Prashar is not Palestinian, or Muslim, or Arab. He's British-Punjabi. But he was wearing a scarf that's become synonymous with Palestinians: A black and white keffiyeh.

For many Palestinians and people of Arab descent around the world, the keffiyeh serves as a crucial link to their culture.

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — The Vatican had hinted the controversial keffiyeh would be put back in the Nativity scene on Christmas Eve.

Keffiyeh chic is all the rage. You’re no one unless you have one of these black-and-white scarves that are widely worn in the Palestinian territories.

Even Pope Francis has drawn criticism for inaugurating a Vatican nativity with baby Jesus wrapped in the scarf that has become a symbol of pro-Palestine activism.

Keffiyehs are traditional Middle Eastern cotton headdresses that originated with nomadic Bedouin tribes. The black-and-white keffiyeh is frequently used to show support for the Palestinian people.

Farooq Abdullah showed solidarity with Palestine and Iran during a Muharram procession in Srinagar, advocating for Muslim ...

The wooden Nativity scene in the Vatican’s main audience hall had generated headlines when it was unveiled Dec. 7 because of the presence of the keffiyeh, the black-and-white checkered headscarf ...

Last Tuesday, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights issued a statement condemning attacks by the Hamas police against students at Al-Azhar University ...

Briefly, the black and white Keffiyeh is part of Palestinian culture and is worn by them to symbolize resistance and protection from the sun while doing daily activities and farming.

Around the world in protests demanding an end to Israel’s war in Gaza, demonstrators have worn the black-and-white keffiyeh head scarf.