Occupied Jerusalem -
Despite being sentenced to life imprisonment 6 times, the Jerusalemite prisoner Ashraf Munir Zughayer (42 years old) was able to participate in a Palestinian fashion show through his designs that he drew inside the walls of his prison. Converting it to this day into cloth and clothing on the body touches the threads of the occupied Jerusalem sun.
Women's gowns carried out from the designs of the Jerusalem prisoner Ashraf Zughayr (Al-Jazeera)
Prior to his arrest, Ashraf was a young man in his early twenties who owned a private vehicle and excelled in drawing and karate. He worked at the head of his family’s clothing factory in Jerusalem, after he finished studying fashion design with distinction at the Fashion and Textile Institute in the town of Beit Sahour, south of Jerusalem. He intended to develop his talent in fashion and fashion design, and was on the verge of a scholarship to complete the same specialization in France.
In the midst of this, the Israeli occupation arrested Ashraf on October 14, 2002, and sentenced him to life imprisonment 6 times on charges of transferring resistance fighters and belonging to the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Graduate (Masters) in Economics and Political Science.
Patches of Arabic calligraphy drawn by the captive Ashraf Zughayer in his prison (Al-Jazeera)
Arabic calligraphy on clothes
Fashion designer Rania Zughayer was devastated by the news of her brother's captivity, who was similar in talent to fashion design and planned together major projects. In 2009, she decided with her cousin to organize a fashion show in the city of Ramallah, and presented Ashraf's designs, who was present strongly in the show - despite his family - through his designs that It dazzled those who attended, and was distinguished by drawing the Arabic letter on it.
Rania received us at her home in the town of Kafr Aqab, north of occupied Jerusalem, and carefully produced dozens of designs and patches of Arabic calligraphy that Ashraf wrote before and during his arrest, to later take on the task of converting them into a final product and clothing to be sold and worn, despite the obstruction of the occupation prisons administration to produce the designs by mail, which took a long time. .
The older sister proudly stuck to the design of a black women's abaya that came to light, designed by Ashraf by incorporating Arabic letters in the patch line on its sleeves.
She told Al Jazeera Net, "I think that my brother was one of the first to introduce Arabic calligraphy to the design of legal fashion. The matter was never common in 2009, and his designs won the approval of many workers in the fashion and fashion sector, so that the Hebrew media flocked to interviews with us, and asked about what If the scattered design letters carry a code (a symbol), what Ashraf wanted to convey abroad.”
Ashraf's sister and his father are browsing his designs, which "have won the approval of many workers in the fashion and fashion sector" (Al-Jazeera)
food colors inside designs
Even today, Ashraf continues to refine his talent, despite the scarcity of resources inside the prison and the restriction of his administration on the inputs and outputs. He makes the missing colors from food such as beetroot, red cabbage, turmeric and coffee, and writes in them the most perfect paintings.
He also maintains his usual elegance and good taste in dress, despite the prison administration's control over the color of the socks that enter the prisoners!
Al-Maqdisi Ashraf Zughayer was sentenced to life imprisonment 6 times, of which he served 19 years (Al-Jazeera)
Ashraf entered his 20th year in captivity, and his father, Munir Zughayr, spokesman for the Jerusalem Prisoners Committee - to Al Jazeera Net - says that he has become one of the leaders of the captive movement in Nafha prison, and has a good reputation among the prisoners who teach them fashion design, after he learned from them Arabic calligraphy.
Every Palestinian prisoner - be he a chef, a doctor or a barber - transfers his skills and knowledge to other fellow families.
Rania concludes, describing her brother, "When we talk about fashion, Ashraf's heart dances, he constantly asks me about the latest fashion and the leading colors. Despite the luxurious life he lived before captivity and his extensive network of relationships and travels, his answer when I asked him about what he misses most was his sessions with his mother and sisters, when We used to meet every day and sing a lot."