“Would You Protect This Palestinian?” is a photographic series depicting artistic interventions where traditionally Christian statues and icons are draped in keffiyehs, or black-and-white scarves largely seen as symbols of Palestinian nationalism, resistance, and solidarity.
For this intervention, which took place in Pittsburgh, PA, I draped icons found in churches, front yards, antique shops, gas stations, and other high-traffic areas with keffiyehs in an effort to make visible the ongoing suffering of Palestinians. This project started in April 2024 and continues today, with more than 20 icons covered in keffiyehs for passersby to stop and witness. This project received a myriad of reactions from passersby — some people stopped and watched, some took pictures, some ignored my actions, and there was even one occasion where a police car followed my movement. Regardless, the project caught the attention of passesrby and made the Palestinian cause visible. This intervention touches upon the connection between two conflicting realities: the Palestinians as the very kin of Christian figures like Jesus Christ and the Holy Mother Mary, and the harsh reality that Evangelical Christians of the “United States” are the biggest supporters of Zionism.
As a Korean Catholic living in the empire of the “United States,” I experienced internal friction about religion’s role in this ongoing genocide — much like many others did — and I felt it was my duty to address this friction with my actions, which is what lead to these interventions. I am creating these interventions to remind passersby of the ongoing genocide enacted upon Palestinians. My hope is that by staging this intervention, I am forcing people to ask themselves where they stand in this genocide, and what they are willing to do to protect our Palestinian beloveds and their rights to their native land and personhood, if at all.
Over the past few months, this project has become more than an intervention — it is a prayer for Palestinians as they struggle with displacement from their homes, starvation, familial loss, illness, and so on. This project is my prayer for Palestine and her people to be liberated, and for us, her wider communities, to become accomplices in her liberation — a future reality in which Palestinians experience complete autonomy and freedom in a homeland that is rightfully theirs, with unconditional and unwavering support across the globe.
Beyond this intervention, my hope is to encourage others to continue showing up — and to stay consistent — for Palestine, especially through direct action and mutual aid.
Showing up for a local Palestine solidarity campaign and coalition (such as a Students for Justice in Palestine university chapter) is also a great way to show up for Palestine. There are countless ways to show up — we just need to start somewhere. It is written (and we will make sure of it) that Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea. You can find a few additional resources below:
