[this is not a satire]
In what was supposedly a brave attempt at satire, Linah Al Saafin seemed to have landed herself into some drama as locals and those in diaspora read her blogpost about the natives of Al Bireh, herself being one too. As commentary became limited, and reactions seemed to rage in Al Bireh this summer, the notion or the intention of the blogpost will always be left unknown. After all, in literary or critical analysis, it is not typically the intention of the writer that academics seek to understand, but the structure and tools employed that lead us to perceive these intentions. Ignoring the slanderous attack on people from Al Bireh, the most offensive thing about Al Saafin's writing is that it simply does not reflect the true nature of what "satire" means, manipulating a form of writing for mere self defense. This weakness makes her article, and backlash at those who found it offensive, flimsy. It would have been applauded if, when reacting, she had tried to be consistent with the notion of satire. But her defensiveness gave way to her emotions.
