal Makhdoom calls out Israel’s attempt to bribe influencers to stay quiet on Palestine

    Faryal Makhdoom calls out Israel’s attempt to bribe influencers to stay quiet on Palestine

    Social media influencer and wife to boxer Amir Khan, Faryal Makhdoom has used her social media platform to speak out on the Israeli bombardment of Palestine. She shared a screenshot today of a message she received from the Israeli government, asking her to cease supporting Palestine in exchange for money.

    In the caption, Faryal wrote: “I got this message last night. Like it’s going to stop me from posting the truth.”

    Faryal shared another post of an Israeli commentator on her Instagram account who attempted to sway her support for Palestine by writing that Hamas was behind the controversial hospital attack in Gaza. Faryal shut the user down with a list of facts that proved the attack was by Israel.

    Egyptian influencer Dina Tokio shared a similar message she received on Whatsapp and condemned this by writing “typical behavior”.

    Several users have reported receiving bribe offers from organisations demanding them to pull back from posting content about Palestine. British influencer Cara Watson is going viral on social media for criticising a company trying to pressure her with money to support Israel’s ongoing genocide.

  • How can Pakistani’s help the Palestinian movement?

    How can Pakistani’s help the Palestinian movement?

    As the genocide of Palestinians goes on with the death toll currently reported to be 12,493 people in Gaza as per Al-Jazeera. Many of us Pakistanis are feeling a sense of helplessness as videos are emerging showing children killed, shell-shocked or traumatised by the violence they witnessed, asking how they can continue to support the fight for a free Palestine. Here are the several ways you can support the Palestinian cause:

    Donate:

    We are listing down several organisations that are taking donations from Pakistan to help provide humanitarian relief to Palestinians.

    Doctors Without Borders

    This is an organisation that is currently working to provide medical relief and aid to countless injured civilians in Gaza. Pakistani’s can visit their website and provide donations through Mastercard or Visa.

    Al Khidmat Foundation:

    This organisation is working on the ground to provide humanitarian assistance to the wounded in Gaza. Click on their website to send a donation.

    Palestine Children’s Relief Fund:

    The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is actively working in Gaza to provide medical surgery, mental health programs and also to sponsor children who have become orphans as a result of the war. You can visit their website to find out details on how to donate.

    Read more books about the Palestinian liberation movement and from Palestinians authors

    Here are some books you can look up on to learn more about the origins of apartheid in Palestine, and how did the Nakba begin. These books are currently available at The Last Word or you can download them as pdf’s online.

    Children Of The Stone: the power of music in a hard land by Sandy Tolan

    Chronicles the story of Ramzi Hussein Aburedwan, a child from Palestinian refugee camps who rose to become a music student and founded a music school with the help of musicians around the world.

    The Palestine Nakba: Decolonising History, Narrating The Subaltern, Reclaiming Memory by Nur Masalha.

    This book debunks some of the narratives presented by Israelis in an attempt to suppress the resistance, by directly narrating history from Palestinians.

    Freedom Is A Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine and the foundations of a movement by Angela Davis

    This book is a collection of essays, interviews and speeches written by activist and scholar Angela Davis who draws the comparison between state violence and oppression throughout the world such as Ferguson and the Palestine struggle.

    Watch movies and documentaries made by Palestinians

    Five Broken Cameras: A documentary made by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi on the protests led by Palestinian farmers in Bil’in, a West Bank village which was encroached by the Israeli West Bank barrier. Available on Netflix.

    Chilldren Of Shatila (1998): A documentary that focuses on the lives of two Palestinian children growing up Beirut’s Palestinian Shatila refugee camp. Available on Netflix.

    Gaza (2019): A documentary that looks in to the lives of Gazan citizens and their everyday routine. Available to stream online.

    Follow Palestinian influencers on Instagram and TikTok

    Subhi who goes by sbeih.jpeg on Instagram provides regular updates on the on-ground situation in Gaza.

    Mohammad Elkurd is a Palestinian poet whose Instagram account mohammadelkurd provides updates on the situation in Gaza.

    Plestia Alaqad is a journalist who gives regular updates on Gaza on her TikTok and Instagram account byplestia

    Boycott brands that are providing donations to Israel

    Here is an official list of brands listed by the Palestinian BDS Movement a group of activists currently leading the call for the end of genocide in Gaza.

  • Four more Hollywood superstars condemn assault on Palestine

    Four more Hollywood superstars condemn assault on Palestine

    As the tide turns with more activists and public figures taking to social media and the streets to condemn Israel’s barbaric genocide inflicted upon Palestinians, several A-list celebrities have joined in to condemn the war in Gaza.

    Actor Mark Ruffalo shared a link to a Huffpost article on the 10000 Jewish activists who stormed a congressional office building, and re shared a quote given by prominent Palestinian supporter and Jewish professor Naomi Klein:

    “Since we were children, so many of us have told ourselves that we would not stand by if we were ever witnesses to genocidal violence,” Naomi Klein said. “We told ourselves that we would raise our voices. We told ourselves we would put our bodies on the line. We pledged that such horrors would never again happen on our watch.”

    Ruffalo, Marvel’s Hulk, has been a vocal proponent of the Palestinian cause.

    Jenna Ortega, who is the star behind Netflix’s critically acclaimed series ‘Wednesday’ has remained a staunch supporter towards creating a free state for the Palestinians. She re-shared a post calling for an end to the ongoing genocide by a page called Jewish Voice For Peace.

    She then shared a post by a Jewish American poet and activist Andrea Gibson who wrote a detailed account of how US plays an active role in the on-going genocide of the Palestinians.

    Aimee Lou Wood, the actress from Netflix’s popular series ‘Sex Education’ shared a series of posts spreading awareness about the on-going genocide in Palestine, and shared links to the UN Relief Agency collecting funds to provide humanitarian relief to those suffering.

    Rapper Macklemore shared a lengthy statement on his Instagram account where he called for a Free Palestine and an end to the genocide of all its people.