{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreic3ya4pbxbls2p7ogpzpugkjvzzeeyipqi4j7skwihgws6ftmoc6e",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:ha7wpngv4f2qwrk5hta4ktbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlxsbrli73n2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreihzgezplcwoq52uv3mtu5u2xsnexxou43rhwkf5ec4woycjixk23y"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 295551
  },
  "path": "/columnists/2026/05/16/wear-the-peace-gaza-school-palestinians-murad-nofal-mustafa-mabruk-rummana-hussain",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-16T11:00:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
  "textContent": "<p>There were <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYFkKExMbKC/\" target=\"_blank\" >dabke dancers, a juggler and peals of laughter </a>near the school mangled by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.</p><p>The Abd Al-Rahman Bin Awf School is no more. Its tattered remnants now serve as a makeshift shelter for displaced Palestinians.</p><p>Still, there is ample reason to celebrate.</p><p>A new school, funded by and named after the Chicago clothing and accessories line <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://wearthepeace.com/?tw_source=google&tw_adid=670521117318&tw_campaign=20480866507&https://wearthepeace.com/?gc_id=20480866507&h_ad_id=670521117318&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAtaOtBhCwARIsAN_x-3Ib-lsLvPK4JC-sG5_uWk6gkYLzKgpzz1QGYaesKhEAkPbciQAdOoQaAtqjEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" >Wear The Peace</a>, opened its doors two weeks ago on the former campus' courtyard.</p><div class=\"RichTextSidebarModule Enhancement\" data-module data-align-center><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"module-860000\" name=\"module-860000\"></a> <div class=\"RichTextSidebarModule-title\">Columnists bug</div> <div class=\"RichTextModule-items RichTextBody\"><h2>Columnists</h2><br><i>In-depth political coverage, sports analysis, entertainment reviews and cultural commentary.</i><br></div> </div><p>A video recorded during the May 3 inaugural festivities shows the youngest students clamoring to sit on wooden benches as if they were vying for a spot on a plush, jeweled throne. Staring at the dry-erase board, they are in heaven in a place that has often felt like hell.</p><p>The boys and girls in the Gaza Strip, where literacy rates have hovered close to <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://palestine.un.org/en/216291-united-nations-agencies-education-palestine-must-be-priority\" target=\"_blank\" >98%</a> in recent years, have desperately wanted to return to school since Israel damaged or obliterated most of their learning spaces in the last three years, said Murad Nofal, the co-founder of Wear The Peace.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-floatRight> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-210000\" name=\"image-210000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/76fccdb/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2263+0+381/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F80%2F99%2F5ab453d3435c813891b4ef8332be%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-opening-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-8.JPG 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/186213c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2263+0+381/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F80%2F99%2F5ab453d3435c813891b4ef8332be%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-opening-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-8.JPG 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/427e064/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2263+0+381/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F80%2F99%2F5ab453d3435c813891b4ef8332be%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-opening-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-8.JPG\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Young girls wearing traditional Palestinian dresses and keffiyeh are outside waving white flags. \" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/427e064/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2263+0+381/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F80%2F99%2F5ab453d3435c813891b4ef8332be%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-opening-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-8.JPG 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ac884bf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2263+0+381/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F80%2F99%2F5ab453d3435c813891b4ef8332be%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-opening-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-8.JPG 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/427e064/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2263+0+381/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F80%2F99%2F5ab453d3435c813891b4ef8332be%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-opening-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-8.JPG\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>Girls in Gaza City wave flags with the Wear The Peace logo as they celebrate the May 3 opening of the school that was funded by a Northwest Side-based company.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Provided </p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>The decade-old Northwest Side company, which fashions itself a \"peace brand\" offering \"clothing with a purpose,\" donates all sales profits to humanitarian aid efforts in war-torn and/or poverty-stricken countries, including Venezuela, Syria, Chad, Lebanon and Sudan.</p><p>Uplifting people in Gaza has been particularly important to Nofal and his business partner, Mustafa Mabruk, both children of Palestinian refugees.</p><p>Wear The Peace partnered with the youth-led organization <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://thefutureofcongoinc.org/\" target=\"_blank\" >The Future of Congo</a> to build its first <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ht4SRkel5M\" target=\"_blank\" >educational facility</a> — a terra-cotta-colored schoolhouse with white window frames — in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last year.</p><p>The Wear The Peace School in Gaza was constructed in collaboration with the Bridgeview-based nonprofit <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://piousprojects.org/\" target=\"_blank\" >Pious Projects</a> with more modest materials.</p><p>The minimalist nylon-tented design wasn't by choice. </p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-floatLeft> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-880000\" name=\"image-880000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/322a28c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/720x404+0+0/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe8%2F62%2F61071ad44c2daa32837204eb68b2%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-12-copy-720.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7aa9e57/2147483647/strip/true/crop/720x404+0+0/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe8%2F62%2F61071ad44c2daa32837204eb68b2%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-12-copy-720.jpg 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3ac014e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/720x404+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe8%2F62%2F61071ad44c2daa32837204eb68b2%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-12-copy-720.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Whites cloths that is the side of tents can be seen. On one of the panels there is a colorful mural. To the left of the mural it reads \"class 6.\" Another building can be seen in the foreground. \" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3ac014e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/720x404+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe8%2F62%2F61071ad44c2daa32837204eb68b2%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-12-copy-720.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5a97906/2147483647/strip/true/crop/720x404+0+0/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe8%2F62%2F61071ad44c2daa32837204eb68b2%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-12-copy-720.jpg 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3ac014e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/720x404+0+0/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe8%2F62%2F61071ad44c2daa32837204eb68b2%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-12-copy-720.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>The tented classrooms of the new Wear The Peace School in Gaza City. The school was built on the courtyard of the Abd Al-Rahman Bin Awf School (foreground) that was damaged by an Israeli airstrike. </p></figcaption></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>Israel <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/2/8/how-reconstruction-became-israels-new-weapon-of-silent-transfer-in-gaza\" target=\"_blank\" >restricts </a>the entry of cement, steel and other construction supplies into the region it <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/05/israel-opt-israels-systematic-destruction-of-high-rise-buildings-must-be-investigated-as-war-crimes-of-wanton-destruction-and-collective-punishment/\" target=\"_blank\" >flattened</a> — killing <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-221-humanitarian-crisis-gaza-strip-and-occupied-west-bank\" target=\"_blank\" >nearly 73,000</a> Palestinians — after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.</p><p>But the devastation and imposed constraints haven't stopped the resilience and creativity of the surviving Palestinians, who are determined to rebuild amid the fragile <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/war-in-gaza/2025/10/09/in-little-palestine-crowd-cautiously-hopeful-for-ceasefire-agreement-between-israel-hamas\" >ceasefire</a>.</p><p>One man, <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/4/3/rubble-mud-and-hair-how-to-rebuild-a-home-in-gaza\" target=\"_blank\" >Al Jazeera</a> recently reported, has been mixing human hair as a binding agent to the mud he's been using, along with the debris from his home, to erect a bare-bones dwelling unit. </p><p>And just last week, <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.irishtimes.com/world/middle-east/2026/05/14/gaza-teenage-sisters-win-un-award-for-turning-rubble-into-reusable-bricks/\" target=\"_blank\" >two sisters</a> were named winners of a United Nations prize for their eco-friendly brainchild: Non-bearing bricks created with the rubble that has blanketed Gaza.</p><p>Nofal and Mabruk told me The Wear The Peace School is a symbol of that rise-from-the-ashes fortitude.</p><p>\"From the beginning of our brand, we have always talked about making a change in communities around the world, and over the last few years, we have been blessed to do just that,\" said Mabruk, 30.</p><p>\"I hope this (school) will help inspire the children of Gaza and give them hope for a better future.\"</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-floatRight> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-800000\" name=\"image-800000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5f0ff53/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3839x2155+0+3/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F58%2F48%2F78639d604738b51a2c27f84cb235%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-23.JPG 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/509e39d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3839x2155+0+3/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F58%2F48%2F78639d604738b51a2c27f84cb235%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-23.JPG 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fe74e53/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3839x2155+0+3/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F58%2F48%2F78639d604738b51a2c27f84cb235%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-23.JPG\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Men are painting a concrete floor. Behind them is a banner that reads \"Back to school. Wear The Peace.\"\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fe74e53/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3839x2155+0+3/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F58%2F48%2F78639d604738b51a2c27f84cb235%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-23.JPG 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6eab047/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3839x2155+0+3/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F58%2F48%2F78639d604738b51a2c27f84cb235%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-23.JPG 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fe74e53/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3839x2155+0+3/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F58%2F48%2F78639d604738b51a2c27f84cb235%2Fppo-wear-the-peace-establishing-a-school-2026-may-3-gaza-strip-23.JPG\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>Men paint the cemented ground before the opening of the new Wear The Peace school in Gaza City. The school serves 900 K-10th grade students.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>Provided </p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>In addition to financing the $50,000 construction expenses, Wear The Peace is covering the costs of school supplies and salaries of roughly a dozen teachers. </p><p>The 11-classroom school has been operating six days a week in two three-day shifts to accommodate the 900 K-10th grade students who have registered so far.</p><p>A five-day week would be ideal, Nofal, 30, said. But a truncated schedule is better than not having any formal in-person schooling, which remains a reality for roughly 420,000 children in Gaza, according to a <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/unicef-state-palestine-gaza-strip-situation-update-and-humanitarian-response-30-april-2026\" target=\"_blank\" >report</a> released by UNICEF last month.</p><p>When I first <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2024/1/19/24042052/gaza-palestinians-watermelon-wear-peace-israel-violet-ben-affleck-jennifer-garner-rummana-hussain\" >wrote about Wear The Peace</a> over two years ago, Violet Affleck, the eldest daughter of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, boosted the company's visibility — and the ire of the crowd repelled by pro-Palestinian advocacy — when she was pictured wearing the company's black “Freedom Melon” crewneck.</p><p>The desire to ease the suffering of Palestinians and speak out against Israel's actions — described as genocidal by <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://genocidescholars.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IAGS-Resolution-on-Gaza-FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" >leading experts </a>and a <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8641wv0n4go\" target=\"_blank\" >U.N. commission of inquiry</a> — has only grown. Wear The Peace raised $200,000 for Gaza in early 2024 shortly after launching its <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://wearthepeace.com/collections/freedom-melon\" target=\"_blank\" >“Palestine Collections</a>.\" Since then, the collections garnered more than $2.6 million for food distribution, water, evacuations for medical surgeries outside Gaza and other relief initiatives. </p><p>Nofal finds it \"cool to see\" the outpouring of support for Palestinians. Empathy, he said, sometimes means standing up. </p><p>In the last line of the late Palestinian author and poet Mahmoud Darwish's poem, <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://readalittlepoetry.com/2025/09/06/think-of-others-by-mahmoud-darwish/\" target=\"_blank\" >“Think of Others”</a> the narrator presses readers to strive to be \"a candle in the dark\" when contemplating the hardships of others who are \"far away.\"</p><p>Wear The Peace's mission embodies that plea, shining a light that illuminates in more ways than one. </p><p><i>Rummana Hussain is a columnist and leads the opinion coverage at the Sun-Times.</i></p><div class=\"RichTextSidebarModule Enhancement\" data-module data-align-center><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"module-330000\" name=\"module-330000\"></a> <div class=\"RichTextModule-items RichTextBody\">Send letters to <a class=\"Link\" href=\"mailto:letters@suntimes.com\" target=\"_blank\" >letters@suntimes.com</a>. More about <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/submitting-opinion-and-letters\" >how to submit here</a>.</div> </div><p></p>",
  "title": "From Chicago to Gaza: Wear The Peace opens school for Palestinian children",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-16T11:00:44.953Z"
}