This interview is part of Houston Landing’s Who are HOU? series, which tells tales of the diverse people, cultures, and experiences that make up this city. Every story—from personal histories to struggles to daily victories—is conveyed in the interviewee’s own words to preserve their voices and the experiences that have shaped Houston’s identity.
Hamza Abuharb finds the poetry he wants to read by scrolling through his phone in about one minute. He gives a small, melancholy smile and recites “You Ask Me Why” in a rhythmic manner, pausing between words as if he were performing it on stage. We’re sitting outside Qamaria, a Yemeni coffee shop in west Houston, talking about his poetry, among other things.
He wrote this more than a year ago, only a month after the Israeli invasion of Gaza and the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel. He is greatly impacted by the war. About 15 years ago, Abuharb, his parents, and his three older siblings fled Gaza and settled in Houston as refugees. He still has family there, and in the last year, he has suffered unspeakable loss due to the continuous invasion.
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Abuharb’s family and community in Houston, his writing, and his role as president of the Students for Justice in Palestine organization at the South Texas College of Law, where he is a third-year student, have all been supportive throughout this difficult time. He gets a carafe of authentic Yemeni coffee to enjoy at Qamaria. The 23-year-old typically comes here to study for school or to visit pals. Abuharb views these kinds of culturally Middle Eastern locations as homes away from home.
When you were in the fifth grade, you finally made Houston your home after moving around a lot as a child. When you initially moved here, how was it?
The back and forth as a child, I believe, made it easier for me to adjust to other cultures. I don’t recall many Arab students in elementary school, but it was a little more comfortable in middle school because there were more Arab students there. However, it wasn’t too much in my experience because you’re still a child.
However, it was helpful for others to comprehend the fasting culture, for instance. Since they had no idea what fasting was, many of the kids I went out to play with on the street said, “Why don’t you just hide in the closet and eat?” However, it was wonderful to be able to spend Ramadan with people my own age who also observe it, as it is a significant holiday in the Middle East.
Do you think you’ve been successful in creating a homey community since you arrived here?
There are many Arabs and Muslims at South Texas College, where I currently attend, but when I founded Students for Justice in Palestine, it offered a chance for people of all races and religions to support this cause, not just Arabs and Palestinians. We’re constantly arguing about politics, how some politicians aren’t carrying out their duties, and other issues, so it feels fantastic. However, the fact that everyone is fighting for justice makes me miss home.
What about throughout Houston? How has your experience been here? You’ve been through a lot in the last year.
Houston has, in my opinion, developed both physically and in terms of interpersonal relationships. These communities have grown in size and power. Houston has created a forum where people can express their thoughts and opinions without fear of retaliation. Many leaders and individuals of the community are working hard to ensure that we have safe places to talk. It’s crucial to make an effort to speak with everyone, even though you may occasionally find yourself in an echo chamber.
I’m sure there may be difficulties with that.
Even though South Texas is a small school, I still see it as a tiny microscope in America, therefore we have reached out to many people in an effort to have these discussions in order to move past the hate cycle and stop it from repeating itself.
My dad sat me down when I first started organizing on campus and told me that I needed to maintain my composure. I don’t believe I heard him say anything else for three weeks in a row after that. I’ve had to handle things that way. Many people have died, some of them members of the extended family. I must keep in mind that my behavior does not always reflect who I am. I speak for the entire movement.
When you discuss community and the Justice in Palestine movement, you keep bringing up South Texas College. Why is what occurs there so important to you?
I came to law school in order to assist. My goal was to assist others. I meant to do that. How will I assist others? I believe that little adjustments made on this college will have repercussions on other universities. While I may not personally implement the change, it will at least set the stage for others to do so. According to my parents, they might not alter today, but they might in a year or two. Small steps, then.
You spend a lot of time writing. What inspired you to begin writing poetry?
Writing-wise, I’ve never been a big fan of essay writing. I’m going to be a lawyer someday (laughs), but I don’t want to talk about that. But I could be creative with poetry. I wrote about my experience returning to the United States during the 2014 conflict in Gaza for a poetry club in the seventh or eighth grade. We were evacuated because my family and I were caught in the act while we were visiting. I was able to gather my feelings by writing poetry. For me, writing has always been like that.
What kind of poetry do you typically write? Do you sit down and set aside a specific time to write, or does it just come to you?
I have to put it in writing when it comes to me. I wrote the lines that came to me around twelve hours after they occurred to me yesterday, but it still got down. Also, there are days when I’m just feeling a lot and I don’t know how to deal with it. Therefore, writing it out is sometimes the best option.
I can’t write in public again after having done it once. Being too private and intimate makes it difficult to come out of that shell.
Something that stands out to me as we re talking and the poem you just shared is the idea of home and what having a home means. Do you think you could talk about that?
The bombings have been indiscriminate in Gaza, so I would be remiss not to talk about that when we re talking about home. A person’s home is their place of residence. You know, it s not work; it s where they talk with their family, their friends, and their significant other. You have Thanksgiving, you know. We moved around a lot, so home wasn t ever the white picket fence story well, it was a little for a bit (laughing) but it was wherever my parents are, where my siblings are, that s home. You know we do want to go back to Palestine eventually, but we also have to make home with what we have here.
Eventually. Do you feel like you ll be in Houston for a while?
I always toy with the idea of moving, but Houston feels like home now. I ve memorized the city. We have great artists coming out of Houston, and I want to be able to claim them. Our city made that, you know? So, for the time being, yeah, it ll be Houston.
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