As Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in 2023, people around the world found different ways to express their solidarity with Palestinians. From wearing the keffiyeh to sharing watermelon emojis, these acts of solidarity took many forms.
For paediatrician Dr Abdul Qader Ismail, it was a poppy-shaped badge.
Alongside his work treating children for the NHS and writing picture books, Dr Abdul created the Palestine poppy badge shortly after Israel's war began in the besieged enclave. The badge gave people a way to show support for Palestinians at a time when expressions of solidarity faced growing scrutiny.
"I wanted to take a symbol that was beloved in the West, given the West's integral role in the suffering and injustice endured by the Palestinian people — from the Nakba, and even before it, to the present day, including the current genocide," Dr Abdul tells The New Arab.
Pinned proudly to his chest as he speaks, the poppy badge features the colours of the Palestine flag. He designed the pin himself, drawing inspiration from other designs he saw online.
For Dr Abdul, the poppy’s associations with remembrance, peace and the human cost of war make it a particularly fitting symbol for Palestine.
"If the poppy is there to remember those who fell in war, those who suffered because of war, and to symbolise peace and an end to violence and injustice, then I think Palestinians, who have suffered immensely, deserve the poppy just as much as anyone else," he adds.
He stressed that the badge was not intended to provoke division or hostility towards anyone. "It's not meant to be a symbol against anyone. It's not meant to be something that causes division or hate or anything like that," Dr Abdul shares.
In Britain, the red poppy is closely associated with Remembrance Day, when people honour the service and sacrifice of armed forces members who died in conflict. Over time, it has also become a symbol of national remembrance, and its use in political campaigns has sometimes sparked controversy.
But the poppy's significance extends beyond Britain. Dr Abdul highlighted that it is also a national symbol for Palestinians, arguing that this connection has been forgotten. He also pointed to the tens of thousands of Palestinians who, he said, fought alongside the Allies during the Second World War, as well as the poppy’s longstanding use in pro-Palestine activism.
Backlash from right-wing UK press
Despite Dr Abdul having made the badge in December 2023, it has now caught the attention of right-wing media, who are accusing the doctor of "hijacking" Remembrance Day.
"I suppose like any media outlet, what they want is to publish a juicy story that gets them more readers and more attention and causes anger and debate, and so I suppose that's what media does, isn't it," Dr Abdul says about the backlash.
He strongly rejected any suggestion that he was anti-Semitic, pointing to his support for Jewish Green Party leader Zack Polanski and his longstanding professional relationships with people of different faiths and backgrounds.
He said he had joined the Green Party specifically because of Polanski's outspoken support for Palestinians and his opposition to conflating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.
"Whenever people have tried to show support for Palestine, it's always framed by those who don't like it, that you are somehow a terrorist sympathiser or supporter, that you are anti-Semitic, that you're pro-violence, you're anti-peace," the doctor adds.
"It's always framed in that way to silence people, to stop them from speaking out, to stop them from showing their support for the Palestinian people, and this is no different than that."
Boost in sales
While he had anticipated some backlash and personal attacks, Dr Abdul was surprised that the badge had attracted attention nearly three years after its creation.
The controversy, however, has had an unexpected consequence — a sharp rise in sales.
"Since these articles have come out… its sales have gone through the roof to the extent that I've actually run out of stock now," the doctor explains, noting that the sales within the last few months had "dried up."
He said the badge has attracted buyers from a wide range of backgrounds, both online and at pro-Palestine events, with interest extending well beyond Muslim and Palestinian communities.
"I can see the names of the people who are buying from me... They are from all kinds of backgrounds," Dr Ismail explains.
"There's a lot of support for this. People like the badge, people like the concept, and people recognise it for what it is: a symbol of peace and a symbol for showing your support for Palestine and the Palestinian people," he added.
Like the books he has written, the badge itself is not-for-profit, with proceeds going toward producing more badges and supporting charities working on the ground in Palestine or educating people about the cause.
Reflecting on the backlash, Dr Abdul acknowledged that anticipating criticism and experiencing it firsthand are two very different things, as he continues to navigate the attention his work has drawn.
"If [right-wing press] didn't want the badge to be sold or known about, they've done the exact opposite by writing articles about it," Dr Abdul concluded.
Anam Alam is a staff writer at The New Arab. She frequently writes about human rights and social issues, including women's rights and sex education
Follow her on X: @itsanamalam