What the Palestinian resistance has accomplished since October 7, 2023, up to this moment, has been inspiring for the nation and influential in all areas of life, instilling a new spirit through its behavior and discourse. Among the key areas influenced by the resistance, according to educational experts, is the field of education, in which it provides genuine lessons and educational approaches.
Here are some indicative highlights of the educational lessons inspired by the resistance's discourse, as perceived by these educational experts.
Initially, Palestinian educational researcher Mamdouh Bari sees that the educational discourse of the resistance primarily revolves around promoting higher national values, strengthening the unity of the people, and preserving the cultural and emotional unity of the Palestinian people. He emphasizes that Palestinian resistance is a nationalist liberation movement with an Islamic ideological orientation that believes in diversity and respects fellow Palestinians. This is clearly evident in the speeches delivered by its speakers.
He added that all the educational speeches of the resistance revolved around enhancing the status of the land occupied in 1948 in the Palestinian hearts. This land is considered an integral part of the occupied territories, as evident in all its speeches, without any distinction between the West Bank, Gaza, and the territories occupied in 1948.
Bari: The resistance discourse focuses on promoting higher national values and enhancing the cohesion of the Palestinian people.
Bari believes that the most important educational lessons in the resistance discourse are the efforts to emphasize the Arab names of the displaced cities and villages, along with their locations and significance. The goal is to solidify this information in the collective memory of the Palestinian people, wherever they are.
The Palestinian researcher and educator affirms that one of the lessons inspired by the resistance discourse is the clarification of the importance of collective action and working for the community as a whole. This instills in the citizens a sense that those representing the resistance are Palestinians who carry national, ideological, and spiritual values. Consequently, it prevents the perception that this group is alien to the national fabric.
As for the central educational cause in all the resistance speeches, according to Bari, it revolves around the Arab-Islamic and Christian sanctities in Jerusalem. The topic of Jerusalem is essential in the resistance discourse, with speeches addressing various geographical locations in the city and the extent of its inhabitants suffering. The speeches emphasize the unity of East and West Jerusalem, its Arab identity, and its status as occupied land.
Moreover, based on the educational messages conveyed by the resistance speeches to the Palestinian people, Bari sees that they hold a special interest for the residents of the territories occupied in 1948 (numbering about one million and nine hundred thousand). The aim is to strengthen their connections with their Arab brethren in the rest of Palestine and the wider Arab region, ensuring that the bonds of collective awareness and consciousness remain present and active.
New Educational Discourse
While the writer and educational consultant, Dr. Akram Reda, sees that the resistance discourse is not confined to mere words, he emphasizes that powerful symbols played a significant role in shaping that discourse. Symbols such as Abu Ubaida's finger, his veil, the destructive lighter, the red triangle, the zero distance, and others have had a profound influence on the youth, carrying educational meanings that are considered a valuable resource for educators for decades to come in the future of the nation.
Dr. Reda: The resistance symbols have contributed to overcoming feelings of helplessness and frustration, reviving the spirit of determination, and rejuvenating awareness.
Dr. Reda emphasizes the contribution of the resistance discourse and symbols in overcoming feelings of helplessness and frustration, as well as in reviving the spirit of determination and rejuvenating awareness. He adds that expressive symbols have decisively won the battle of awareness. The media clips circulating by the resistance's military media have introduced a new dimension, showcasing ingenuity in planning, competence in performance, and power in execution. This has reinstated a sense of pride, dignity, and the ability to respond to aggression and take action among the youth of the nation.
He further notes that the hostage release videos represent a new educational discourse, declaring the alignment of the proclaimed Quranic identity with its practical application on the ground. According to Dr. Reda, the youth who were on the verge of losing faith in past victories have gained confidence in the stories of the battles of “Badr,” “Hunayn,” “Banu Qurayza,” and “Khaybar.” They have returned to understanding and reflecting on the Quran's surahs of “Aal-Imran,” “Al-Anfal,” and “At-Tawbah,” along with the devastating psychological impact on the occupying enemy, prompting “Netanyahu,” the gangster minister, to state, “This is cruel psychological propaganda by Hamas!”
Dr. Reda highlights that the resistance waged the battle of awareness with the same strength it has showed in the ground battle, and the educational triumphs were equal in proportion to the victories on the fields. Therefore, he believes that the resistance has instilled an educational approach into its speeches, shaping the minds of the youth with its plans and creativity. It remains for educators to excel in using this approach and harnessing awareness to instill the meanings of resilience, strength, and the ability to act, and to draw inspiration from the values of reliance on Allah alone, the significance of du’a, and confidence in the triumph of Allah the Almighty.
As for the most significant educational lesson that the resistance emphasizes in its speeches, whether verbal or symbolic, it is the steadfast military creed of the Muslim fighter, summarized by Abu Ubaida at the end of his statements: “It is indeed a Jihad, either victory or martyrdom.”
The Wise Educator
On his part, the educational expert Dr. Mohamed Shalaby believes that the speeches of the resistance acted as wise educators for many individuals, groups, and nations. He asserts that for certain types of people, words are not enough to persuade them, no matter how well put they are, and Jews, undoubtedly, fall into this category. Thus, one of the clear educational lessons from the resistance is that it always prioritized action over words, especially since the Jews have been accustomed to the Arabs being only rhetoric even in their most critical moments of opposition.
Dr. Shalaby believes that the resistance's strikes were closer to acts of honor and miracles, simultaneously serving as a practical response to the treacherous Jewish attacks on civilians, including children and women. The discourse of the resistance consistently demonstrates the message: “We have done” instead of “We will do.”
Shalaby: One of the greatest educational lessons from the resistance is that it is not the weapon that fights; the armed individual is the foundation of victory.
Shalaby adds that one of the greatest educational lessons presented by the resistance is that the weapon itself doesn't fight; it is the armed individual who is the core of victory. This is exemplified by the “zero distance,” which represented a miraculous challenge to the Zionist enemy.
Among the remarkable educational lessons is the idea that sovereignty is achieved through love. Despite the horrifying scenes in Gaza that an artist's brush cannot fully depict, we always find Palestinians chanting at the top of their lungs, “We sacrifice for you, O resistance!”
Dr. Shalaby concludes his remarks by stating that the resistance, in its practical educational discourse, revived the Islamic rules of war. It demonstrated, after centuries, how ethics can conquer hearts, turning enemies into friends and adversaries into allies. There is no logical explanation in any law for bidding the farewell of a captive to their captors with a broad, thankful smile; it transcends cognitive understanding. Hence, we see them stumbling in interpretation and attributing it to “Stockholm Syndrome,” while it is the Islamic approach in dealing with captives that the resistance has applied on the ground as its unspoken educational discourse.
Source: Fatima Abdul Raouf, Al-Mugtama
