I am a Palestinian from Gaza. I am a journalist. I am a mother. I am a Muslim. This blog is about the trials of raising my children between spaces and identities; displacement and occupation; and everything that entails from potty training to border crossings. My husband is a Palestinian refugee denied his right of return to Palestine, and thus OUR right to family life. Together, we endure a lot, and the personal becomes political. This is our story.
Journalist, mom, occupied Palestinian-all packed into one.
A few pictures of two protests we attended over the course of the week- one in Durham and the other in Raleigh, NC. (yes, that's my little Noor in the fourth picture waving a Palestinian flag, in the arms of a dear Moroccan friend of mine)
posted by Laila @ Wednesday, January 07, 2009
12 Comments:
Noor is so cute. You know, even in my very tiny Northern California town (pop of the town is under 2 thousand) there have been protests on the street. And my youngest son, who is 20 but has Down Syndrome, keeps telling me to make things better--he has seen things on TV and heard his daddy and me discussing too much. Last night he cried out "I hate war" and then said "my heart feels better if I say that". He joined the protest here.
Do you really believe that what Israel is doing in Gaza is US funded terrorism?
I admit that I do not know all of the details. And, I sincerely think Israel is reacting with massively disproportionate force.
But terrorism?
So... The protestors sincerely believe that Israel is systematically using terror as a means of coercion?
And they believe Israel is intentionally targeting non-combatants as the means to terrify?
And they believe that Israel is performing these acts with an ideological motive rather than a punitive one?
And they also believe that all of this is being done with funding provided from US tax payers?
Those are four very strong assumptions. I understand wanting the carnage to stop, and taking to the street with a placard in hand, especially when one is distraught and concerned about the safety of loved ones.
But surely the people in those photos do not seriously believe that the US is willfully funding a foreign government to intentionally target civilians with military force because of an ideological or religious belief. Do they?
I am curious as to if that is how you and others sincerely feel? That is not the opinion of the folks I associate with.
I think the most Americans would be horrified and one billion times more supportive of the Palestinian cause if they believed what that placard said.
So, where is the disconnect?
we had a palestinian demonstration for the last 2 weekends in Anaheim.
Why are your brainwashing your little kid? I doubt she has enough understanding of the issue to responsibly take a side in it. Leave her at home until she can make up her own mind.
All my solidarity from Argentina
You tell your daughter that if she shoots bullets at them, then they will shoot back. If she continues shooting, then the people will keep shooting back, and more and more until she stops or is dead.
Is there a way to get more NC protest pictures?
We are trying to collect a US album of all protests over at Muslimmatters.org
if you could email me any photos at
organica59[at]gmail[dot]com.
Jazzakum Allah Khair
More news on Gaza protests around the U.S. They really do not evoke much sympathy for the Palestinians trapped in Gaza by Hamas.
Florida
In Florida, approximately 200 to 300 Muslim youth and community members organized a protest outside a Fort Lauderdale courthouse on December 30, 2008. The protest was organized by A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, Act Now to Stop War and Racism, and the Muslim American Society.
Placards and messages depicted by the protesters said things such as “Nuke Israel,” a sentiment also expressed vocally by a protester at one point. Another protester shouted to the Jewish and pro-Israel supporters, “You need ovens, that’s what you need!” The person appeared perfectly comfortable with voicing this opinion more than once.
Video from the protest is available here.
Dallas
In Dallas, the chapter of CAIR gathered hundreds of individuals and hosted a public exhibition at the assassination site of the late President Kennedy. CAIR is still listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the recent case which found that members of a pro-Palestinian group had illegally funneled more than 12 million dollars to Hamas. CAIR has unsuccessfully attempted to get the name of their organization removed from the list.
At around 4:05 of this video the Muslim crowds begin chanting “Khaiber, khaiber al Yahud.” The Arabic chanting is almost genocidal. The protesters mention Muhammad and suggest that he is coming to the border to wage a war. “Khaiber” may allude to the Battle of Khaiber, in which the prophet of Islam massacred the Jews of Khaiber for failing to submit to Islam. Protesters seem to depict their desire for the annihilation of Jews, shouting genocidal statements in Arabic.
I hate to break it to all of you, but firstly, Israel is acting proportionatly. Even if they weren't however, they would have no responsibility to, since Israel (and the U.S), never signed protocol 1 of the 4th Geneva convention, and as such, are not required to treat Hamas (or their citizen shields) as non-combatents. Neither are they required to treat them as soldiers (and follow any of the conventions), because they are not in uniform (as well as not taking orders from a total hiearchy, and are not following the rules themselves)
Global Groups
Greeks against Israeli attacks towards Palestine
http://el-gr.facebook.com/group.php?gid=43361515783
http://lastfm.fr/group/Boycott+Israel
Boycott Israel
http://el-gr.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53387571741
Stop Israeli aggression. Everybody change your profile picture with this one
http://facebook.com/group.php?gid=43068443876
Don’t Pay Any Pence To Save Israel
http://facebook.com/group.php?gid=8313869115
Demand an Immediate International Criminal Tribunal for Israel to Stop Global War!
http://petitiononline.com/un040806
GAZA: STOP THE BLOODSHED
http://avaaz.org/en/gaza_time_for_peace
End the Siege of Gaza: Ceasefire Now
http://avaaz.org/en/gaza_end_the_siege
GAZA: Stop the Siege! Stop the War!
http://petitiononline.com/SaveGaza
PÉTITION : Pour la levée immédiate du blocus de Gaza !
http://france-palestine.org/article8434.html
DECLARE ISRAEL IN VIOLATION OF UN RESOLUTION 1402
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/261489072
United States culpability for Israeli Actions
http://petitiononline.com/uscia
Stop U.S. Aid to Israel
http://petitiononline.com/stopaid
Suspend EU-Israel Association Agreement
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Suspend-EU-Israel-Trade-Agreement
EU Sanctions against Israel
http://petitiononline.com/eusanc
A Call for Palestine from European Citizens
http://petitiononline.com/ecfp
Re-instate EU and US aid to Palestine
http://petitiononline.com/JfJfP
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/free-palestine
Appeal for a true peace in the Middle East
http://petitiononline.com/cvprpro
Lift the unjust embargo imposed on the Palestinian People and their elected Institutions
http://petitiononline.com/Hissare
Eviction Threat to Cave-Dwellers
http://petitiononline.com/SafeCave
A Demand from the Government of Israel to Stop the Land Grab at Bil’in
http://petitiononline.com/Bilin
The Human Right to Water in the Palestinian Territories and Israel
http://petitiononline.com/wat4life
Call to Repeal Israeli Discriminatory Citizenship Law
http://petitiononline.com/mossawa
Take away Shimon Peres’ Nobel Peace Prize
http://petitiononline.com/semsem
Israel attacks Lebanon
http://petitiononline.com/50600
An open Letter to Kofi Annan to investigate Israel’s war crimes in Lebanon
http://petitiononline.com/lebwatch
Freedom & justice
http://petitiononline.com/1680GA
STOP ISRAELI ATTACKS ON PALESTINIANS
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/192310292
Equal opportunities for Adobe’s work candidates in Israel
http://petitiononline.com/qa123
Tell Israel: Free the Shministim!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pNjggLhQo6w
SUPPORT ISRAELI OCCUPATION REFUSERS!
http://petitiononline.com/refusers
Release the Prisoners of Conscience (Refusenicks) in Israel
http://petitiononline.com/refuz
End to Repeat Jail Sentences for IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Draft Resisters
http://petitiononline.com/091202
FREE PALESTINIAN PARLIAMENTARIAN, HUSSAM KHADER, ILLEGALLY DETAINED IN ISRAEL FOR OVER 2 YEARS
http://petitiononline.com/hussam22
PETITION : Liberté pour Salah Hamouri
http://france-palestine.org/article7743.html
Samir Fayηal Al-Hachlamone FREE
http://petitiononline.com/sfah1948
An Open Letter to the 84 Celebrities: No to Israeli Terror and Hollywood Hypocrisy
http://petitiononline.com/rorring
Investigate Israeli Nuclear Capacity Now
http://petitiononline.com/Dimona & http://youtube.com/watch?v=PYeJ7uIPEbE
http://gopetition.com/petitions/ban-zionism.html
Zionism is Racism
http://petitiononline.com/unzio
It’s Israeli Racism, Not “Development” of the Galilee and Naqab (Negev)
http://petitiononline.com/ittijah1
http://gopetition.com/petitions/the-truth-about-the-holocaust.html
Free Speech in Germany (Freie Rede in Deutschland)
http://petitiononline.com/hammer72
Our Call for the Release of Ernst Zόndel
http://petitiononline.com/122179
Armée d’occupation et criminels de guerre à Paris
http://petitiononline.com/fp1947
L’arrêt du massacre Palestinien commis par les Israéliens
http://gopetition.com/petitions/stop-of-the-massacre-palestinian.html
Stop the occupation of Palestinian territories
http://petitiononline.com/CODIP
Il faut reconnaître l’Etat de Palestine
http://petitiononline.com/nordine
Palestinians are the Priority: an open statement of commitment to the Palestinian Solidarity Cause
http://petitiononline.com/grosveno
Right to Education for Palestinian Students
http://petitiononline.com/gspmada
1948 Nakba - Coalition pour la justice et la paix en Palestine
http://petitiononline.com/1948CJPP
Petition to the US government to reverse its action against Palestinian Charity
http://petitiononline.com/hlf2001
Join the General Grass-roots Campaign to Collect Two Million Signatures for the Right of Return of Palestinians to their Land
http://freearabvoice.org/camp_david_ii.htm & http://petitiononline.com/FAV2
Boycott Israeli Products code number 729 is made in Israel
http://petitiononline.com/plo2002
BOYCOTT ISRAEL- brands & products that support the appartheid state
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5H8mscMUzDI & http://inminds.co.uk/boycott-israel.html#list & http://mylinkspage.com/israel.html & http://boycottisraeligoods.org
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Campaign against Arsenal’s support for apartheid Israel
http://petitiononline.com/id2606
Boycott McDonald’s
http://petitiononline.com/bmc12
Boycott Starbucks
http://petitiononline.com/sb2002
Boycott Nestlé - protect infants
http://www.babymilkaction.org/pages/boycott.html
http://indy.gr/other-press/boycott-coca-cola-products
FLAG ISRAELI ARMY'S YT VIDEOS
http://indy.gr/newswire/mpoikotaz-sto-isral
wish i had known about these, im in raleigh too :( only one i could find was at NCSU and I was unable to make it.
Hi. I have been enjoying your blog for some time now. I've got a pic on my blog of my daily protest- my bumper sticker that says "Stop funding terrorism; Stop foreign aid to Israel". It and my car were keyed pretty good this weekend and it makes you think- there's always a cost- nothing's free in this world, not even free speech.
I hope you all stayed safe at the protest. I've been wanting to go to one. Oh and I live in NC, too, by the way.
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