Cinnamon Zone

                     

She used the word "endangered" in relation to the fact that those penguins were being driven away from their "homes", or "removed from their homes" as she would describe it, their natural habitat on the south-western coast of Africa by sea gulls, seals, whales and other animals of this kind. She called on the viewers to be aware of this and write letters of support to these organizations that work to help those penguins.

It was hard not to smile at the irony. Not that I have anything against penguins, I actually find them charming and very interesting creatures, but if you come to think about it, I doubt that anyone in the world would stand against those penguins in their "struggle" for their land. In fact, I think anyone's heart would melt just at the sight of them stuttering away looking for a home after being displaced and removed form their land. Moreover, I doubt that anyone would defend the scary-looking seals or the hovering sea gulls, not to mention the giant whales. It may even be considered inhumane to do so. And what about their right of return? Do you think anyone would deny them that? I hardly think so.

Well, I think the analogy is so clear that it would be almost insulting to point it out. It might sound like a lame comparison, and it is really. For 2 reasons:

1- Palestinians are not as cute as penguins

2- Seals and sea gulls are incapable of crying wolf, distorting history and committing war crimes.

3- Palestinians are not as stupid as penguins. It's true. Do you know that African penguins are called Jackass penguins? They are incapable of putting on a proper fight for their right to a land, they don't talk back, they just march away. Well, no offence to African penguins but that is in deed stupid.

But again, maybe if Palestinians were as cute as penguins or stuttered like them and acted as helpless as they are, maybe someone somewhere would write a letter to some organization, but do you really think that would change anything?

I remember one Spanish class at college. Our Professor, Isabelle, was giving examples so she asked each one at class where they were from. The answers consisted mostly of two words: Jordano/a (Jordanian) and Palestino/a (Palestinian). However, the latter answer seemed to be puzzling for Isabelle, who found it strange for someone to introduce themself by the nationality of a country other than the one in which they were born. Well, Isabelle might be right when it comes to being from Malaga or Seville, but when it comes to being Palestinian; it seemed there’s something she wasn’t fully aware of.

The story begins a long time ago. Before 1948, there was a country called Palestine, and the living there, the majority of which were Arabs, were called Palestinians. On several levels, Palestine was a land of geographical, historical and ideological importance, hence an idea was born and nourished in the West that the people currently living in Palestine are a bunch of brutal uncivilized savages who couldn’t possibly run that land by on their own, and that they should be ruled over by a superior and more civilized people, i.e:  the Jews.

Thus, the Jewish immigrants poured in, and the state of Israel came to existence, and the next thing you know: There was no such thing as Palestine, and the Palestinian people never existed. Or did they?

It goes without saying that in order to garner global support and gain some legitimacy, Israel had to wipe Palestine not only off the map, but also from history, and with that goes the existence of a Palestinian people. Otherwise the Zionist Jews will have to face the inevitable question: If what is now known as Israel was established on the same land of what was previously known as Palestine, and the population known as the Palestinians was replaced by what is now known as the Israeli people, then what happen to Palestine and where did the Palestinians go? In other words, they will have to answer for the fact that for each Jewish immigrant, one Palestinian, at least, was displaced.

Ever since 1948 and before, the Zionist propaganda has been at work to deny the existence of Palestine and the Palestinians, which was best expressed in the Zionist slogan describing Palestine as: “A land without people for a people without a land”. Thus, the Palestinians found themselves in a situation where their land was taken away from them and the world didn’t even acknowledge their existence, and hereby the only way to prove that existence was to resist, to struggle to fight to be recognized as a people.

The reasoning by which Palestine was occupied and turned into a Jewish state, and by which the Palestinians are facing discrimination and atrocities on daily basis, is the same reasoning by which the Red Indians were slaughtered and Black Africans were coerced into slavery. It’s because they are simply not regarded as “a people” , meaning they don’t have the ability to have a country or rule over a land, and that they should be run by a superior and more civilized power, regardless of what their wishes or desires could be for themselves.

Given all that and more, the issue of Palestine heralds itself as an issue of existence. That’s why the Israelis have been so firm in their stance against granting Palestinians the Right of Return, because to give them such a right is to admit that they were there, that they existed and that they still exist.

That’s what Isabelle probably didn’t fully understand. That’s why every Palestinian should cling to their legacy and their roots, because they don’t want the time to come when what the Zionist wished for becomes reality: “The old die and the young forget”.

The old might die, but the young, in sha'a Allah, will never forget.

خلال الأسابيع الماضية تابعنا أخبار العدوان على غزة عن كثب، سواء كان ذلك عبر شاشات التلفاز أو الراديو او الإنترنت والجرائد وغيرها من وسائل الإعلام، محاولين إظهار تعاطفنا ومساندتنا لغزة بشتى الطرق الممكنة، من خلال التبرع بالدم والمال والمؤن والمشاركة في المظاهرات وكتابة وقراءة المقالات حول الوضع في غزة ومقاطعة المنتجات الداعمة لإسرائيل وغير ذلك من الوسائل.

إن هذه المشاعر الوطنية التي أثارتها الحرب على غزة في نفوس الكبار والصغار، وما أظهروه من رغبة حقيقية  في فعل شيء لدعم غزة وأهل غزة يبعث الأمل من جديد في النفوس، فإن كان ذلك يعني شيئاً على الإطلاق، فهو أنه أياً كنت ومهما كانت مبادؤك، لكل شخص قضية أكبر يؤمن بها.

لكن ما أن تم إعلان وقف إطلاق النار حتى بدأت المشاعر بالفتور وأخذنا شيئاً فشيئاً نعود لحياتنا اليومية. لا أعني أن هذا خطأ، لكن ما أعنيه هو أن ما شعرنا به وفعلناه خلال الحرب على غزة يجب أن يكون جزءاً من حياتنا اليومية. لا يجب أن ننتظر وقوع كارثة كي نحاول فعل شيء لدعم القضية الفلسطينية وتذكر من يعيشون تحت نار الاحتلال. قد لا تكون هناك مظاهرات أو حملات جمع تبرعات كل يوم، لكن توجد بالتأكيد وسائل عدة يمكننا بها دعم قضيتنا والتمسك بها والبقاء على وعي واتصال بها، وفيما يلي بعض هذه الوسائل:

- ابق على اطلاع، تابع الأخبار والتطورات في فلسطين المحتلة من خلال أي وسيلة متوفرة لديك

- اعمل على نشر الحقيقة وإعلام الناس بما يحدث فعلاً في الأراضي المحتلة، خاصة إن كنت تعيش في الخارج حيث يعيش الناس في ظل الإعلام الموجه ولا يعرفون سوى ما تخبرهم به قنوات مثل فوكس وسي إن إن، ليعرف الناس من هم الإرهابيون الحقيقيون

- اقرا التاريخ، تعلم أكثر عن تاريخ فلسطين والنزاع الفلسطيني الإسرائيلي، فالتاريخ قوة وشرعية، ولهذا نجد الصهاينة يهتمون به ويزجون به في كل كبيرة وصغيرة

- واصل التبرع بكل ما تستطيع من خلال الهيئات والجمعيات الموثوقة، ولا تنس مخيمات اللاجئين الموجودة في كل مكان والتي يحتاج أهلها إلى الدعم المستمر

- ذكر من حولك بالقضية وتحدث إليهم عنها، وحاولوا توحيد جهودكم لفعل شيء من اجل القضية

- إن كنت كاتباً أو فناناً أو تمتلك أية موهبة، وظف تلك الموهبة في عمل شيء لدعم القضية، سواءً بكتابة المقالات أو إقامة المعارض او حفلات جمع التبرعات

- خذ موقفاً وقاطع المنتجات الداعمة لإسرائيل، لا تقل إنك وحدك لن تفعل شيئاً، فالقطرات القليلة تصنع جدولاً، فكن صاحب موقف ولا تكن جزءاً في دعم من يقتلون الأبرياء ويهدمون منازلهم.

- أخيراً وهو الأهم، ابق موصولاً بالله تعالى، فمن يقرا التاريخ يجد أنه متى ما كان الناس موصولين بالله كانت القدس حرة ومتى ما كانوا بعيدين عن الله كانت القدس تحت الاحتلال. هكذاحر ر صلاح الدين الأقصى، بالإيمان، ولهذا ابتسم وهو يحتضر وقال: الآن أقول لرسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم، أنا من حررت لك المسرى... متى ما كان الإيمان عالياً في الأرض وعامراً في القلوب، كانت الإيمان بالقضية أقوى وأرسخ في النفوس، وكان الحلم بدولة فلسطينية حرة أقرب إلى الحقيقة.

During the few last weeks, everyone was  following the updates of the war on Gaza closely, following the news, writing and reading articles on the net and in the different newspapers,  donating blood, collecting donations, boycotting,  demonstrating, signing petitions and trying to show solidarity in any possible way for the people in Gaza.

All in all, it was impressive to see how strongly everyone felt about this, and how that aggrevating situation brought out the best in many people. It proved that everyone has something to give, and most importantly, it showed that no matter who they are, what they think or how they look; everyone has a bigger cause that they believe in and care about.

But, once a ceasefire was announced, we found ourselves slowing down and going back to our normal lives. I’m not saying we shouldn’t, what I’m saying is that this sense of duty and commitment  to a bigger cause should actually be a part of our normal life. We shouldn’t wait for a catastrophe to drive us to action. It should be a part of our daily routine to think of those people who struggle with siege and security threats every day, not only when their homes are demolished and kids are killed or orphaned.

They may not be demonstrations or charity drives every day, but certainly there are many possible ways through which you can stay connected to the Cause and reminded of it every day, and here are a few suggestions:

- Stay informed and up-to-date, follow the news on TV, radio, on the net or any other means you have to keep you aware of what’s going on.

- Spread the truth, let the world know what’s actually happening and who’s terrorist and who’s not, especially those of you who live abroad where people are sheltered by a CNN-kind-of-mdia.

- Read history, learn more about the history of Palestine and the conflict, because history is power, history is legitimacy, which is why the Zionists have been known to forge it and throw it in the world’s face, crying wolf whenever they get the chance.

- Keep donating whenever and whatever you could through trusted organizations and committees, and don’t forget that there are thousands of refugees in refugee camps everywhere, not only in Palestine, who could use this help that we owe to them.

- Be a constant reminder for the people around you, and find ways to work together to support the Cause.

- If you’re a writer, and artist or have any other talent that you could use to shed light on the Cause and introduce it to more people then, by all means, do! Be that by writing articles, holding themed art exhibitions, fund raisers, making movies and what not.

-Take a stand and boycott any companies and organizations known to support Israel. Don’t say it will not affect them because even if that’s true, you can still take a stand and not take part in supporting those who are killing your people.

- Finally and most importantly, keep the faith. That may mean different things to different people. In general, it means believe in your Cause, don’t fall for any propaganda trying to convince you that Palestine was sold by its people or any such blatant lies. On the other hand, as  a Muslim, I believe that the most important thing first and foremost is for us to stay connected to God, and I don’t mean only Muslims but all people, because that’s our source of power, that’s what made the people in Gaza survive all the losses and all the agony. Read history and you’ll find that whenever people were connected to God, Palestine and its people were free, and whenever they drifted away from their faith, Palestine was under some gruesome occupation. That’s how Saladdin claimed Jerusalem back to its people, by faith, he was not blood thirsty, he didn’t act on fanaticism, he didn’t massacre his enemies, but  he was a man who believed he had a fair cause, and was connected to God at all times.