Ramallah: Necessity is truly the mother of invention in the case of Lamiya Mustafa Hasanain, who quickly had to learn and master tailoring, embroidery, knitting and wool spinning to provide for her seven children after Israeli occupation forces arrested her husband and his six brothers during the first Palestinian Intifada (1987). It left her as the sole breadwinner of the family.
Being illiterate and unable to leave her children home alone made her job possibilities very limited. Anyone who tried to help Lamiya financially was also targeted by Israeli forces.
She looked for in her city, Qalqiliya in the Occupied West Bank, for a seamstress who could teach her the craft and she mastered it in less than a month. “It was definitely a very tough at first, but persistence makes perfection,” the 52-year-old told Gulf News.
At first, her neighbours did not believe she would be able to succeed as a seamstress, but she proved her critics wrong.
Lamiya is now a prominent seamstress and wool spinner in her governorate, taking part in many handmade craft shows and exhibitions, and she hopes to open her own shop one day.
“Every item I produce means something to me. I take immense pride in my craft,” she said..”
While many Palestinians cannot afford her handmade crafts, her main customers are well-to-do Palestinian families in the Occupied West Bank and 1948 areas.
With her earnings, Lamiya was able to put four daughters through university — something she is exceptionally proud of.
Her sons, once of age, helped the family out by working in home decorating business — as a result they weren’t able to seek university degrees. But, she said it was more important for her to provide education to her daughters.
“The last thing I want for my daughters is to go through what I went through. Had I been a university graduate I could have had more opportunities,” she said.
A total of 7,000 Palestinians are currently in Israeli jails, including 56 women.
Lamiya said she would help other women whose male relatives or husbands are in prison by offering free seamstress lessons.
