A Saudi engineer has made the headlines worldwide for turning a gesture of goodwill by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman into a virtual emblem — an emoji that embodies Arab pride, solidarity, and identity. What was initially a viral sensation has now become a quest to keep alive a powerful expression of regional sentiment in the technology age.
The unforgettable gesture, wherein the crown prince had his hand over his heart during an instant of national pride, struck a chord in people all over the Arab world. Realizing its cultural significance, the engineer proposed to Unicode Consortium, the international organization that sanctions emojis, to officially sanction the symbol as an emoji.
Although the approval process takes two years maximum, support for the proposed emoji keeps intensifying. Supporters among influencers, artists, and youth movements have adopted the design, disseminating it intensively through social media platforms, incorporating it in visual narratives celebrating Arab culture.
This people’s movement demonstrates how digital culture and customary values can intersect, which opens new channels for cultural diplomacy and identity. If sanctioned, the emoji would be part of the symbols that cut across language and geography — being a digital representative of Arab pride to come.
