I know I've been MIA. but this needs to posted anywhere and everywhere possible. I don't think I get much traffic here, but if you happen to come across this - repost it.
There have been so many articles and things I've read that I intended to recreate here for your reading pleasure, but this is the only one that propelled me enough to do so.
Read and Resist.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
"He was like Jiddo"
Coach Daly: 1930 - 2009.
Bad Boys For Life.
**Jiddo: Colloquial Arabic for Grandpa. Inspired from a text convo with Ezzo.
Bad Boys For Life.
**Jiddo: Colloquial Arabic for Grandpa. Inspired from a text convo with Ezzo.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Bring Me The Sunflower
Bring me the sunflower that I may transplant it
- Eugenio Montale
Into my desert soil burned over with salt
And that it may show all the day long to the azure mirrors of heaven
the anxiety of its gentle yellow face
Dark things turn to the light
Colors empty themselves out in a flow of hues
these words of mine tend to music
to vanish into something other is therefore the greatest of all fortunes
Bring me the plant which leads where clear transparencies arise
And life turns to air as its essence
Bring me the sunflower, madly in love with the light
- Eugenio Montale
resist resist resist
1998 words. 1.6 miles. of hope and resistance.
Below is a copy of the letter:
Farid Esack: Open Letter, 2009
My dear Palestinian brothers and sisters, I have come to your land and I have recognized shades of my own. My land was once one where some people imagined that they could build their security on the insecurity of others. They claimed that their lighter skin and European origins gave them the right to dispossess those of a darker skin who lived in the land for thousands of years. I come from a land where a group of people, the Afrikaners, were genuinely hurt by the British. The British despised them and placed many of them into concentration camps. Nearly a sixth of their population perished.
Then the Afrikaners said, ‘Never again!’. And they meant that never again will harm come unto them with no regard to how their own humanity was tied to that of others. In their hurt they developed an understanding of being’s God chosen people destined to inhabit a Promised Land. And thus they occupied the land, other people’s land, and they built their security on the insecurity of black people. Later they united with the children of their former enemies – now called “the English”. The new allies, known simply as ‘whites’, pitted themselves against the blacks who were forced to pay the terrible price of dispossession, exploitation and marginalization as a result of a combination of white racism, Afrikaner fears and ideas of chosenness. And, of course, there was the ancient crime of simple greed.
I come from Apartheid South Africa.
Arriving in your land, the land of Palestine, the sense of deja vu is inescapable. I am struck by the similarities. In some ways, all of us are the children of our histories. Yet, we may also choose to be struck by the stories of others. Perhaps this ability is what is called morality. We cannot always act upon what we see but we always have the freedom to see and to be moved.
I come from a land where people braved onslaughts of bulldozers, bullets, machine guns, and teargas for the sake of freedom. We resisted at a time when it was not fashionable. And now that we have been liberated everyone declares that they were always on our side. It’s a bit like Europe after the Second World War. During the war only a few people resisted. After the war not a single supporter of the Nazis could be found and the vast majority claimed that they always supported the resistance to the Nazis.
I am astonished at how ordinarily decent people whose hearts are otherwise “in the right place” beat about the bush when it comes to Israel and the dispossession and suffering of the Palestinians. And now I wonder about the nature of “decency.” Do “objectivity,” “moderation,” and seeing “both sides” not have limits? Is moderation in matters of clear injustice really a virtue? Do both parties deserve an “equal hearing” in a situation of domestic violence – wherein a woman is beaten up by a male who was abused by his father some time ago – because “he,” too, is a “victim?”
We call upon the world to act now against the dispossession of the Palestinians. We must end the daily humiliation at checkpoints, the disgrace of an Apartheid Wall that cuts people off from their land, livelihood, and history, and act against the torture, detention without trial, and targeted killings of those who dare to resist. Our humanity demands that we who recognize evil in its own time act against it even when it is “unsexy” to do so. Such recognition and action truly benefits our higher selves. We act in the face of oppression, dispossession, or occupation so that our own humanity may not be diminished by our silence when some part of the human family is being demeaned. If something lessens your worth as a human being, then it lessens mine as well. To act in your defense is really to act in defense of my “self” – whether my higher present self or my vulnerable future self.
Morality is about the capacity to be moved by interests beyond one’s own ethnic group, religious community, or nation. When one’s view of the world and dealings with others are entirely shaped by self-centredness – whether in the name of religion, survival, security, or ethnicity – then it is really only a matter of time before one also becomes a victim. While invoking ”real life” or realpolitik as values themselves, human beings mostly act in their own self–interest even as they seek to deploy a more ethically based logic in doing so. Thus, while it is oil or strategic advantage that you are after, you may invoke the principle of spreading democracy, or you may justify your exploitation of slavery with the comforting rationalization that the black victims of the system might have died of starvation if they had been left in Africa. Being truly human – a mensch – is something different. It is about the capacity to transcend narrow interests and to understand how a deepening of humanness is linked to the good of others. When apartness is elevated to dogma and ideology, when apartness is enforced through the law and its agencies, this is called Apartheid. When certain people are privileged simply because they are born in certain ethnic group and use these privileges to dispossess and discriminate others then this is called Apartheid. Regardless of how genuine the trauma that gave birth to it and regardless of the religious depth of the exclusivist beliefs underpinning it all, it is called Apartheid. How we respond to our own trauma and to the indifference or culpability of the world never justifies traumatizing others or an indifference to theirs. Apartness then not only becomes a foundation for ignorance of the other with whom one shares a common space. It also becomes a basis for denying the suffering and humiliation that the other undergoes.
We do not deny the trauma that the oppressors experienced at any stage in their individual or collective lives; we simply reject the notion that others should become victims as a result of it. We reject the manipulation of that suffering for expansionist political and territorial purposes. We resent having to pay the price of dispossession because an imperialist power requires a reliable ally in this part of the world.
As South Africans, speaking up about the life or death for the Palestinian people is also about salvaging our own dream of a moral society that will not be complicit in the suffering of other people. There are, of course, other instances of oppression, dispossession, and marginalization in the world. Yet, none of these are as immediately recognizable to us who lived under, survived, and overcame Apartheid. Indeed, for those of us who lived under South African Apartheid and fought for liberation from it and everything that it represented, Palestine reflects in many ways the unfinished business of our own struggle.
Thus I and numerous others who were involved in the struggle against Apartheid have come here and we have witnessed a place that in some ways reminds us of what we have suffered through. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is of course correct when he speaks about how witnessing the conditions of the Palestinians “reminded me so much of what happened to us black people in South Africa.... I say why are our memories so short? Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation?" But yet in more ways than one, here in your land, we are seeing something far more brutal, relentless and inhuman than what we have ever seen under Apartheid. In some ways, my brothers and sisters, I am embarrassed that you have to resort to using a word that was earlier on used specifically for our situation in order to draw attention to yours.
White South Africa did of course seek to control Blacks. However it never tried to deny Black people their very existences or to wish them away completely as we see here. We have not experienced military occupation without any rights for the occupied. We were spared the barbaric and diverse forms of collective punishment in the forms of house demolitions, the destruction of orchards belonging to relatives of suspected freedom fighters, or the physical transfer of these relatives themselves. South Africa’s apartheid courts never legitimized torture. White South Africans were never given a carte blanche to humiliate Black South Africans as the Settlers here seem to have. The craziest Apartheid zealots would never have dreamt of something as macabre as this Wall. The Apartheid police never used kids as shields in any of their operations. Nor did the apartheid army ever use gunships and bombs against largely civilian targets. In South Africa the Whites were a stable community and after centuries simply had to come to terms with Black people. (Even if it were only because of their economic dependence on Black people.) The Zionist idea of Israel as the place for the ingathering for all the Jews – old and new, converts, reverts and reborn is a deeply problematic one. In such a case there is no sense of compulsion to reach out to your neighbour. The idea seems to be to get rid of the old neighbours – ethnic cleansing - and to bring in new ones all the time.
We as South Africans resisting Apartheid understood the invaluable role of international solidarity in ending centuries of oppression. Today we have no choice but to make our contribution to the struggle of the Palestinians for freedom. We do so with the full awareness that your freedom will also contribute to the freedom of many Jews to be fully human in the same way that the end of Apartheid also signaled the liberation of White people in South Africa. At the height of our own liberation struggle, we never ceased to remind our people that our struggle for liberation is also for the liberation of white people. Apartheid diminished the humanity of White people in the same way that gender injustice diminishes the humanity of males. The humanity of the oppressor is reclaimed through liberation and Israel is no exception in this regard. At public rallies during the South African liberation struggle the public speaker of the occasion would often call out: “An injury to one?!” and the crowd would respond: “Is an injury to all!” We understood that in a rather limited way at that time. Perhaps we are destined to always understand this in a limited way. What we do know is that an injury to the Palestinian people is an injury to all. An injury inflicted on others invariably comes back to haunt the aggressors; it is not possible to tear at another’s skin and not to have one’s own humanity simultaneously diminished in the process. In the face of this monstrosity, the Apartheid Wall, we offer an alternative: Solidarity with the people of Palestine. We pledge our determination to walk with you in your struggle to overcome separation, to conquer injustice and to put end to greed, division and exploitation.
We have seen our yesterday’s oppressed – both in Apartheid South Africa and in Israel today – can become today’s oppressors. Thus we stand by you in your vision to create a society wherein everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, or religion shall be equal and live in freedom.
We continue to draw strength from the words of Nelson Mandela, the father of our nation and hero of the Palestinian people. In 1964 he was found guilty on charges of treason and faced the death penalty. He turned to the judges and said: “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Farid Esack, 2009
Below is a copy of the letter:
Farid Esack: Open Letter, 2009
My dear Palestinian brothers and sisters, I have come to your land and I have recognized shades of my own. My land was once one where some people imagined that they could build their security on the insecurity of others. They claimed that their lighter skin and European origins gave them the right to dispossess those of a darker skin who lived in the land for thousands of years. I come from a land where a group of people, the Afrikaners, were genuinely hurt by the British. The British despised them and placed many of them into concentration camps. Nearly a sixth of their population perished.
Then the Afrikaners said, ‘Never again!’. And they meant that never again will harm come unto them with no regard to how their own humanity was tied to that of others. In their hurt they developed an understanding of being’s God chosen people destined to inhabit a Promised Land. And thus they occupied the land, other people’s land, and they built their security on the insecurity of black people. Later they united with the children of their former enemies – now called “the English”. The new allies, known simply as ‘whites’, pitted themselves against the blacks who were forced to pay the terrible price of dispossession, exploitation and marginalization as a result of a combination of white racism, Afrikaner fears and ideas of chosenness. And, of course, there was the ancient crime of simple greed.
I come from Apartheid South Africa.
Arriving in your land, the land of Palestine, the sense of deja vu is inescapable. I am struck by the similarities. In some ways, all of us are the children of our histories. Yet, we may also choose to be struck by the stories of others. Perhaps this ability is what is called morality. We cannot always act upon what we see but we always have the freedom to see and to be moved.
I come from a land where people braved onslaughts of bulldozers, bullets, machine guns, and teargas for the sake of freedom. We resisted at a time when it was not fashionable. And now that we have been liberated everyone declares that they were always on our side. It’s a bit like Europe after the Second World War. During the war only a few people resisted. After the war not a single supporter of the Nazis could be found and the vast majority claimed that they always supported the resistance to the Nazis.
I am astonished at how ordinarily decent people whose hearts are otherwise “in the right place” beat about the bush when it comes to Israel and the dispossession and suffering of the Palestinians. And now I wonder about the nature of “decency.” Do “objectivity,” “moderation,” and seeing “both sides” not have limits? Is moderation in matters of clear injustice really a virtue? Do both parties deserve an “equal hearing” in a situation of domestic violence – wherein a woman is beaten up by a male who was abused by his father some time ago – because “he,” too, is a “victim?”
We call upon the world to act now against the dispossession of the Palestinians. We must end the daily humiliation at checkpoints, the disgrace of an Apartheid Wall that cuts people off from their land, livelihood, and history, and act against the torture, detention without trial, and targeted killings of those who dare to resist. Our humanity demands that we who recognize evil in its own time act against it even when it is “unsexy” to do so. Such recognition and action truly benefits our higher selves. We act in the face of oppression, dispossession, or occupation so that our own humanity may not be diminished by our silence when some part of the human family is being demeaned. If something lessens your worth as a human being, then it lessens mine as well. To act in your defense is really to act in defense of my “self” – whether my higher present self or my vulnerable future self.
Morality is about the capacity to be moved by interests beyond one’s own ethnic group, religious community, or nation. When one’s view of the world and dealings with others are entirely shaped by self-centredness – whether in the name of religion, survival, security, or ethnicity – then it is really only a matter of time before one also becomes a victim. While invoking ”real life” or realpolitik as values themselves, human beings mostly act in their own self–interest even as they seek to deploy a more ethically based logic in doing so. Thus, while it is oil or strategic advantage that you are after, you may invoke the principle of spreading democracy, or you may justify your exploitation of slavery with the comforting rationalization that the black victims of the system might have died of starvation if they had been left in Africa. Being truly human – a mensch – is something different. It is about the capacity to transcend narrow interests and to understand how a deepening of humanness is linked to the good of others. When apartness is elevated to dogma and ideology, when apartness is enforced through the law and its agencies, this is called Apartheid. When certain people are privileged simply because they are born in certain ethnic group and use these privileges to dispossess and discriminate others then this is called Apartheid. Regardless of how genuine the trauma that gave birth to it and regardless of the religious depth of the exclusivist beliefs underpinning it all, it is called Apartheid. How we respond to our own trauma and to the indifference or culpability of the world never justifies traumatizing others or an indifference to theirs. Apartness then not only becomes a foundation for ignorance of the other with whom one shares a common space. It also becomes a basis for denying the suffering and humiliation that the other undergoes.
We do not deny the trauma that the oppressors experienced at any stage in their individual or collective lives; we simply reject the notion that others should become victims as a result of it. We reject the manipulation of that suffering for expansionist political and territorial purposes. We resent having to pay the price of dispossession because an imperialist power requires a reliable ally in this part of the world.
As South Africans, speaking up about the life or death for the Palestinian people is also about salvaging our own dream of a moral society that will not be complicit in the suffering of other people. There are, of course, other instances of oppression, dispossession, and marginalization in the world. Yet, none of these are as immediately recognizable to us who lived under, survived, and overcame Apartheid. Indeed, for those of us who lived under South African Apartheid and fought for liberation from it and everything that it represented, Palestine reflects in many ways the unfinished business of our own struggle.
Thus I and numerous others who were involved in the struggle against Apartheid have come here and we have witnessed a place that in some ways reminds us of what we have suffered through. Archbishop Desmond Tutu is of course correct when he speaks about how witnessing the conditions of the Palestinians “reminded me so much of what happened to us black people in South Africa.... I say why are our memories so short? Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation?" But yet in more ways than one, here in your land, we are seeing something far more brutal, relentless and inhuman than what we have ever seen under Apartheid. In some ways, my brothers and sisters, I am embarrassed that you have to resort to using a word that was earlier on used specifically for our situation in order to draw attention to yours.
White South Africa did of course seek to control Blacks. However it never tried to deny Black people their very existences or to wish them away completely as we see here. We have not experienced military occupation without any rights for the occupied. We were spared the barbaric and diverse forms of collective punishment in the forms of house demolitions, the destruction of orchards belonging to relatives of suspected freedom fighters, or the physical transfer of these relatives themselves. South Africa’s apartheid courts never legitimized torture. White South Africans were never given a carte blanche to humiliate Black South Africans as the Settlers here seem to have. The craziest Apartheid zealots would never have dreamt of something as macabre as this Wall. The Apartheid police never used kids as shields in any of their operations. Nor did the apartheid army ever use gunships and bombs against largely civilian targets. In South Africa the Whites were a stable community and after centuries simply had to come to terms with Black people. (Even if it were only because of their economic dependence on Black people.) The Zionist idea of Israel as the place for the ingathering for all the Jews – old and new, converts, reverts and reborn is a deeply problematic one. In such a case there is no sense of compulsion to reach out to your neighbour. The idea seems to be to get rid of the old neighbours – ethnic cleansing - and to bring in new ones all the time.
We as South Africans resisting Apartheid understood the invaluable role of international solidarity in ending centuries of oppression. Today we have no choice but to make our contribution to the struggle of the Palestinians for freedom. We do so with the full awareness that your freedom will also contribute to the freedom of many Jews to be fully human in the same way that the end of Apartheid also signaled the liberation of White people in South Africa. At the height of our own liberation struggle, we never ceased to remind our people that our struggle for liberation is also for the liberation of white people. Apartheid diminished the humanity of White people in the same way that gender injustice diminishes the humanity of males. The humanity of the oppressor is reclaimed through liberation and Israel is no exception in this regard. At public rallies during the South African liberation struggle the public speaker of the occasion would often call out: “An injury to one?!” and the crowd would respond: “Is an injury to all!” We understood that in a rather limited way at that time. Perhaps we are destined to always understand this in a limited way. What we do know is that an injury to the Palestinian people is an injury to all. An injury inflicted on others invariably comes back to haunt the aggressors; it is not possible to tear at another’s skin and not to have one’s own humanity simultaneously diminished in the process. In the face of this monstrosity, the Apartheid Wall, we offer an alternative: Solidarity with the people of Palestine. We pledge our determination to walk with you in your struggle to overcome separation, to conquer injustice and to put end to greed, division and exploitation.
We have seen our yesterday’s oppressed – both in Apartheid South Africa and in Israel today – can become today’s oppressors. Thus we stand by you in your vision to create a society wherein everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, or religion shall be equal and live in freedom.
We continue to draw strength from the words of Nelson Mandela, the father of our nation and hero of the Palestinian people. In 1964 he was found guilty on charges of treason and faced the death penalty. He turned to the judges and said: “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
Farid Esack, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
surprise surprise
It made me sick to the see attacks on Chas Freeman - yet, I was not at all surprised to see him withdraw his name from the running as a chairman for the National Intelligence Committee. His statement was a powerful one.
I've been reading countless reports, articles, and analyses about this, but none nailed it better than Prof. Walt. The last two paragraphs are phenomenal:
He makes me feel not so crazy sometimes.
I've been reading countless reports, articles, and analyses about this, but none nailed it better than Prof. Walt. The last two paragraphs are phenomenal:
Yet to those who defended Freeman’s appointment and challenged the lobby's smear campaign, I offer a fifth observation: do not lose heart. The silver lining in this sorry episode is that it was abundantly clear to everyone what was going on and who was behind it. In the past, the lobby was able to derail appointments quietly -- even pre-emptively -- but this fight took place in broad daylight. And Steve Rosen, one of Freeman's chief tormentors, once admitted: "a lobby is like a night flower. It thrives in the dark and dies in the sun." Slowly, the light is dawning and the lobby's negative influence is becoming more and more apparent, even if relatively few people have the guts to say so out loud. But history will not be kind to the likes of Charles Schumer, Jonathan Chait, Steve Rosen et al, whose hidebound views are unintentionally undermining both U.S. and Israeli security.
Last but not least, I cannot help but be struck by how little confidence Freeman's critics seem to have in Israel itself. Apparently they believe that a country that recently celebrated its 60th birthday, whose per capita income ranks 29th in the world, that has several hundred nuclear weapons, and a military that is able to inflict more than 1,300 deaths on helpless Palestinians in a couple of weeks without much effort will nonetheless be at risk if someone who has criticized some Israeli policies (while defending its existence) were to chair the National Intelligence Council. The sad truth is that these individuals are deathly afraid of honest discourse here in the United States because deep down, they believe Israel cannot survive if it isn't umbilically attached to the United States. The irony is that people like me have more confidence in Israel than they do: I think Israel can survive and prosper if it has a normal relationship with the United States instead of "special" one. Indeed, I think a more normal relationship would be better for both countries. It appears they aren't so sure, and that is why they went after Charles Freeman.
He makes me feel not so crazy sometimes.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
The Festivities Begin The Morrow!
The first ever Ann Arbor Palestinian Film Festival will be kicking off tmrw! In a growing resistance movement fueled by artistic expression, this filmfest is sure to be an eye-opening and empowering experience. The festival will kick off with a viewing of Salt of This Sea, starring the incomparable Queen, Suheir Hammad.
This guys worked their butts off to get these amazing films and illuminate the plight of Palestine - if you are anywhere near a 50 mile radius of the area, you best go and support. Make up for those of us stuck in Western New York who can only be there in spirit and living vicariously through the updates here.
Bil roo7. Bil dam.
This guys worked their butts off to get these amazing films and illuminate the plight of Palestine - if you are anywhere near a 50 mile radius of the area, you best go and support. Make up for those of us stuck in Western New York who can only be there in spirit and living vicariously through the updates here.
Bil roo7. Bil dam.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
They'll Call Me Freedom
One of my former co-workers was telling me about this guy since over a year ago. I met this dude briefly at the latest Hip Hop Summit back in A2. and then I saw him perform this song live and I was blown away. I've been hooked ever since.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
The ICC has lost it
This is just all kinds of wacked out. I'm not saying Omar El-Basheer is by any means the most innocent party - but this is ridiculous. From over-simplifying a serious problem and thinking taking out a head of state is going to solve it, to neglecting to admit and consider the outside parties involved, to this new age coloniolism, to allowing perpetrators of blatant war crimes to sit pretty in occupied countries.
You would think I would not be surprised by now. Yet, I am completely blown away by the sheer stupidity of it all. What exactly do they think is going to happen now? It's not going to be good.
Divide and conquer, baby.
You would think I would not be surprised by now. Yet, I am completely blown away by the sheer stupidity of it all. What exactly do they think is going to happen now? It's not going to be good.
Divide and conquer, baby.
Friday, February 27, 2009
The More Things Change...
The more they stay the same...
Soooo standing up for human rights and speaking out against bloodbaths and massacres is considered hostile now? I must have missed the memo. But I guess racism is dead anyway now that Barack is chillin in the Oval Office.
And after such a great speech too...The tumultuous relationship continues.
Soooo standing up for human rights and speaking out against bloodbaths and massacres is considered hostile now? I must have missed the memo. But I guess racism is dead anyway now that Barack is chillin in the Oval Office.
And after such a great speech too...The tumultuous relationship continues.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Phenomenal Speech
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
But nothing made me happier than seeing room filled with mostly old white men, standing and applauding a person of color every five sentences. love it.
Also watching Nancy in the background was quite amusing - especially her interrupting him to formally introduce. I loved how the camera cuts to the Republicans for their reactions...it was all very Jen vs Angie at the Oscars. Awwwkwaaardd. Speaking of awkward - what was with that "nobody messes with Joe" line?
Jindal Jindal Jindal...Chris Matthews captured my thoughts ever so eloquently:
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Still Our King
Because my simple words still do him no justice, I refer you to an excellent post by Big Bro.
May we live like he lived.
I miss you, Sidi. Allah yar7amak.
May we live like he lived.I miss you, Sidi. Allah yar7amak.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Where the Hell is Matt?
I remember watching this in the Bat Cave in the Toledo office and getting overly excited whenever an Arab country would come up. I would jump up and down and shout "OMG YOU GUYS THOSE ARE ARABS!!!". And I did it for every single time an Arab country was shown. And every single time, the guys looked at me and as calmly as they were talking to a two year old reply: "Yes, those are indeed Arabs."
I was in Ohio too long. Clearly.
I was in Ohio too long. Clearly.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
And I Thought We Had it Bad
The HuffPost (love of my life) did an expose on PurpleGate-gate. At least we got to see it! Thousands of people were turned away, and even worse stuck in a tunnel for hours.
Here are a few more links so satisfy the masochist in you: WashPost, and a documentary - for your viewing pleasure.
But lets look on the bright side - look at who we call Mr. President now. Or even better - who we don't =)
Here are a few more links so satisfy the masochist in you: WashPost, and a documentary - for your viewing pleasure.
But lets look on the bright side - look at who we call Mr. President now. Or even better - who we don't =)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A New Day
Its a cliche title, I know. I'm too exhausted to attempt to think of anything creative and unique at the moment that will draw your attention to this post. I'm OK with that. And besides, Will.I.Am's tune is kinda growing on me.
I'm sitting on my girl Nas' couch in Vienna. Va just woken up and feeling the need to say something about today's events. The others are sprawled on the floor and couches not haven awoken from their slumber yet. I don't blame them - I feel like I could sleep for days. Nura and I got up at around 4am to head out to her office. The ride to McPherson square was crowded - fortunately Vienna being the initial stop awarded us seats. It was a reflective 45 minutes. It was a great historic expectation that threatened to overtake us - so we listened to some dhikr and anasheed to remind us. God is Greater. That gave us a sense of calm that set the tone for the rest of the day. Thank God for that - the chaos that ensued later would have set us into a frenzy if we let it.
We got to the LDF office (where Nas works and strangely always reminds me of IDF..I wonder why..), hung out for a bit and headed out towards the Purple Gate area. We got to First and D around 7 and stood with other Purple Ticket holders. The ordeal that ensued is not so affectionately dubbed as Purplegate (Purplegate-gate?), or to my fellow 2 thousand ticket holders stuck in the mob as the D Street Massacre.
Thousands of people, holding tightly to those coveted tickets waiting in what felt like subzero temperatures (I don't care what the actual temperature was, it felt like 30 below to me) until the gates opened at 830am. It was so packed, i could barely register where my body ended and ten others connected to me began.
830 came and went.
So did 9.
And 10.
We barely moved. We barely could. The gates weren't open. We had no idea what was going on. People were frantic. This was history and many of them had come thousands of miles to witness it. and dammit they had tickets. People were getting testy and belligerent. There were no officials in sight to guide us or answer our questions. The police came thru a few times, escorting Samuel L Jackson and Jesse Jackson and some elderly ticket holders, but provided no assistance otherwise to the rest of the oversized crowd. Nura and I clutched each other as if we were each other's lifelines. Which I guess we were. we saw 3 ambulances pass - each entailing us to somehow move so it could pass. I remember vaguely thinking that this would be a molester's wet dream. Personal space was a luxury sacrificed for the view the purple tickets held. Or so we thought.
The clock inched to eleven. I texted some of the Who's Your Maumee team trying to see if this was the norm. Jesse answered he was still in the tunnel. I was wondering what he was talking about when a police officer told us, somewhat nonchalantly, that the gate was a block over. Asked if he was sure, he replied that he'd been there three times. I briefly wondered if these protectors of the people thought we were standing here, risking life and limb, cuz we loved each other so much. Eh, no time. It was eleven at this point. I grabbed Nuras hand and ran to the next street over. Within 30 minutes we were through the metal detectors and running to witness history in the making. I'm full of cliches today.
I have to admit, the calmness was wearing off at this point. Cuz when we entered the Purple Ticket Area, it was overflowing. We couldn't even see the jumbotron. We ran to a few places to see if we could see anything - jumbotron or otherwise, but to no avail. We saw people jumping over a stone barrier and push thru bushes to get to the other side, where hopefully a decent view awaited them. Did I really like Barack thaaaat much? Nura apparently did - she was halfway over already. I said a quick prayer to preserve my limbs, and at least some of my dignity if I fell, and hopped over. The crowd that greeted us was like the D Street mob we hung out with for 4 hours. But a lot more testy for some reason. We attempted to maneuver through the crowd and ignore the nasty glares and rude comments in search of a decent vantage point. Giving up, we just stood we were and tried to make the most of it.
its funny how the people you are around shape your experiences. people around us had this sense of entitlement, sense of privilege - they seemed almost pissed off to be there. there was no euphoric reaction from the crowd. it made me wish I was in the mall, where I was sure people were hugging each other, crying, singing, dancing.
I wonder if fumbling the oath is allowed. Barack's speech was phenomenal - sobering. The man knows how to talk to an audience. The best part was definitely seeing Bush off as the crowd broke into a rendition of Na na na na na na na na hey hey goodbyyyyye.
The experience wasn't overwhelming. I didn't get my aha moment that I wanted. But I was with one of the people closest to me. Nas and I actually voted (early) together in Toledo at the EMS Station. It was fitting. I'm thankful I had her to share that experience with. In all its moments of insanity.
So now what? I've always been realistic about the change promised. There's only so much you can do at once. But we're on the right track. There will always be things to criticize - Barack never promised utopia and those who expected it are only setting themselves up for major disappointment. The Gazan nightmare will still go on, Palestine will still be occupied, poverty and drugs will continue to decapitate communities, and bad senseless things will still happen. But still. Its a step in the right direction.
In regards to Muslims...Sh. Hamza mentioned at RIS how we've stopped believing in miracles. or forgotten how to. We've become so cynical and jaded and devoid of hope. we need to stop the protester for life mentality and be part of the solution. I think the first step is getting over this us vs them mentality. For most of us, the us and them are the same. But thats another conversation.
For the first time in a long time, I'm excited. I'm looking forward to the days ahead. We have kids in the White House. We have a President who is absolutely enamored with his wife. And we have a people who are daring to believe again. Hope has been renewed. Its an exciting time to be alive. Alhamdulillah =)
I'm sitting on my girl Nas' couch in Vienna. Va just woken up and feeling the need to say something about today's events. The others are sprawled on the floor and couches not haven awoken from their slumber yet. I don't blame them - I feel like I could sleep for days. Nura and I got up at around 4am to head out to her office. The ride to McPherson square was crowded - fortunately Vienna being the initial stop awarded us seats. It was a reflective 45 minutes. It was a great historic expectation that threatened to overtake us - so we listened to some dhikr and anasheed to remind us. God is Greater. That gave us a sense of calm that set the tone for the rest of the day. Thank God for that - the chaos that ensued later would have set us into a frenzy if we let it.
We got to the LDF office (where Nas works and strangely always reminds me of IDF..I wonder why..), hung out for a bit and headed out towards the Purple Gate area. We got to First and D around 7 and stood with other Purple Ticket holders. The ordeal that ensued is not so affectionately dubbed as Purplegate (Purplegate-gate?), or to my fellow 2 thousand ticket holders stuck in the mob as the D Street Massacre.
Thousands of people, holding tightly to those coveted tickets waiting in what felt like subzero temperatures (I don't care what the actual temperature was, it felt like 30 below to me) until the gates opened at 830am. It was so packed, i could barely register where my body ended and ten others connected to me began.
830 came and went.
So did 9.
And 10.
We barely moved. We barely could. The gates weren't open. We had no idea what was going on. People were frantic. This was history and many of them had come thousands of miles to witness it. and dammit they had tickets. People were getting testy and belligerent. There were no officials in sight to guide us or answer our questions. The police came thru a few times, escorting Samuel L Jackson and Jesse Jackson and some elderly ticket holders, but provided no assistance otherwise to the rest of the oversized crowd. Nura and I clutched each other as if we were each other's lifelines. Which I guess we were. we saw 3 ambulances pass - each entailing us to somehow move so it could pass. I remember vaguely thinking that this would be a molester's wet dream. Personal space was a luxury sacrificed for the view the purple tickets held. Or so we thought.
The clock inched to eleven. I texted some of the Who's Your Maumee team trying to see if this was the norm. Jesse answered he was still in the tunnel. I was wondering what he was talking about when a police officer told us, somewhat nonchalantly, that the gate was a block over. Asked if he was sure, he replied that he'd been there three times. I briefly wondered if these protectors of the people thought we were standing here, risking life and limb, cuz we loved each other so much. Eh, no time. It was eleven at this point. I grabbed Nuras hand and ran to the next street over. Within 30 minutes we were through the metal detectors and running to witness history in the making. I'm full of cliches today.
I have to admit, the calmness was wearing off at this point. Cuz when we entered the Purple Ticket Area, it was overflowing. We couldn't even see the jumbotron. We ran to a few places to see if we could see anything - jumbotron or otherwise, but to no avail. We saw people jumping over a stone barrier and push thru bushes to get to the other side, where hopefully a decent view awaited them. Did I really like Barack thaaaat much? Nura apparently did - she was halfway over already. I said a quick prayer to preserve my limbs, and at least some of my dignity if I fell, and hopped over. The crowd that greeted us was like the D Street mob we hung out with for 4 hours. But a lot more testy for some reason. We attempted to maneuver through the crowd and ignore the nasty glares and rude comments in search of a decent vantage point. Giving up, we just stood we were and tried to make the most of it.
its funny how the people you are around shape your experiences. people around us had this sense of entitlement, sense of privilege - they seemed almost pissed off to be there. there was no euphoric reaction from the crowd. it made me wish I was in the mall, where I was sure people were hugging each other, crying, singing, dancing.
I wonder if fumbling the oath is allowed. Barack's speech was phenomenal - sobering. The man knows how to talk to an audience. The best part was definitely seeing Bush off as the crowd broke into a rendition of Na na na na na na na na hey hey goodbyyyyye.
The experience wasn't overwhelming. I didn't get my aha moment that I wanted. But I was with one of the people closest to me. Nas and I actually voted (early) together in Toledo at the EMS Station. It was fitting. I'm thankful I had her to share that experience with. In all its moments of insanity.
So now what? I've always been realistic about the change promised. There's only so much you can do at once. But we're on the right track. There will always be things to criticize - Barack never promised utopia and those who expected it are only setting themselves up for major disappointment. The Gazan nightmare will still go on, Palestine will still be occupied, poverty and drugs will continue to decapitate communities, and bad senseless things will still happen. But still. Its a step in the right direction.
In regards to Muslims...Sh. Hamza mentioned at RIS how we've stopped believing in miracles. or forgotten how to. We've become so cynical and jaded and devoid of hope. we need to stop the protester for life mentality and be part of the solution. I think the first step is getting over this us vs them mentality. For most of us, the us and them are the same. But thats another conversation.
For the first time in a long time, I'm excited. I'm looking forward to the days ahead. We have kids in the White House. We have a President who is absolutely enamored with his wife. And we have a people who are daring to believe again. Hope has been renewed. Its an exciting time to be alive. Alhamdulillah =)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
I miss home
"Welcome to Detroit. We know you won't stay long, because nobody good stays for long, but we hope you like it while you're here."
Neo-Nazis for Israel
Albert Memmi called this a long time ago (Check out Decolonization and the Decolonized) - Muslims have become the new Jews.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Great Article
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Nasrallah was not joking
I just didn't think it would be this soon.
Lebanon hit Israel with rockets after their airspace was violated.
So this is how WWIII starts...
7asbiya Allah wa ni3m al-wakeel...
UPDATE:
From Haaretz -
im so confused.
Lebanon hit Israel with rockets after their airspace was violated.
So this is how WWIII starts...
7asbiya Allah wa ni3m al-wakeel...
UPDATE:
From Haaretz -
| 08:51 | Lebanese sources: Palestinians fired rockets at north Israel, not Hezbollah (Ch. 10) |
 | |
| 08:50 | Lebanon: Rockets fired by Palestinian groups, not Hezbollah (Channel 10) |
im so confused.
إليك بسطنا أكف الرجاء
فرحمتك يا أرحم الراحمين
Rough translation:
To You we have extended our palms in hope
So [please extend] Your Mercy, Most Merciful One
To You we have extended our palms in hope
So [please extend] Your Mercy, Most Merciful One
Stewart in 2010
I love him. So so much.
I may have a bit of a crush on Rick Sanchez as well.
Things have reached a surreal level. Over 700 dead, over 3000 injured. I feel like I'm having an out of body experience, watching this from a different dimension. Cuz this reality has taken an unreal turn.
I may have a bit of a crush on Rick Sanchez as well.
Things have reached a surreal level. Over 700 dead, over 3000 injured. I feel like I'm having an out of body experience, watching this from a different dimension. Cuz this reality has taken an unreal turn.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Monday, January 05, 2009
Saam3eenkum
We hear you.
A dope amazing song for Gaza from Narcy.
Download it here. Post it, spread it, sing it, love it, be it.
A dope amazing song for Gaza from Narcy.
Download it here. Post it, spread it, sing it, love it, be it.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
quote of the hour
"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm
Its easy to be apathetic
when reading about a holocaust happening oceans away.
what about when you see what our media won't show or even hint at?
I should warn you how graphic this is...how the screams don't go away long after the video is over. But who warned them? Force yourself to watch it. See exactly what the rest of the world is ignoring.
what about when you see what our media won't show or even hint at?
I should warn you how graphic this is...how the screams don't go away long after the video is over. But who warned them? Force yourself to watch it. See exactly what the rest of the world is ignoring.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Its 1948 all over again
I'm sick. I can't taste. I can't talk. I can barely hear. But unfortunately, I can still read and feel. Where exactly are 1.5 million people supposed to go?
I keep thinking its a typo when reading the death count. 440+ vs 4? I'm not debating the value of life on either side, but the clear disproportionate and imbalance of power is completely ignored.
So the leaflets have been dropped and the ground invasion has started. And Abu Mazen is chilling in Egypt (fittingly with bff Hosni - too disgusted to even go there) and blaming Hamas for everything and "threatening" Israel by halting peace negotiations.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
I keep thinking its a typo when reading the death count. 440+ vs 4? I'm not debating the value of life on either side, but the clear disproportionate and imbalance of power is completely ignored.
So the leaflets have been dropped and the ground invasion has started. And Abu Mazen is chilling in Egypt (fittingly with bff Hosni - too disgusted to even go there) and blaming Hamas for everything and "threatening" Israel by halting peace negotiations.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills.
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