Transcript [00:00] As a Muslim woman, I feel safer in [00:02] Israel than any other country in the [00:04] world. People ask me, "How can you have [00:05] like Jews friends?" I was like, "Why [00:07] can't I? Like, we're same like human [00:09] beings." My only common ground that I [00:11] wanted to stand on was like my Israeli [00:12] identity. I won't say that Israel is [00:14] apartheid. Students on college campuses [00:16] in America right now are like [00:18] I'm Arab Muslim Israeli girl and let me [00:20] tell you what Israel is really about. [00:22] >> What she said. [00:23] >> My name is Lord. I'm 18-years-old. I'm [00:25] from Jerusalem. I grew up in a Jewish [00:28] [music] religious society as an Israeli [00:30] Arab Muslim girl. [00:31] >> You were confronting an Arab politician [00:34] >> Yeah. [00:34] >> in front of the entire country. [00:36] >> Yeah. [00:37] >> [music] [00:46] >> The next day after it went really viral [00:47] [music] like all of my friends [00:49] >> Everybody, I saw it immediately. So, [00:51] you're Arab Israeli Muslim and you went [00:53] to Germany on a tour [00:55] >> to do Israel advocacy. [00:57] >> My goal was not to just like come to [00:59] people and just say, "Okay, just support [01:00] Israel and that's it." Like, for me it [01:02] was just like, "Here my story cuz I [01:03] think it has so many complicated [01:04] things." Then it's even social media and [01:06] it's not like that black and white kind [01:08] of picture. Just to get to know the real [01:10] thing and then just decide wherever you [01:11] want to support them. [01:12] >> What is the thing people get wrong [01:14] online that you're seeing out there? [01:15] >> The thing that people don't get is [01:17] [music] that in Israel there's an actual [01:19] Arab and Muslim and Christian like [01:20] there's all the religion people living [01:22] in here. Yeah, it's complicated [01:24] obviously but like [music] in each [01:25] country there's so many complicated [01:27] things. But like as an Arab girl as a [01:29] Muslim girl, [music] I was taking so [01:30] many leading position in Jerusalem and [01:32] like a religion Jewish society. [music] [01:34] People ask me, "How can you have like a [01:36] Jews friends?" I was like, "Why can't I? [01:38] Like, we're human beings." Like my [01:40] myself like we might not have the same [01:42] ideas on like politics and like things [01:44] [music] but like we're same like human [01:45] beings so it's not going to stop me from [01:47] like being their friends. [01:48] >> So, what do you say to people that say [01:50] [music] that Israel is an apartheid [01:51] state? [01:52] >> So, I'll give you like the best example. [01:54] I'm 18 now so like it's going to be my [01:55] first time ever to go voting for the [01:58] whole government. [01:58] >> Yeah. [01:59] >> Arab, Jewish, Muslims, [music] [02:00] Christian, like everyone can vote cuz we [02:02] all Israelis and we have the same right [02:03] as everyone else. I won't say that [02:05] Israel is apartheid cuz I can do [02:07] basically everything that any other [02:09] Israelis can do. So, I never let my [02:11] religion or my gender or like anything [02:13] like this [music] to limit me and I [02:14] don't think like that any other Arabs in [02:16] the country that is ever limited them. [02:18] As a [music] Muslim woman, I feel safer [02:21] in Israel than any other country in the [02:22] world. I built my own startup and I was [02:25] a social media manager and I did so many [02:27] other things. [music] [02:28] >> Honestly, I feel like safer in Israel [02:29] than any other country in the world. I [02:30] can do everything. [02:31] >> And you will and you're going to get so [02:33] far [music] and you are the future [02:35] leader of this country and I just cannot [02:38] wait for what you're going to do for our [02:41] country and for the region. [02:42] >> Thank you. [02:43] >> Thank you. [music] Listen to her.
“I feel safer in Israel than any other country in the world.”
Meet Lourd Atia, an 18-year-old Muslim Arab Israeli using her voice to show the world what Israel is really like.
In this conversation with Noa Tishby, Lourd shares her firsthand experience growing up as an Arab citizen of Israel with equal rights—and challenges one of the most persistent lies told about the country: that Israel is an apartheid state.
Listen to her story, in her own words. 🇮🇱
🔔 Subscribe for more commentary on Israel, the Middle East, and the fight against antisemitism.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1XUDNlTtcmpFgdF6hatRjQ/join
🔗 Follow me on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noatishby
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/noatishby
Twitter: https://twitter.com/noatishby
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@noatishby
📲 Text me: 818-408-4344
