A groundbreaking project developed by Cal State San Bernardino communication and media studies professor, Ahlam Muhtaseb, and her former student, Naim Aburaddi ’22 (M.A., communication studies), was showcased at Yale University and Princeton University, marking a significant achievement for the innovative initiative.

The project, “The Phoenix of Gaza XR,” is a collaborative virtual reality endeavor that used immersive technologies to document life in Gaza for over a year, capturing both its physical essence and the indomitable spirit of its people. This cutting-edge work has earned acclaim for its unique combination of technology, storytelling and social impact.

CSUSB Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb (far right) was part of a panel discussion about her collaborative virtual reality project, “The Phoenix of Gaza XR,” at Princeton University.
CSUSB Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb (far right) was part of a panel discussion about her collaborative virtual reality project, “The Phoenix of Gaza XR,” at Princeton University.

“We wanted to capture the happy moments, the joyful moments that Palestinians live … despite the tough conditions that they live in, they still create life out of nothing. And they would have parties, weddings and stuff. And we don’t see this on media when we talk about Gaza all the time,” Aburaddi said of the project. “Gaza is associated with destruction, war, violence. But the project here, we wanted to show the other side how people live their lives and how they enjoy the moment despite all these tough conditions.”

“We managed to capture life in Gaza before its destruction,” said Muhtaseb. “This is what makes our project unique; we captured what no longer exists, so this became a cultural heritage preservation project.”

A panel discussion at Princeton University about the collaborative virtual reality project, “The Phoenix of Gaza XR,” included CSUSB alumnus, Naim Aburaddi, (far left), who developed the project with Ahlam Muhtaseb, professor of communication and media studies.
A panel discussion at Princeton University about the collaborative virtual reality project, “The Phoenix of Gaza XR,” included CSUSB alumnus, Naim Aburaddi, (far left), who developed the project with Ahlam Muhtaseb, professor of communication and media studies.

The project was presented at Yale University in a Dec. 3-6 event co-sponsored by the Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration; Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage; Whitney Humanities Center; MacMillan Council on Middle East Studies; Department of the History of Art; School of Architecture; Anti-Arab Racism and Islamophobia Lecture Series; and Center for Collaborative Arts and Media.

Both Muhtaseb and Aburaddi delivered keynote addresses at the opening of the exhibition at Yale. Event attendees were able to view the project using virtual reality headsets, offering a fully immersive experience.

Attendees at the Princeton and Yale events experienced the project through virtual reality headsets, deepening their engagement with the stories presented.
Attendees at the Princeton and Yale events experienced the project through virtual reality headsets, deepening their engagement with the stories presented.

At Princeton University, the exhibition was the centerpiece of a Dec. 5-6 symposium sponsored by the Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab and the Department of African American Studies, under the leadership of Ruha Benjamin. The event also received co-sponsorship from the Center for Digital Humanities, Palestine Studies Colloquium, Program in Media & Modernity, Princeton Humanities Council, Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, Students for Justice in Palestine, Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination, and University Center for Human Values.

The symposium included two panels of prominent scholars discussing topics of futurism and imagination in relation to Palestine and featured a keynote address by human rights attorney and associate professor at Rutgers University, Noura Erakat. Event participants at Princeton also experienced the project through virtual reality headsets, deepening their engagement with the stories presented.

CSUSB Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb, and her former student, CSUSB alumnus, Naim Aburaddi ’22, presented their collaborative virtual reality project, “The Phoenix of Gaza XR,” at Princeton and Yale.
CSUSB Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb, and her former student, CSUSB alumnus, Naim Aburaddi ’22, (both shown at the podium) presented their collaborative virtual reality project, “The Phoenix of Gaza XR,” at Princeton and Yale.

Last summer, Muhtaseb and Aburaddi, who is currently a media studies Ph.D. candidate at the University of Colorado, were awarded the prestigious 2024 Ida B. Wells Just Data Lab Summer Fellowship by Princeton University’s Department of African American Studies. This fellowship, accompanied by a $10,000 grant, enabled the duo to further develop “The Phoenix of Gaza XR” and broaden its impact.

The fellowship builds on a collaboration that began more than two years ago at CSUSB, where Muhtaseb and Aburaddi joined forces at the xReal Lab to create an experience that immerses users in the realities of Gaza. Through virtual reality, the project offers a visceral glimpse into the lives of those living in the region. It also highlights the devastation experienced by many over the past several years in Gaza.