*Dalia Elnajjar is a 20-year-old Palestinian living in Gaza I think I lost it. I can’t take it anymore. I can’t handle this situation. I’m really tired, grief-stricken and filled with sorrow. Yesterday, I had an anger attack, I cried a lot, I even smashed my cell phone. Then, I paused thinking of how lame […]
Month: July 2014
To Jon Stewart… thanks, and no thanks
Dear Jon, I, like many Americans, watch you just about every day. You’re welcome. I’m not sure if you know this, and I’m not sure if you intended it, but you have become somewhat of a hero among us Palestinians. Your analyses about Palestine/Israel are fair, levelheaded, and funny. In fact, those are the exact […]
Israel, listen, I know what I’m talking about
Israel, Don’t you see what is going on? I won. It’s over. There are protests around the world, all in support of me. None for you. It’s clear. Last week, within 5 days of each other, I attended two demonstrations in Detroit, each garnering over 1000 people. Today, over 5,000 walked through the streets of […]
From a mother In Gaza
(The following is taken from my conversation with my friend Amaney, who is living in Western Gaza. These are her words, which I felt compelled to share with you. She is a woman, a mother, a friend, a wife, a sister, and a daughter. She represents the people of Gaza, and the spirit of humanity. […]
Palestinians need to act appropriately
Over the past couple of weeks, many of us Palestinians have been incessantly writing, posting, tweeting, and commenting about Palestine, Israel, and Gaza. I have been no exception. On July 9, I posted “Thank God Tariq is one of us,” my take on how the American media and public can only connect with the beating […]
Informed Compassion: Reflection on the events of July 16, 2014
On July 16, 2014, I was sitting in the library of Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, reading and writing while waiting for my three children, who are attending a summer camp here. It’s a lovely campus, and last week, I enjoyed telling my children how this beautiful college was one of the first to offer […]
Celebrating, Lebanese-style
Last weekend, I ventured back to my hometown of Flint, Michigan and attended the annual Mid-East Festival hosted by Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church. As soon as I drove in to park my car, I was greeted by two handsome guys that said if I stuck around until the fireworks, they would have […]
The Facebook Intifada
First, I want to start out saying that my heart and prayers are with every family in Palestine. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what they are going through in Gaza, and I hope that they can stay strong and know that they will get through these horrific times. Yes, unlike some, I am optimistic […]
Palestinian will cannot be broken
There is an intoxicating allure to allowing oneself to drink from the cup of fatalism as bombs drop—once again—on Gaza. What can we Americans—some of us with our hyphenated allegiances stretching across 13 thousand miles of land and sea—do that hasn’t already been done again and again for the last sixty-six years of Israel’s occupation […]
Israel never surprises me
No one else can understand a Palestinian’s relationship to Israel, and I wouldn’t expect as much. She consumes us, in every sense you can imagine. As a result, we have an astounding sense of familiarity with her. See, sometimes a victim knows his tormenter better than the tormentor knows herself. Nothing she does surprises us. […]
Fellaheen rule!
All my life, I was so worried that I was going to turn into “fellaheen.” My mom would use it as a warning to keep my behavior in check. I found myself yesterday using it in a sentence. “Go brush your hair so you don’t look like fellaheen!” I yelled to my daughter. But what […]
Mother Palestine
Away from this injustice Away from all this ugliness Can any of us go away? But even if we did, It’s inside of us Not injustice, not ugliness Not this filthy reality But it’s our Homeland The one we can’t be free in The one we can’t be safe in A 16 year old kid […]
Thank God Tariq is one of us
Over the past week, the American press has latched on to the story of Tariq Khdeir, the 15-year-old Palestinian American whose beating at the hands of Israeli police in Jerusalem was caught on video for the world to see. CNN couldn’t get enough. Wolf Blitzer interviewed Tariq’s aunt on national television. Much to the surprise […]
Arab American kids, then and now
When I think of my kids growing up, with all the new advances in technology, and how different it was when I was growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, I feel bad for them. Sure, they have so many great things like iPads and Xbox games. And they don’t have to deal with the […]
Bill Hicks – My American Idol
21 years and 2 weeks ago on the 16th of June, an extraordinary man was receiving really bad news from his doctor: “You are diagnosed with cancer.” Unlike Walter White from “Breaking Bad,” this legend had already paid his dues and roamed the world criticizing every “broken” system we know today, and he was a […]
Soccer in America? I love it!
It doesn’t take a genius to see the popularity of the World Cup (and soccer overall) increasing in America, and it could not be any more awesome. In fact, the top four most watched soccer games in America’s history were the games that the US played in this year’s World Cup. Also, it is a […]