Summary
Gaza’s first public English-language library, founded by Mosab Abu Toha from books donated worldwide after the 2014 bombing of the Islamic University of Gaza, and named for Edward Said (Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire, PDF p.175, p.178).
Details
- Opened in summer 2017 in two tiny rented rooms in Beit Lahia, moving to a larger apartment there in early 2018 with a reading room, children’s room, arts room and lecture room; in the May 2021 aggression its windows were shattered and books fell under glass shards and dust (PDF p.178).
- Mariam Said, Edward Said’s widow, donated money and signed Said books; because the library lacked legal status amid the Hamas–Palestinian Authority rift, she connected it with the Middle East Children’s Alliance as its US sponsor and partner (PDF p.178-179).
- A second branch opened in Gaza City on September 25, 2019, the sixteenth anniversary of Said’s death; both libraries run reading and English clubs, language, music, drawing and computer lessons, and psychological support activities for traumatized children (PDF p.179-180).
Related pages
Light in Gaza: Writings Born of Fire, Mosab Abu Toha, Edward Said, Beit Lahia, Gaza