--- description: Find out why Muna El-Kurd and Mohammed El-Kurd is one of the 100 most influential people of 2021. title: Muna El-Kurd and Mohammed El-Kurd: The 100 Most Influential People of 2021 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f52ef7e743f5b4a/698a1cd416d88465a4c39b63/mohammed-elkurd-muna-elkurd-time-100-2021.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 15, 2021 # Muna El-Kurd and Mohammed El-Kurd by Sanya Mansoor  Muna and Mohammed el-Kurd Ahmad Gharabli—AFP/Getty Images Muna and Mohammed el-Kurd Ahmad Gharabli—AFP/Getty ImagesAhmad Gharabli—AFP/Getty Images Through online posts and media appearances, sibling activists [Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd](https://time.com/6050422/pro-palestinian-support/ "undefined") provided the world with a window into living under occupation in East Jerusalem this spring—helping to prompt an international shift in rhetoric in regard to [Israel and Palestine](https://time.com/5276048/gaza-conflict-history/ "undefined"). For more than a decade, the El-Kurd family, along with dozens of their neighbors in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, has been fighting against the possibility of [forced removal from their homes](https://time.com/6047764/israeli-palestinian-violence/ "undefined") by Israeli settlers. In May, tensions in Sheikh Jarrah spilled into the nearby Old City, where Israeli forces attacked worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque; Hamas militants in Gaza responded with rocket fire into Israel. Mohammed and Muna El-Kurd—who were temporarily detained by Israeli authorities this summer—challenged existing narratives about Palestinian resistance through viral posts and interviews, humanizing the experiences of their neighbors and pushing back against suggestions that violence was being predominantly carried out by Palestinians. Charismatic and bold, they became the most recognizable voices of those threatened with losing their homes in Sheikh Jarrah. Around the world, their grassroots organizing helped inspire the Palestinian diaspora to renew protests. And in the U.S., long Israel’s strongest ally, polls show growing support for Palestinians, so far without any cost to public support for Israel. _Mansoor is a TIME reporter_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096098/muna-mohammed-el-kurd/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096098/muna-mohammed-el-kurd/"},"headline":"Muna and Mohammed El-Kurd: The 100 Most Influential People of 2021","datePublished":"2021-09-15T11:19:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-07-21T07:22:37.255Z","description":"Find out why Muna El-Kurd and Mohammed El-Kurd made the 2021 TIME100 list.","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096098/muna-mohammed-el-kurd/","keywords":["TIME 100","franchise","T100 2021"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f52ef7e743f5b4a/698a1cd416d88465a4c39b63/mohammed-elkurd-muna-elkurd-time-100-2021.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f52ef7e743f5b4a/698a1cd416d88465a4c39b63/mohammed-elkurd-muna-elkurd-time-100-2021.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096098/muna-mohammed-el-kurd/","name":"Muna and Mohammed El-Kurd: The 100 Most Influential People of 2021"}}]}] ```