For the past ten months, the Israeli army and hasbara machine has been belligerently glamorising a . Addressing the genocide is what the Pakistani publishing industry has done. Commercialising genocide is what designer Maria B has now done.
The question here is not who the bigger hero is. The issue is the grotesque display of disrespect for a country founded on humanitarian principles. Let's take a step back and see the major global events which has created shock waves, the war in Palestine.
Since October 2023, the planet has been soaked in blood and tears, watching as unfathomable horrors were committed against victims of the war in Palestine. At the risk of sounding like an idealist, all life is sacred, as I do believe every living form has an equal claim to the beauty of life on earth. Which is why I believe there are victims on both sides, the Israeli and Palestinian, but the scales of justice are so grossly imbalanced against Palestine that there is a need to speak up for the Palestinian people.
But there is a way to do it - plenty of examples of which can be found the world over, some have even become viral. How did Pakistanis do it? Massive credit must be given to Pakistani publishers and authors for being the first in the public realm to take a stand when the rest of the world was sifting between who was with or against Hamas. Before I detail how these brave people came to the fore before anyone else, let's put their bravery into context.
Pakistani publishers are shun.