Palestinians preserve identity through cultural rituals because they lack a state

Evidence

As he gets older, he is placing more importance on his Palestinian roots, especially since he lives in a country where, he says, people routinely forget where they come from. And so the fact that Nadine is Palestinian is important for Omar. “Since we literally have no country,” Omar explained to me, “the only thing we have is our identity, and it’s important for me, as the oldest son, to preserve that identity.” — Moustafa Bayoumi, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being…, 697

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes the identity-preservation-through-ritual theme in The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, where Bengali heritage is maintained via naming and ceremony in America.