Fatma Muhammad’s journey started in a tiny Midwestern home where a 7-year-old girl stood on her toes, mesmerised as her mother mixed butter, shredded dough, and folded cheese into what would eventually become Knafeh Queens – a global sensation that has since landed in Forbes, Vogue, the LA Times, and dessert-lovers’ hearts everywhere
Fatma joined the Lovin’ Dubai Show to share the journey behind the viral Palestinian dessert brand that has become as much about community and identity as it is about Knafeh itself
Growing up in Missouri, her family wasn’t exactly welcomed warmly. Their home was egged, her father’s car set on fire, but Fatma dearly remembers how her mother responded: not with anger, but with trays of warm knafeh offered to neighbours until the entire community softened. “Knafeh bridged the gaps,” she said “It uplifted us. It told our story when words couldn’t.”
Decades later, her mom’s kind legacy continues to live on with Knafeh Queens. Fatma still carries an oven with her when she travels and had her signature knafeh baked freshly for the Lovin’ Dubai show.
So what’s the secret?
The recipe is traditional, but the magic lies in the “nafs” – the soul. “My mom told me, just make sure that you lead with purpose, kindness and compassion.”
And the people surely felt it. That’s why strangers fly into Los Angeles with Knafeh Queens on their bucket list, and orders fly in from Singapore, London, and South Africa.
But the story’s not all love and roses
As a Palestinian-owned business in the US, the last year has been heavy. Fatma received threats and hate, yet the global outpouring of solidarity outweighed all of it. Supporters showed up at fundraisers, protests, and community events. And from Gaza itself, she received messages, including a hand-drawn portrait from a 9-year-old girl telling her to keep going. “How can I stop when they’re counting on us to raise their stories?” she says with tears in her eyes.
Fatma has wanted every home to feel the joy, love, and acceptance that comes through her mom’s recipe. “Love always wins,” she said. And through Knafeh Queens, it truly does.
Hear Fatma’s wholesome stories on the Lovin’ Dubai show.
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