'Imagined Community' Fundamental In Determining Solution For Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 5 (Bernama) -- The concept of ‘imagined community’ is fundamental in determining the solution for the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, says a senior lecturer based at a Malaysian public university. Dr Diyana Nawar Kasimon from Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia said the idea of state and nation is best described through imagined community, as the members of a nation “imagine” uniting with their fellow members whom they have never met or heard of, but they share common interests and backgrounds. “As for the Palestinians, they already have their own national consciousness, hence their movement towards self determination,” she said in a statement to Bernama. An imagined community is a concept developed by Benedict Anderson in his 1983 book Imagined Communities, to analyse nationalism in which he depicts a nation as a socially constructed community, imagined by the people who perceive themselves as part of that group. Dr Diyana Nawar, who is is the Subject Matter Expert for Malaysian Research and Education Foundation (MyREF) said MyREF and Allied Coordinating Committee of Islamic NGOs through an initiative, Justice for Palestine Action Front (JPAF), stand firmly behind the people of Palestine in ending the oppression, fighting for justice and advocating the Palestinian state for all. At the moment, JPAF focuses on three key areas - mobilising world public opinion, strengthening unity and collaborations, and advocacy and diplomacy - with other areas like socio-economy, Infrastructural development, health, education, training and employment left to other civil society organisations. JPAF puts high hopes on the international community to come out with immediate and concrete solutions that will end the long years of suffering of the Palestinian people, upholding human rights and realising its self-determination. “The Palestinians deserve to get back their beloved land and reclaim their territories of which their rights are not only legally recognised, but also a place where they can call home. They do not need another year of subjugation as it is already the longest and most enduring conflict in the world,” she added. -- BERNAMA