Many people may just be getting to know Sami Shehadeh, the veteran Palestinian photojournalist and TRT Arabi cameraman, who has been honoured with the prestigious Global Muslim Person of the Year (MNAwards 2024/2025) by Muslim News Nigeria.
What struck us most and inspired his nomination was his unimaginable courage: returning to the frontline to expose Israeli war crimes in Gaza one month after losing his leg when an Israeli tank shelled their media tent during the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza.
That story moved me deeply because I could relate.
In 2015, while working on my second book, “Muslims and the Threats of the Media,” I was hit by a truck, leaving both legs severely fractured. Despite the pain and physical challenges, I kept developing the manuscript throughout the period of my recovery. I completed and launched the book while still on crutches even as only a handful of people attended the event.
Despite years of intense pain with a fractured leg that later became infected, I went on to write three more books in that series, documenting media coverage of Islam and Muslims in Nigeria. I was mostly indoors for three years, often discouraged, but with support from family and friends, I stayed focused.
I didn’t receive much recognition then for my media advocacy, but I kept going, before I went to establish Rawshield PR Media, publisher of Muslim News Nigeria, and Convener of the #MNAwards.
I may not have been celebrated in those difficult years, but today, I am proud to use our platform to spotlight people like Sami Shehadeh who show similar courage and resilience.
And I’m especially proud that Sami Shehadeh is being celebrated by Muslim News, not just as a journalist, but as a symbol of sacrifice, resistance, and unshakable faith in the face of a genocidal war.
May Allah protect and strengthen him, as well as everyone of us. And may He grant us successes in our efforts for truth and justice.
Finalists for Nigerian Muslim Personalities of the Year (#MNAwards20242025)
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