Category Archives: Rock on-Peace Out

Jerusalem: Historical Illiteracy And Political Exploitation. | Nervana

First, it is rather pointless for Arabs and Muslims to deny the ancient history of the Temple Mount. It is not up to us to decide where Jews should have their holy site. If Jews view the Temple Mount compound as holy to them, so be it. Acknowledging the religious importance of the site to the Jews would be a smart move, as it will strip right-wing Israelis from their fundamental portrayal of Arabs as thieves of history.

In addition, although Muslims label the Western wall of the Temple Mount as the “Buraq wall,” where the Prophet Mohamed landed during his night visit to the city, there is no need to ignore the ancient history of the wall. Jews believe it is the remaining part of their destroyed Temple. The Prophet did not build the wall, it existed before him, and there are many reliable historical sources that prove how Jews used to pray at that site, even after the destruction of the Temple, and well before the rise of Islam.

On the other hand, Israelis needs to remember that their ancient history was not a perfect example of religious tolerance. Following their return from exile in Babylon, Jews excluded foreign wives and children from the membership of Israel, a harsh reminder how the holy city was in many occasions, a city of intolerance, just as in her current, modern time.

Second, acknowledging history does not necessarily mean conceding to demands for prayers at the holy site. Arabs should highlight to the world their part of the story. The Romans destroyed the second Temple hundreds of years before the Arab conquest of the city ___ a fact that Arabs should continue to elaborate and emphasize to the world after showing empathy and sympathy to Jewish claim. Christian rulers, whether in the Byzantine or crusader era, were much more unkind to the Jews than Muslims. According to the Jewish virtual library, the whole Temple Mount area was badly desecrated and was only cleared and restored after Muslim conquest.

Third, while it is smart to acknowledge the ancient Jewish history of the compound, it is also crucial to highlight the current misery of Jerusalem and the failure to achieve peace. East Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, has technically been occupied land since 1967. Israel bars Palestinians below the age of 50 from praying in al-Aqsa. Security barriers in the West Bank prevent more Palestinians from reaching the holy compound. How can Israelis expect Palestinians to be more understanding while they live under such occupation? Arabs should remind the world how under their rule, the great Jewish scholar Maimonides visited the Temple Mount in 1165. That was an era of harmony and peace, unlike today’s tension and injustice. Israel must understand that the political deadlock compounds tension and does not leave any room for religious tolerance. Peace would strip radicals on both sides from abusing religion for political gains.

As such, I did not follow my colleague’s advice, and started reading the book as it should be read, from page one. It was an eye-opener. As Armstrong poignantly pointed out, “the history of Jerusalem reminds us that nothing ___ not even mortal hatred ___ is permanent.”

via Jerusalem: Historical Illiteracy And Political Exploitation. | Nervana.

St. Francis Manuscripts Bound for U.S. Display – NYTimes.com

New Yorkers will see it soon, as Father Massetti and his collaborators are finishing restoring 13 medieval manuscripts of the 19 artifacts from the Sacred Convent of St. Francis in Assisi, before their departure for the United States on Monday.

Leaving Italy for the first time in 700 years, the documents will be shown at the United Nations headquarters Nov. 17-28, and then be open to the public in Brooklyn Borough Hall until mid-January in an exhibition, “Friar Francis: Traces, Words and Images.”

via St. Francis Manuscripts Bound for U.S. Display – NYTimes.com.

Let’s Dance. | Rebelle Society

By Leila Hussein

Puddles.

Let me never stop jumping in puddles.

When I’m 80, I still want to be the kind of girl

(and I say girl because I will be),

who dreams and blows kisses

at life on a sea breeze.

Swings.

Let me never stop going on swings.

Let the winter time not touch my heart

too late like the others,

let me discover my wings

even more as I get older.

Clouds.

Let me never stop wishing on a cloud,

and feeling my own magnificence

envelop me as I look to the sky and what I can be,

what I really am.

Dandelions.

Let me never stop blowing

dandelions down the street,

chuckling as they flee,

like a bale of hay

skipping merrily in my heart.

I am so glad for the art of living,

for the song in my heart that wills me

to get up in the morning and sing.

And dream.

For the little girl in me

Who likes to dream big.

And who will never die,

I hope.

So if you see me skipping on raindrops

down the street at age 90, please join me.

And remind me of this poem.

I will be glad to meet your acquaintance

and dance with you.

Cherry pies.

Never let me stop from wanting

to eat them when they are red hot,

because the child in me

can’t stop herself from tasting it.

A person’s touch.

Let me never become immune to it.

Ever.

Jazz.

Never let me stop feeling it in my spirit,,

even as the wind whispers age.

Fairy tales.

Let me never stop telling them,

to my nephew, my nieces or to myself.

Laughter.

Let me never stop chuckling.

Belly-ripping roars that threaten

to overcome me and have me hunched over

with tears that pour.

Babies.

Let me never stop learning from them.

As their eyes melt forth and speak of a wisdom,

a heart centuries old.

Flowers.

Let me never stop smelling them,

standing in awe at their beauty.

Let me never forget my surroundings

and tune it all out,

nature and its entirety.

Hope.

Let it never leave me.

Even when faith has forgotten its way.

Love.

Let it never stop bleeding out of me.

Every tiny essence of it.

Songs.

Let them never leave me.

Even when there is silence around.

Water.

Let it always lead the way home.

And keep me strong and healed,

connecting me to truth.

Mud.

Let me dance in it. Barefoot.

Preferably with people I love.

But alone is good too.

The Sea.

Let it never stop calling me,

inviting me to lay in its rhythms,

and soothe myself at ocean floor.

The Sky.

Let me always look up at it.

Wondering about the heights

I will climb in my time left on this earth.

Life.

Let me never believe the myth

that it is long, arduous or hard.

Let me always be willing

to let it in just one more time..

Until the sun comes up once more.

via Let’s Dance. | Rebelle Society.

Activist Brings Catalans Together as They Seek to Secede From Spain – NYTimes.com

So, why is Spain afraid to let Catalans express their feelings and political choices?

The speech, before hundreds of thousands of pro-independence Catalans, was as straightforward as the seven-mile-long V for vote that the crowd formed along two of the main avenues of Barcelona, Catalonia’s regional capital.

“We will vote, and we will win,” the speaker, Carme Forcadell, a teacher and onetime local politician turned street activist, told the cheering demonstrators in September on the Diada, Catalonia’s national day. She stood on a podium with her hand raised and fingers spread to make a V, this time for victory.

While Catalonia is scheduled to hold a significantly watered-down referendum on secession on Sunday, the region remains far from breaking away from the rest of Spain. The vote has been fiercely opposed by Madrid and, after a ruling on Tuesday by Spain’s Constitutional Court suspending it, may not happen at all.

via Activist Brings Catalans Together as They Seek to Secede From Spain – NYTimes.com.