Remembering Palestinian Poet, Teacher, Activist Refaat Alareer In Posthumously Published Book “If I Must Die”

The late Refaat Alareer alongside his novel “If I Must Die”, published almost a year after his passing

Refaat Alareer, known for his advocacy for justice and his championing of Palestinian voices, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on his sister’s home in Gaza on December 6, 2023. 

Family testimonies share that Alareer had received a threatening phone call from the Israeli Military the day before his death, leading him to take refuge at his sister’s apartment to avoid endangering the many civilians around him. 

While he is now mourned as an icon of Arab literature, his death will not silence his voice, as a new book titled “If I Must Die” celebrates his powerful work and legacy. The title is a homage to his poignant poem which went viral after his killing. 

A social media campaign has been launched encouraging people to support Alareer’s book, aiming to make it a global bestseller. The momentum has already begun as his book made its debut last week. 

While Palestinians and many others are mourning his death, his comments in a BBC interview describing the October 7 attacks as “a pre-emptive attack by Palestinian resistance” that was “legitimate and moral” caused controversy. 

However, his friends and admirers say such criticism ignores not only the horror of indiscriminate Israeli bombing in retaliation for Hamas’ Oct 7 attack but also the decades of brutal oppression he and his fellow people have endured. 

In life Alareer was ready to take on even those who supported the plight of the Palestinians like Muslim commentator and journalist Mehdi Hasan, saying that he is “no friend of Palestine or the victims of Gaza.” 

British-American Journalist Mehdi Hasan

 

This was mainly because Hasan like many Pro-Palestinian figures in the West condemned violence on both sides, although few can question his fearless and outspoken criticism of Israel.

After Alareer’s passing, colleagues, students and friends mourned the loss of a man who had touched their hearts, sharing their experiences and memories of him. 

Ra Page, a founder and publisher of Comma Press in England reflected on his time working with him on several literary projects and workshops. 

Page described Alareer as gentle, patient, generous and gracious. “He always championed others ahead of himself,” Page said, “He was a great writer but his mission was to platform and support other writers.” 

Gazan journalist and author based in Maryland, Laila El-Haddad also praised Alareer as the driving force behind a new generation of Palestinian writers. 

Gazan journalist Laila El-Haddad

She described his impact, saying he taught them “how to use English, the language of the countries that have been responsible for and complicit in their dispossession, genocide and blockade, to narrate their own stories.”  

Alareer became a professor of comparative literature at the Islamic University of Gaza in 2007, teaching creative writing, poetry, literature and Shakespeare. 

Refaat Alareer with the book Gaza Writes Back, a collection of short stories from fifteen young writers in Gaza, edited by Alareer

 

Many students fondly recall how they grew under his support and guidance. 

One such student, Nadya Siyam paid tribute to Alareer in an article for the digital magazine Words Without Borders. 

Siyam says he encouraged his students to think critically and consider different perspectives by challenging students to rewrite a short story from the perspective of the antagonist, effectively teaching them how to reevaluate dominant narratives and consider multiple viewpoints. 

“It allowed us to extend our empathy, and to see the human in the outcast and the villain” Siyam explained. 

Empathy was integral to Refaat’s curriculum. Siyam recalls how he had also taught them about the Holocaust and the dangers of Anti-Semitism. 

“He wanted us to be aware of the struggle of different oppressed nations and extend our solidarity to them,” Siyam wrote, “He always asked us to correct ourselves when we confused Zionism with Judaism.” 

Alareer was a professor committed to forging a new generation of students who could exercise empathy, critical thinking, and compassion while using their talents for good. 

In his article for The Nation titled “Refaat Alareer Was My Friend. I Will Miss Him Forever”, Mohammed R. Mhawish reflects on their close relationship, saying he considered him not only a friend but a brother and mentor.

Refaat Alareer (left) and Mohammed R. Mhawish (right)

He recalls one of their last planned collaborations before his untimely death. 

“He suggested we compile voices—Palestinian writers, artists, creatives—each sharing stories that offered a glimpse into what it meant to exist, to create, and resist in this place. He wanted it to be a testament to the resilience of our people” Mhawish wrote. 

Alareer believed in the transformative power of knowledge, which is why Mhawish and those whose lives he touched will keep telling the stories of voices that were silenced. 

A picture of Refaat Alareer displayed during a protest calling for a ceasefire and a free Palestine at Cologne, Germany 

Thousands had pre-ordered his posthumously published book before its release date even arrived and its hoped that Alareer’s spirit will live on in its pages, a testament to a lifetime committed to justice, empathy, and love. 

Get a copy of “If I Must Die” here.