Resistance is an Amulet, 2025
Silver pendant, Tin pendant, Silver pin, 6 amber stones, reclaimed fabric. 11 cm.

This Hijab/Amulet carries the power of collective efforts for liberation between Arab and Nordic experiences.And reimagines ancestral healing practices in a contemporary context.

It combines materials used in traditional Arab and Nordic spiritual medicine: amber stones, a tin pendant shaped like the Sámi Magic Drum—once used by Sámi shamans to enter trance states or to answer questions about the future—and a silver pendant, or Maskeh (مسكة), inscribed with the phrase “Resistance is Hijab/Amulet” in a specially designed Arabic font.

This amulet is inspired by my experience as a Palestinian living in Sweden, where I have come to see resistance as an amulet. I realized that resistance is therapeutic, drawing on moments of collective action against colonial violence with people from the East and the West.

This amulet is activated when attached to the wall with the silver pin, which connects all of its parts, echoing the traditional way pendants were used by my ancestors.This presentation transforms the space into a healing sphere, which protects against colonial violence.

This Hijab celebrates indigenous healing practices and reawakens them in a contemporary world haunted by evil spirits embodied in colonial systems that cause our global suffering

My vision for the silver pendant was brought to life by Gothenburg-based jewellery artist Lucky Huang. And the tin pendant is made by SWÅ & Jokkmokks Tenn – LE. This amulet mimics an ancient Palestinian amulet found in the Dr. Tawfiq Kanaan collection of amulets at Birzeit University, Palestine.