Khader Adnan's letter from hospital, still dying to live. ACT NOW

Khader Adnan's letter from hospital, still dying to live. ACT NOW

Still on hunger strike for the 56th consecutive day, Khader Adnan, 33, graduate student, sends this letter from Zaiv hospital in Safad:

“I started my battle offering my soul to God almighty and adamant to go ahead until righteousness triumphs over falsehood. I am defending my dignity and my people’s dignity and not doing this in vain. 

"The Israeli occupation has gone to extremes against our people, especially prisoners. I have been humiliated, beaten, and harassed by interrogators for no reason, and thus I swore to God I would fight the policy of administrative detention to which I and hundreds of my fellow prisoners fell prey,” Adnan wrote. 

His letter, delivered by Jalal Abu Wasil, a lawyer from the Palestinian ministry of prisoners affairs who visited him in hospital, also highlighted that Adnan refused to be examined by doctors. 

“Here I am in a hospital bed surrounded with prison wardens, handcuffed, and my foot tied to the bed. The only thing I can do is offer my soul to God as I believe righteousness and justice will eventually triumph over tyranny and oppression.” 

“I hereby assert that I am confronting the occupiers not for my own sake as an individual, but for the sake of thousands of prisoners who are being deprived of their simplest human rights while the world and international community look on," he wrote. 

"It is time the international community and the UN support prisoners and force the State of Israel to respect international human rights and stop treating prisoners as if they were not humans.” 

This letter was published today by Maan News Agency.

Hunger strike in Gaza, West Bank and everywhere else continues by those who support Khader Adnan, including myself.

Here is a little quote that was mentioned in Human Rights Watch’s report about Khader Adnan:

“Adnan, 33, has been on hunger strike for 55 days. According to a 2006 study by the British Medical Association, “during the 1980 and 1981 hunger strikes in Northern Ireland […] death generally occurred between 55 and 75 days.” In general, “the final stage” of a hunger strike occurs between 45 to 75 days “due to cardiovascular collapse or severe arrhythmias,” the study said.”

The report is a must read and circulate, you can find the full version here:

 http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/02/11/israel-hunger-striker-s-life-risk

Khader Adnan represents the case of numerous Palestinian prisoners who were detained and imprisoned illegally so act not to help him and all the others. Here is a list of actions you can do:

You can join Addameer's campaign to STOP ILLEGAL DETENTION by checking out this link that shows you what to do and who to contact:

http://addameer.info/?p=1080#more-1080

You can sign this petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/demand-the-immediate-release-of-khader-adnan

And\or this petition:

http://signon.org/sign/khader-adnans-life-at-1?source=c.fwd&r_by=2447156

And\or this petition:

http://samidoun.ca/2012/02/take-action-for-hunger-striking-palestinian-prisoner-khader-adnan/

 You can also check this link for more info about Khader Adnan and how to take action:

http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/02/08/take-urgent-action-day-53-of-khader-adnan%E2%80%99s-hunger-strike/

 Here is Gaza's tribute to Khader Adnan, people joined a sit-in tent at ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) HQ.'s in Gaza while others demonstrated. Many went on a hunger strike in solidarity with Khader Adnan including myself. Here is Joe Catron's pictures of the ICRC sit-in tent in Gaza:

http://joecatron.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/pictures-gaza-hunger-strike-for-khader-adnan-continues/

Act now and help us save Khader Adnan's life before its too late.

From Gaza with love,

Omar

Khader Adnan: Dying to live. What will you do to help save his life?

Khader Adnan: Dying to live. What will you do to help save his life?

Imagine life was normal until one day everything changed. You woke up to find out that your father\husband\son\brother\uncle\friend was ILLEGALY detained and placed in jail. If you are a normal human being you will be shocked and devastated, the first thing that will come to your mind is to go and ask why was the person you care about detained? Am I right?

What would you do if you were told that the reason behind the detention of your loved one was “classified” and a “secret”? It doesn’t stop here. What would you feel if you were told that he will be detained for six months and then maybe sentenced for more and YOU CAN DO NOTHING ABOUT IT? I know I would go crazy.

Now lets step out of imagination and let me tell you that this person actually exists, he is a human being like you and me. He has a family, friends and an actual life. His name is Khader Adnan, 33, graduate student, married with two beautiful daughters and his wife is now pregnant. He was detained ILLEGALLY by Israeli police on the bases of an unexcused illegitimate court order. Imagine being detained with illegally which means you cant be with your daughters and your wife who is expecting a new baby to be born soon. Better yet, don’t imagine. Try to think about Khader Adnan and his family and what they are going through now. He went on a hunger strike 55 days ago and since then his health has been deteriorating every second.

After the 42nd day of a hunger strike, it is expected that individuals will begin to lose their hearing and vision, and suffer bleeding in the gums, intestines, and esophagus. The body will gradually stop functioning. After the 45th day, there is a high risk of death due to vascular system collapse and/or cardiac arrest.

Each day, Khader was subjected to two three-hour interrogation sessions. Throughout the interrogation sessions, his hands were tied behind his back on a chair with a crooked back, causing extreme pain to his back. Khader notes that the interrogators would leave him sitting alone in the room for half an hour or more. Khader also suffered from additional ill-treatment. During the second week of interrogation, one interrogator pulled his beard so hard that it caused his hair to rip off. The same interrogator also took dirt from the bottom of his shoe and rubbed it on Khader's mustache as a means of humiliation.

On Friday evening 30 December 2011, Khader was transferred to Ramleh prison hospital because of his deteriorating health from his hunger strike. He was placed in isolation in the hospital, where he was subject to cold conditions and cockroaches throughout his cell. He has refused any medical examinations since 25 December, which was one week after he stopped eating and speaking. The prison director came to speak to Khader in order to intimidate him further and soldiers closed the upper part of his cell's door to block any air circulation, commenting that they would "break him" eventually.

Randa was able to visit her husband last Tuesday evening after he was transferred to Zeif hospital in Safad. Imagine seeing your husband in a hospital after being on a hunger strike for 52 days protesting his illegal detention. Randa had this to say: “A lot of the hair on his face and head has fallen off. He has not been allowed to shower or wash during all his time in detention, nor is he allowed to wear warm clothes in this cold weather. He told me he feels he’s living the last moments of his life. During my visit, my husband's heart swelled up and a medical crew neglected him for half an hour." Randa was shocked and heartbroken after she visited her husband.

I will leave you with this final thought: Imagine the brutality of being on trial in your hospital bed because you are too sick to attend the court, Israeli court actually held a session at the hospital. He is too ill because he is starving himself in protest of his illegal detention. How brutal is that?

Do you feel like you want to help Khader Adnan? Help save his life? Because human life matters and its time we acknowledged that? Do you want to save a father\son\husband\brother\uncle\friend? Do you want to save somebody’s life? Do you want to act against injustice and illegal detention? Well guess what? You can actually do something about it. Don’t underestimate any little, singular or individual act because acting and putting pressure can make a difference, and can save a life.

If you live in Gaza, Palestine, Arab countries or international countries you can still make a difference from where you are. I will post links here of all petitions, action alerts and articles that can help you do something to save Khader’s life. Please read one and\or one of these links and ACT NOW TO HELP US SAVE HIS LIFE.

You can join Addameer's campaign to STOP ILLEGAL DETENTION by checking out this link that shows you what to do and who to contact:

http://addameer.info/?p=1080#more-1080

You can sign this petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/demand-the-immediate-release-of-khader-adnan

And\or this petition:

http://signon.org/sign/khader-adnans-life-at-1?source=c.fwd&r_by=2447156

And\or this petition:

http://samidoun.ca/2012/02/take-action-for-hunger-striking-palestinian-prisoner-khader-adnan/

You can also check this link for more info about Khader Adnan and how to take action:

http://palestinesolidarityproject.org/2012/02/08/take-urgent-action-day-53-of-khader-adnan%E2%80%99s-hunger-strike/

Here is Gaza's tribute to Khader Adnan, people joined a sit-in tent at ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) HQ.'s in Gaza while others demonstrated. Many went on a hunger strike in solidarity with Khader Adnan including myself. Here is Joe Catron's pictures of the ICRC sit-in tent in Gaza:

http://joecatron.wordpress.com/2012/02/09/pictures-gaza-hunger-strike-for-khader-adnan-continues/

Khader Adnan receives message of support from former Hunger Striker Tommy McKearney:

Lets not wait for officials to move. Lets not wait for Khader to die or others to die so we can decide to do something. Back In the 1980s, nobody helped Tommy. They only released him after the death of 10 of his supporters who went on a hunger strike with him. Tommy went on hunger strike for 66 days. Lets not keep Khader waiting for that long. Move now. You don’t have any excuse not to. You can act in any way possible. 

Use social media, spread the word, write about it, go on a hunger strike for a day (not before you consult an adult if you are a child or a doctor if you are sick), demonstrate for him, hold vigils, put pressure and once again PLEASE READ THE LINKS I POSTED TO TAKE ACTION NOW.

Clock is ticking. Have you done anything to save Khader’s life yet?

In Solidarity with Khader Adnan & all other illegally-detained prisoners around the world specially 

Palestinians,

Omar 4m Gaza

I used Maan news agency and Mondoweiss as my references. You can check their websites here:

http://www.maannews.net/arb/Default.aspx

http://mondoweiss.net/

My Utopia: Palestine, Africa, Obama + Oprah, No SOPA or PIPA

My Utopia: Palestine, Africa, Obama + Oprah, No SOPA+PIPA

I think most people spend some time or thoughts to form their own personal Utopia in their mind. Some might call it simpler things than Utopia like their own world or bubble…etc. For numerous moments in my life I felt like I wanted to disappear, vanish, or even orb away. I craved isolation. I always wanted to move to a deserted Island or call NASA and offer “voluntarily” to fly to any new planet and try it out –as long as I am the only one there- but I didn’t. Karina Pasian Has a song called “Mercury” where she sings about her desire to go to Mercury and there is this part where she sings: “I have been waiting patiently for my spaceship to come for me”. I knew perfectly what she meant, in a way I was –too- waiting patiently for some spaceship to come for me.

But come on, I’m not delusional. I know that I wouldn’t last for one week, and then I will need people again. Plus I am too ambitious for my own sake and I can’t just become this introverted creature who doesn’t need people. Therefore, I came up with my own version of “Utopia” that I molded and formed in my mind over numerous sleepless nights.

Welcome to my Utopia:

I cant believe we are in 2020 already. Its like time flew by so quickly. I woke up this morning at 6 am when the sun hit every corner of my little cosy but spacious cocoon. I have no walls and the large transparent windows allow the sun to quickly and gently invade every corner of my cocoon and become my own natural alarm.

I woke up feeling refreshed and relaxed after a calm night of sky-watching followed by soft music and reading. I walked happily to my wooden porch and sat there drinking fresh juice while I absorb the crisp morning breeze mixed with the fresh smell of the ocean. The ocean view from my windows is spectacular.

As I walk on the beach munching on fresh berries, I cant help but remember how life was a little over a decade ago. I cant express my happiness when I heard that medicine finally defeated AIDS and Cancer. Life is simpler now, money isn’t a goal in people’s lives, and GLADLY technology no longer controls our life. I am so relaxed now that I don’t spend half my day on my old and dated laptop.

While riding my bicycle to work through Gaza’s breathtaking cornice, I flash a spontaneous smile. I am excited to be writing books now and motivating + helping people become better. The weekend is in two days and I have to decide which city in Palestine I will be visiting, I will need to call some friends. Now that Palestine is free, I can easily drive through every city in Palestine and enjoy every corner of my free country.

Perhaps I will plan a world tour after I finish touring Palestine. Thank god Palestinians are treated equally everywhere now, we can easily travel. We aren’t labeled as terrorists, racists, invented, or extremists anymore. That ended long ago. Now we are free, self sufficient and acknowledged globally for being such an amazing country that indulges in such a good economy, rich culture, strong education, impeccable security, fruitful agriculture, prosperous reputation and just a force to be reckoned with.

I will never forget the Palestinian division, it ended long ago and we still made jokes about it. We also make jokes about internal corruption and nepotism. The past few years were amazing; I was a proud member of international committees that helped end violence, wars, hatred, bullying and all kinds of abuse worldwide. I think the world is pretty much doing much better now because the people know better and have done better through the past years.

I am proud of all Arab countries today, they gave the power to the people whom used it responsibly and stopped every bad foreign intervention. I am actually proud to call myself “ARAB” today. People are united everywhere regardless of religion, financial status or social status. We are all one. Muslims no longer classify each other as Sunni or Shiite; Muslims are all one strong nation now and friends with everyone.

Life is back to its original simplicity. We have the option of calling, texting, emailing, tweeting, bbming or buzzing each other easily, but we choose to see each other personally and hug instead of relying on technology to show passion. Doctors went back to giving children lollipops when they visit. Children went back to being children instead of becoming adults in small little bodies.

I live in a world where I am enough. I don’t need to seek perfection or play any dirty game to get a job or be accepted by my friends. I told that to Oprah when we met for tea in the afternoon while I was visiting America last November. We remembered Maya Angelou and her infinite wisdom. We met again the next day with Bill Gates, Angelina Julie and a group of the world’s most influential people to discuss philanthropy. My visit to Africa was breath taking. The Western world finally left it alone after sucking the life out of it and emptying its oil resources. But Africa has been recovering and using its renewed oil resources for its own good. Poverty, illiteracy and diseases are fading away slowly with time and hard work against them.

I met with Obama 2 months ago, we had a good laugh. I told him that he sucked and I reminded him why he only served for 1 presidential term. I scolded him for passing SOPA and PIPA. It was a good day in the whole world when those two stupid laws were deleted. Internet is even freer now and twitter tried censorship for a while then went back to their old state of no censorship. Facebook stopped their BS and gave us our old layout back.

I called my friend Iman in Paris, she told me both Niqab and veil are no longer banned in France, Germany, Italy or anywhere. I reminded her of our get-together later this year. I will turn my little cocoon and the whole beach in Gaza into a huge beach camp and welcome all Palestinians and pro-Palestinians to come visit Palestine. Tariq Shadid a.k.a. Doc Jazz will sing for us, I will finally get to walk on the beach with Ali Abu Nimah, and listen to a poetry competition between Remi Kanazi; Suheri Hammad and Rafeef Zeyadeh. Then we will enjoy tasting amazing art when Larissa Sansour shows us her latest exhibition. It will be awesome. So many good friends and most of them are breathtaking artists. Rami kashou, Palestinian renowned Fashion designer, will also tell us stories about his old memories with all the celebrities. He will dish about who was the biggest Diva and who lied about her real measurements.

Thanks to knowledge, awareness and kindness we turned our world into UTOPIA.

Ok, as you can see I am so busy. I gotta run. Write you later.

Omar from Gaza

@Omar_Gaza on twitter

Jerusalem is "Al Quds" Lets not forget that

Jerusalem is "Al Quds" Lets not forget that!

Gaza, January 18, I would like to start by expressing my shame and embarrassment. Why did I wait for #Blog4Quds day for me to write something about Jerusalem “Al Quds”? Why havent I written anything before since Jerusalem, for me, represents the core and essence of the Palestinian cause. I take this opportunity today to promise myself and you all to write more about Jerusalem.

Many of you already know about the history of Jerusalem. But for those who have misleading info or shortage in info about Al Quds I have a few words for you: Jerusalem “Al Quds” is the capital of Palestine. Enough said. I don’t need to say more. I choose not to go into historical statistics and clichés that you can find everywhere, instead I will write something personal.

A very important issue that I would like to Address: Israeli drilling, digging, plowing and scraping works under Al Aqsa mosque. They think they will make us less Palestinians by digging under Al Aqsa mosque. When that didn’t happen, they resorted to Judaising Eastern Jerusalem by kicking people out using the illogical pretext of “breaking construction” rules to confiscate Palestinian homes and give them to Jewish settlers or sell them to Israelis. But that will never work because we will never give Jerusalem up whatsoever. Arab personalities and committees announced their resentment and disapproval about Israel’s ethnic & cultural cleansing actions but did no actions to stop them. The world watched Jerusalem get raped daily and decided to stay silent and turn its head in a different direction.

We live in a consuming world that is moving very fast, life doesn’t wait for anyone. We struggle daily to keep our life in order while keep on fighting “non-violently” for our country’s freedom. Talking from a personal experience, living in Gaza makes you sometimes forget that Palestine consists of Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. We live under siege and daily life here eats you up to the extent that you have to keep reminding yourself that Gaza IS NOT Palestine, its just a part of it.

Jerusalem is being taken from us bit-by-bit every day and it hurts. Imagine somebody taking away your honor, dignity and masculinity while you watch helplessly. Even if we forgot about Jerusalem for a second, Jerusalem will remind us of it by its constant screaming for rescue and salvation. We will never forget you or let go of you Jerusalem even if it looks like we did. Don’t lose hope or faith in us. We remain your loyal children.

The second Intifada (Known as “Al Aqsa “ Intifada) started in September 28^th of 2000 when Ariel Sharon, accompanied by a huge amount of police and security, toured Al Aqsa mosque and Haram Al Sherif with a group of extremist Jews. Two days later, Muhammed Al Dura, 12 years old, was killed by Israeli soldiers while he was hiding behind his dad’s back. They were both unarmed civilians. Jerusalem then became a bigger demand and a stable right that we will never give up.

If you visited Jerusalem you would know that the atmosphere there is unique, your feelings toward the city would be unique also. I don’t know a single Palestinian or Arab who hasn’t cried when he\she visited Al Aqsa mosque or Jerusalem city. Its not called the holy city for nothing. Jerusalemites live a daily struggle to defend their identity that Israel viciously tries to diminish. They fight against a cold war of cultural cleaning. Yet, Jerusalem’s old city embraces the vivid and splendid old markets that offers you a unique and personal experience, not only things to buy.

Jerusalem is also the destination that hundreds of Christians from around the world visit to perform their pilgrimage. Call me hopeful, self-centered or delusional but I do believe that Jerusalem is the center of the world. Take a look at the city glowing at night and tell me if that doesn’t take your breath away:

I would conclude by saying: Jerusalem is carved in our hearts; it’s a piece of our soul and the core of our cause. We might not be taking about it every day but that doesn’t mean we will ever forget it or stop trying to answer its daily pleads of help and rescue. Jerusalem is bleeding but you wont notice it unless you really love it.

I wish the Palestinian conflicting parties would spend their time on rescuing Jerusalem instead of fighting endlessly about a few chairs. If we lost Jerusalem, those chairs wont matter anymore. I will also say to myself: “Add Jerusalem to your daily struggles instead of just fighting Israel’s siege”. Jerusalem needs us. Lets not just answer by writing about it today. Lets keep it in our thoughts every day.

Jerusalem, forgive me because all I can offer you now a poem:

You shall not cry or bleed

You shall not be forgotten

Your love is planted like a seed

In our souls, we do listen

You are not a charity deed

You are not a case of a sudden

You are history, heritage and existence

You’re not just a city or a word in a sentence

We will punish those who rape you

Will come to your rescue

We will come

Yes we will come

Led by your golden glowing dome

Follow me on twitter: @Omar_Gaza

Gaza war - 3rd anniversary: We moved on

Gaza war - 3rd anniversary: We moved on 

Gaza, December 27, Today we mark the 3^rd anniversary of Israel’s vicious war on Gaza. Three years have passed. Wow. Three years ago today, at 12:30 pm, I was playing with my nephew in the living room when the whole ground shook. Israeli F16s, Apaches and drones suddenly filled the air and bombings were happening. We never guessed it was the start of a vicious war that will leave us with no water, electricity, food or movement for 24 days. 

I remember running to my nephew and trying to cover him with my body. And then hell opened. Hundreds of Gazans were killed in cold blood while thousands got injured. Neighbor hoods were wiped out and death filled the air.

Three years after, here we are. Gaza is stronger, brighter, better and life springs from every corner of it. We have moved on. You see now many new buildings and many others under construction. Psychological and physical wounds are healing well.

We honor the martyrs, injured and medics today for giving their life to Gaza and by keeping the land moist with their pure blood. Life goes on and people thrive for life even more now. I will steal Rafeef Ziadeh’s sentence and say, “In Gaza, we teach life Sir”. Maya Angelou said: “When you know better, you do better”, and boy she is right. We know better know, we have seen better and we are doing much better.

Yes, three years have passed and now its time for us to make a vow: “We promise ourselves and the world to make Gaza a better stronger place; we will make our society better by starting bettering ourselves from within”. “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”. I remember one day during the war in Gaza, I felt so dark inside that I doubted I would ever see the dawn of tomorrow but when I woke up the next day I saw the sun lighting up every grain of sand in Gaza. I believe in tomorrow now thanks to Gaza.

I went out today to shop for books and the weather was very warm and beautiful. I walked through Gaza’s streets holding my head up high, looking at the sky and smiling. We survived. We made it. I believe that we made it for a reason; we survived just to make Gaza a monumental place that the world will never forget.

Three years passed and we still demand the prosecution of Israel’s war criminals and we will never stop demanding our right to see those cold blooded monsters behind bars. I will not remind Gazans of this day because we will never forget what we went through, I will not remind the world because the world never gave a crap.

Believe it or not but I am grateful today, we are overwhelmed with the support and love that we indulge in coming from people around the whole world. And we have also witnessed recently allot of BDS successes. Palestinians are now stronger in Palestine and around the world. We have a cause that makes us stronger and makes us wanna fight till the last breath to gain our freedom.

We are more determined and focused now. We are more aware and we have made people around the world more aware too. Gaza’s light has touched hearts around the globe, why shouldn’t I be grateful?

Today I feel a pinch of freedom, today I feel happy and proud.

I will post here a picture of a Palestinian child that lost his family and his house during the vicious war in Gaza; he was standing near his completely-demolished house looking frightened and lost. He didn’t understand what happened and what did he do to deserve such a tragedy. Those of you who are my friends already know how many times I have shared this picture and I will never stop. I wish I can turn the time back so I can be there for that innocent child, I wish I was there to hug him and tell him everything will be alright. I wish I was there to tell him that after three years things would be much better and people would be healing and moving on. I will never ever forget this little boy’s picture in my life, its carved in my head and heart:

Finally, I would kindly ask you to help Gaza, Palestine and Gazans move on instead of reminding them of the tragedies they will never forget. We don’t want to dwell on the past, we want to move forward. We will never forget but we have the right to move forward and live and make our country better. Help us heal. We appreciate all the support. Believe it or not, we are the land of love and abundance and we send you all our love and gratitude.

All my love,

Omar from Gaza

Revealing "The Guardian" lies: Hamas didnt stop Christmas in Gaz

Revealing "The Guardian" lies: Hamas didnt stop Christmas in Gaza

Gaza, December 26, I can’t help but share my fury after reading “The Guardian” and seeing their false and misleading article and how its full of mistakes. Let’s dissect their mistakes one by one:

1-      Their headline: Gaza Christians long for days before Hamas canceled Christmas. Correction: Hamas didn’t cancel Christmas and Christians celebrate it every year. In fact, last night Latin Patriarchate Church held a mass celebrating Christmas and flocks of Christians attended it.

2-      They published the article on 23^{rd of} December. Correction: Christmas in on the 25^th.

3-      They mentioned that over 1.5 million of Gazans live in Gaza. Correction: According to Statistics centers in Gaza, over 1.8 million Gazans live in Gaza

4-      Christians are fewer than 1,400. Correction: Christians in Gaza are between 2,000 and 3,000 according to Al Arabiya.net and Wikipedia.

5-      Hamas attacks Christians in Gaza. Correction: Attacks on Christians in Gaza were carried out by individuals or extremist groups not by Hamas or the regular people of Gaza.

6-      The Guardian mentioned in an indirect way that racism is carried out against Christians in Gaza. Correction: Christians in Gaza live and pray freely, they are treated with equality.

7-      The Guardian wanted to show how the Palestinian division affected Christians mostly. Correction: The Palestinian division affected all Palestinians.

8-      The Guardian failed to mention the repercussions of the Israeli unjust illegal siege on Gaza and chose to blame Hamas for everything.

9-      They blamed the bad economy in Gaza on Hamas not on the Israeli illegal blockade.

10  They didn’t mention that Israel puts age limitation for Gaza’s Christians. They let those who are under 16 and over 40 only visit Bethlehem.

Need I right more?

If you aren’t convinced yet, I wrote an article for the media line about Christmas in Gaza and how Christians celebrated it, check it here:

http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=34046

Westernizing Islam: Bikini is the new Hijab

Westernizing Islam: Bikini is the new Hijab

I find it startling that we started linking the fact of being open-minded to having a western mentality. Who said that being open-minded means we should have a western mentality? It seems like it’s a trend now to show how open-minded we are by picking on Islam and attacking some Islamic aspects to sound cool and hip and open-minded, we thrive to measure up to the American standards of being open-minded. Its mind boggling to read, hear and meet people whether in Gaza, Palestine or the Arabic world talking about how much they are very proud of being “Western” and “open-minded” and how being religious is so “Two thousand and late” or so “1990s”. Really? Are you for real?

I was born and raised in Europe; I came to Gaza to a whole new culture. I knew I was Muslim but I didn’t learn more about my religion till I came here. I am proud of my blended culture and proud of being Muslim and liberal. I am too open-minded for my own sake which usually puts me in trouble; I am usually accused of either being too liberal or less religious. Both are untrue.

I find myself torn between defending liberal people who choose to be Muslim yet open minded (like girls who are good Muslims but choose not to wear Hijab yet) and in the same time defending religious people who are often accused of being narrow minded, too religious, terrorists ….etc. Women who wear Hijab in the western world are often harassed, slandered and sometimes dangerously attacked like Marwa Al Sherbini (Egyptian woman who was attacked by a German douchebag just because she was wearing Hijab and he later stabbed her to death when she decided to take him to court). Some European countries placed ban on Niqab which made many of Muslim women’s lives hellish and hard.

In the Arab world, women who decided not to wear Hijab yet are often attacked, slandered and harassed. People give themselves the right to judge them and call them many things including: “hookers, sluts and bitches” just because they aren’t covering their heads and they claim that they are doing it because they honor Islam. Well news flash: Islam never asked you to judge, attack and slander people for any reason even if its defending because its not really an “Islamic” act. Islam asks us to respect everyone and all religions. I don’t see people pressuring men for not praying or fasting yet they feel so powerful about pressuring women to wear Hijab.

The western media and governments got so worked up to blame, frame and put shame on Islam for every wrong thing in their countries to cover up their corruption. Islam, Muslims and Arabs became a target. This shows how powerful Islam is and how powerful Muslims are which pushed those directions to focus on deforming Islam’s image. Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance whether you wanna believe it or not.

Ofcourse, some Arabs and Muslims contributed a great deal in deforming Islam’s image. Let me not talk about people elsewhere, let me talk about what I saw with my own eyes. I see some shameful Gazan youth who believe that its very cool and western to degrade Islam so they can get publicity or a trip to a foreign country or an invitation to a conference….. etc. How hideous is that? I see foreign organizations and INGOs in Gaza trying their best to focus on how Hamas is using Islam to oppress people and how some girls in Gaza are forced to wear Hijab and how frustrating is that? Seriously? You left all the bad things happening in Gaza and the suffocating siege imposed on us and suddenly you wanna do the community good by “liberating” Gazan girls from wearing Hijab?

I am not with Hamas nor am I defending it. Hamas has its bad and good sides just like Fatah and all other Palestinian factions. But if I say that our biggest problem in Gaza is Hijab then I would be the most disgusting guy on earth. I personally know some of the most powerful, independent, clever, educated, cultured, influential and inspiring girls in Gaza whom I was honored to know and meet. I never really cared whether they are veiled or not. Some are veiled and some are not but they are equally brilliant. Hijab doesn’t stand in the way for those who wear it or don’t.

What is really pathetic is seeing how some foreign organizations and journalists using Gaza just to attack Islam. I see them writing about religious oppression in Gaza (which doesn’t exist) and how they cant move without wearing Hijab. Come to Gaza and you will see foreign journalists moving freely even if they are wearing a jeans and a T-shirt, you will see veiled and non-veiled girls and you will see that not only do women have freedom but they are also a force to be reckoned with. Women actually wear Jeans and T-shirts in Gaza and I don’t find that so shocking. Let me just share how sick I got when I saw the Anti-Niqab protests in Europe, European women were degrading Hijab in every way possible including wearing Niqab over a bikini and even wearing nothing but Niqab. How disgusting and idiotic.

I laughed my heart out when I read about Aliaa Magdi, the Egyptian thing, who saw that she should share her naked photos to show her revolutionary side. She called it the new "Naked Revolution". She -somehow- decided to link revolution with naked art and claimed that freedom of speech must enable Arabs of sharing their naked photos. No thanks, I will pass. What the hell is wrong with her? What on earth is the link between revolution and nudity? I have no respect for her or her boyfriend who likes to always link sex to everything on earth. They are disgusting and lame and they will do anything for fame.

Oh yeah and lets talk about the honor killing. I don’t support honor killing in any way, shape or form. I am against violence and I do admit that we heard and still hear about some horrifying stories about honor killing in the Arab world. Some stories are not justified and others show how the girl was killed because of a misunderstanding. But lets not forget that crimes exist all around the world. So westerns don’t kill? A western man never murdered his wife\sister\mother\daughter\girlfriend\neighbor…etc for no apparent reason? America has the highest crime rates and yet I never saw it being attacked for “Western” honor killing. Some of the crimes there are much more awful than the Arab honor killing cases. I am not justifying the notorious phenomenon of honor killing in the Arab world; I am just saying lets condemn it internationally so we can be fair to the victims and to ourselves.

Women have been always taking a part in Gazan community. They are equally active, educated and employed if you compare them to men. They have the freedom of movement too. The phenomenon of early marriage has reduced greatly because Gazans are more aware now. Majority of young women are getting married due to love stories and freedom of choice. Women are seeking and occupying high positions in the employment field becoming even higher than men sometimes.

Its fascinating to see how Gaza is evolving and growing in every aspect yet we still see foreign and local attempts to keep us busy with dilemmas from the stone age. We moved on so its time for others to move on and embrace our growth. Its also shameful to see some young Gazans falling in this trap which is deforming the very productive image of Gaza’s bright youth.

So consider me boring for the saying the truth but I don’t wish to be invited to a European country or praised by an American journalist or supported by France just to attack Islam or Gaza. I would rather stay here and raise my voice and say: “We are way hip, cool and advanced than you think; believe or see”.

Why do Muslims and Arabs have to always try hard to fit in and be accepting? Why doesn’t the world embrace us like we embrace it? Why do they want us to become something else? Why do they want us to become like them? Why do they want us to degrade our culture and religion to gain their respect? Why are we always pressured to justify ourselves?

My last advice or message: Please let’s stop judging each other. Its 2011 for god’s sake. People are categorized by being good or bad not by wearing Hijab or not. Not all women wearing Hijab are angels and not all women not wearing Hijab are right. Live and let live. Give love to receive love and lets embrace each other with our differences, imperfections and different perspectives.

From Gaza with love, less judgment and a huge hug,

Omar

Follow me on Twitter: @Omar_Gaza