They say ignorance is bliss. But in today’s world, especially in places like Palestine and Israel, ignorance is lethal. It is the weapon that allows oppression and cruelty to occupy. It is the way for governments to pacify their concerned citizens. And it’s precisely the way these murderous regimes are maintained. Yes, as a Palestinian, […]
Month: May 2016
We Arabs are complicated
I really don’t want to use “I” a lot, but hello, I’m human. I love life. I love peace. I love my faith. I love everything about my culture… Oops, I lied. Arab culture. Let’s see. We are generous, we make good food, we have nice upbeat music, our movies are cheesy, and our love […]
Why we Palestinians don’t have freedom
All oppressed people had one thing in common: great leaders. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Nelson Mandela. Mahatma Gandhi. These are recognized names that command respect. These gentleman were esteemed leaders that knew the game of oppression and cracked its crippling codes. Gandhi gained overthrew British rule in India with peaceful boycotts. Dr. King quelled […]
A Letter from an Angry Hijabi
Dear Muslim Men, I don’t need another enemy. Last night, I came across a tweet that someone on my feed retweeted. It was authored by a black Muslim female who wears hijab: “Let me just listen to Views two more times and I’ll have all the lyrics memorized like it’s Quran.” It came as no […]
When Palestine comes up in restaurant
What I imagined was going to be a fine evening with a good friend for her birthday ended up reverting back to Palestine and the occupation. Now, I know it sounds crazy. In a dimly lit, cramped restaurant, with waitresses flying around and serving multiple tables at once, who’d expect a conversation about Palestine? I certainly […]
My Palestinian “Bern Notice”
Sixty seven years ago, the fledgling Israeli army massacred my infant father’s village, leaving my grandparents little choice but to flee. The entire village, but a few elderly and infirm members of the community who could not be moved, fled to the neighboring village, for what they believed to be but a short period of […]