Some moments in history demand more from us than comfort or safety. They demand conscience.

The hardest part of my 2025 journey to Gaza did not begin at sea.
It began at home.

Last year, when I prepared to sail with the Global Sumud Flotilla, I had to sit across from the people I love most in this world — my husband, my children, and my mother — and say goodbye without knowing if I would ever see them again.

My children tried to be brave. My husband was supportive but worried. My mother was heartbroken and begged me not to go. No parent wants to imagine their daughter walking knowingly into danger while her children are still young.
And yet, deep inside, I knew I had to go.

Because some moments in history demand more from us than comfort or safety. They demand conscience.

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I joined hundreds of people from around the world preparing to sail toward Gaza as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla — a peaceful civilian mission intended to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis and the ongoing siege.

None of us were naive about the risks. We knew we might be intercepted. We knew we might be detained. We knew we might not make it home for a long time. But we also knew something else: silence in the face of injustice is its own form of complicity.

Eighteen Days at Sea. Our journey was brutal.

For eighteen days we crossed the Mediterranean in overcrowded boats, battered by storms and uncertainty. Sleep was scarce. Privacy did not exist. Every night we wondered whether the boats would hold together long enough to reach our destination.

Yet despite the exhaustion and fear, something powerful sustained us — the unity of people from more than 40 countries who believed that ordinary citizens must sometimes step forward when governments fail.

We were teachers, doctors, students, activists, parents.
And we were determined to bear witness.

After eighteen days at sea, our flotilla was intercepted in international waters.
What followed was chaos and fear.
Many of us were detained, blindfolded, and transported to prison facilities. Some were subjected to harsh treatment, intimidation, and degrading searches. Personal belongings were taken. Communication with the outside world was restricted. For days, we did not know what would happen to us.
But even in those moments - stripped of our freedom and uncertain about our future - our conviction remained.
They could detain our bodies - but they could not silence the reason we had come. Eventually, after days in custody, we were deported and sent home.
When I finally saw my family again, the relief was overwhelming. But I knew something had changed inside me forever.

Once you witness injustice up close, you cannot return to the comfort of looking away.

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Many people have asked me since returning:
“After everything you went through… why would you go again?”
My answer is simple. Because the injustice has not stopped. Because the suffering has not stopped.

Because if ordinary people retreat when the risks become real, then injustice wins. This year I will sail again - this time with Canada Boat to Gaza - as part of the next flotilla.

Not because it is easy. Not because it is safe. But because it is necessary.
We will continue to sail, to speak, and to bear witness until the world can no longer ignore what is happening. Until there is justice.

The truth is that this mission is not backed by governments or powerful institutions. It is powered by ordinary people. People who believe that humanity must stand together.

Right now, Canada Boat to Gaza is working to purchase and prepare a boat for the next mission - and that is where you come in.

We all have a role to play. Many people have told me they wish they could sail with us. The truth is, most people cannot leave their families, jobs, and responsibilities to cross the Mediterranean on a mission like this.
And that’s okay.

Because every movement for justice requires many different roles.
Some people sail.
Others amplify the message.
Others provide the support that makes the mission possible.
If you are reading this, you are already part of that global community of conscience.

Your support can help us:

Purchase and prepare the boat
Equip it safely for the journey
Join the next flotilla sailing toward Gaza

Your donation is not just financial support - it is a statement that you refuse to look away.
Last year, when I said goodbye to my family, I did not know if I would see them again. This year, I will face that same uncertainty.

But I also know something else.
I know that millions of people around the world believe in justice, dignity, and humanity.
And together, we will keep going.
Because silence is not an option.
And until justice comes, we are not stopping.

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In solidarity,

Canada Boat to Gaza

Zaheera is a daughter, wife, mother of three, professor, corporate executive, and civil rights activist. Zaheera lost her senior professional corporate role in 2023, due to her activism for Palestine. She was subsequently threatened and doxed by the zionist lobby in Canada. She sailed on the Gaza Flotilla in September 2025, and has also faced penalties in her academic profession as a result.