Tag Archives: OddBox

Freedom with Malak

It feels great to write an article, thinking of a title that is as simple as not dramatic. In a normal Palestinian day, it would be freedom FOR Malak, or PEace to Malak, or Malak the Angel… But today is an inspiring angelic Malak ( Malak in Arabic means Angel).

Malak, a young woman, the age of my daughter and a dear family friend whom I observed growing up, together with my children.

Malak, a Jerusalemite who is trying to shape her Palestinian identity without prejudice and influence, but her own experience and attained knowledge.

In a time when technology allows secure communication and offers information engines with unlimited boundaries, Malak was able to break through her path in life first by successfully applying and accepted to Georgetown University, after writing an impressive essay about her life as a Jerusalemite, that secured her a welcoming entry to the prestigious campus.

Well, it is not a matter of technology and accessibility of course …alone. Malak chose to read, while most people decide to listen to songs, to follow Kardashian and co, and dream to become pop singers or movie stars or regional- national idols. Reading opened gates of possibility to the young lady’s bright mind.

Malak successfully reflects on her personal life as a young woman living in Jerusalem in her blog. She writes brilliantly and thinks in a critical analytic way that can debate with experts and scholars.

Prince William of England announced that he was visiting Palestine. As Palestinian authority in Ramallah was welcoming him in the Capital Bubble introducing falafel and entertaining him with Dabkeh. Malak made this visit worthy of seeing a Palestinian.

Not her mother’s connections, not the abandoning father had any effect in what happened next…

The royal prince meets with the young Palestinian woman… Malak…

Malak decided that she wanted to meet the Royal Prince. To talk about Jerusalem, about her dreams and expectations. About the obstacles and reservations of this place. About being Palestinian… About being educated, knowledgeable… about being a free human being.

She emailed the consulate and put herself on offer… and not surprisingly her message was received with a welcome that provided her with a meeting with the prince.

Malak showed that Cinderella exists, even though all the shoes that were following the prince inside the mysterious land of Ramallah only taught him the stepsisters (PA), whom the stepmother (Israel) tried to influence the Prince in seeing Palestine..

We need a generation with Malak’s mindset towards freedom. An age that is keen to know. An era that turns obstacles into creative solutions, and difficulties into paths.

We need a generation of Palestinians who believe in themselves, and set their own goals and move towards fearlessly, courageously and competitively ….like Malak.

This Is the Quintessential Trump Lie

This Is the Quintessential Trump Lie:

seandotpolitics:

Donald Dumbass claimed to the press that one of the reason he was so desperate to meet with Kim Jong Un was so that he could arrange to have the remains of American soldiers killed during the Korean War (1950-1953). “Thousands” of parents of those fallen soldiers had asked him on the campaign trail to bring back their remains.

This is truly a vintage Trumpian lie. As many have pointed out already… those parents would be a minimum of 101 years old today. More likely, they’d be at least 110. The idea that multiple 110-year-old people came up to Donald Trump on the campaign trail to ask him to bring home the remains of their son killed on North Korean soil 63 years prior is just absurd…

In that way, this is a quintessential Trumpian lie: totally shameless, easily verifiable as false, and rooted in the notion that “many people”—who are never defined further, and who you’ll never be able to find—are telling the president something that he just happens to agree with himself.

In Gaza: why do they choose suicide over martyrdom?

In two days, two suicides in Gaza. Recently, suicide is growing among the young men of Gaza. Maybe women too, but statistics would not be shown when it comes to women committing suicide for sure.

Suicide brings with it a scandal . to the person who commits it, to his family and it is a severe issue in any society. What makes anyone ends his life?

Two shocking stories from Gaza, A young Mahmoud brings an end to his life after a few months of marriage.

A detainee in Gaza’s Security forces of Hamas commits suicide just before he was released.

Well, the second story sounds more than just a suicide. But let us stick to the official account of the Islamic state of Hamas. The man committed suicide.

We also don’t have to think or even put our heads into imagination mode when thinking of what takes place on both sides of the Palestinian security forces. In this case, both fate hand Hamas have undoubtedly received the same training in torturing those who oppose their rules.

In the last months, suicides have been just increasing in the Gaza strip. Something that is, by all means, astounding for two reasons, the first is cultural and religious; suicide is something that is denounced entirely and hated. Those who end their lives with death maintain a terrible end inside the society and of course on God’s end. One cannot walk in his funeral, and they are denounced religious burial and families cannot announce public condolences.

The second reason which is tricky, why would anyone choose suicide when he can become a martyr. At least one can trick the society. He can maintain a salary for his family. A proper funeral that is well deserved by heroes, and of course the occupation and its trainee and trained soldiers are just a fence away in the weekly marches of return on the borders of Gaza.

Why would someone choose to take the scandalous way?

Why would someone choose to end his own life knowing he will be burning in hell as a believer, and his family will forever hold within his memories inside the society a scandalous attribution.

The answer is quite apparent…

Not only had these people gave up on life, but they have also given up on an afterlife. In a culture that holds its people to get wind with the afterlife, these people have lost it all. They don’t want the immortality that never gave them a proper life.

People are starving and getting to a level where death brings more mercy even when it is securely paved towards hell.

At the same time, these people have lost faith not only in their families, who cannot do anything to help. And maybe cannot be courageous enough to end their own miserable, worthless lives.

These people are at rage not only with a God that may have given up on them, but those performing rulers who use their lives and their deaths for their political means.

What one can only sense from such suicides is that these young people want to make sure that no one benefits from their deaths in any ruling faction.

It is frustrating, sad, and miserable… but somehow it is sadly speaking another act of great courage. To decide to challenge all including God… inside a life that is not giving but misery, and a natural consequence in death that cannot bring hope to smashed hopes of whatever is left under occupation and seized existence.

humansofnewyork:“Obama had been president for six days. The old…

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humansofnewyork:

“Obama had been president for six days. The old timers in the twelve-step program tell you to associate the memory with something, so that’s how I remember it. The weather was just like this, even though it was November. It was sixtyish degrees. I was sitting on a stoop, having my morning beer and cigarette, and feeling disgusted with myself. I was wheezing so bad that it felt like I’d swallowed a whistle. And I had this moment of clarity. I knew I was done. So I took a couple more swigs, threw the pack of Newports into traffic, and walked over to Project Renewal on 3rd Street. I’ll be ten years sober if I can make it until November 10th. That was my day. And it still is my day. Even if I fail, I’ll remember that on that day I succeeded. And if I did it then, I can do it again.”

لماذا ينتحرون….ولا يستشهدون؟

 

 

تكاثرت في الآونة الأخيرة حوادث الإنتحار في قطاع غزة على وجه الخصوص. بالأمس، قصتين لانتحارين مريبتين. الأولى لشاب عشريني تزوج قبل شهور معدودة وانتحر الآن. والأخرى لمعتقل سياسي كان على وشك الخروج ولكنه انتحر.

لن أحاول تكذيب قصة أمن حماس في الإدعاء أنه انتحر. سأتوقف عند الموضوع على انه حادث انتحار. فلا داعي لمحاولة معرفة ما يجري في معتقلات الأمن الفلسطيني بين أجهزته في فتح وحماس. فالحمدلله ..كلاهما في التعذيب والتنكيل بالمواطن المعترض سواسية!

سأحاول التركيز في سؤالي المحوري. لماذا يقدم الشباب على الانتحار ، في وقت يعرفون تماما أن هذا العمل يخرجهم من دائرة الآخرة بارتقاب جنة ، والعيش في نار لا تقل جحيما عن عيش الدنيا.

لماذا ينتحرون وأمامهم فرصة الشهادة؟ فقناصة الإحتلال على بعد أمتار عن السياج في مسيرات أسبوعية.

في مرحلة العمليات الإستشهادية قبل أكثر من عقد، خرجت مقولات أن الكثير من الشهداء يخرجون إلى العمليات بدل الإنتحار. قد تكون حسبة كاسبة لمن يريد الإنتحار ، يخرج بماء الوجه على الأقل في الدنيا كشهيد ، وأمر انتحاره يكون بين يدي خالقه.

ولكن الآن ، يبدو من الصعب استيعاب لجوء الشباب المتدين جدا في غزة ، والذي يخشى المطوعين في الأماكن العامة ويضبط تصرفاته لإحكامها نحو طريق الآخرة، للإنتحار.

ما الذي كفر به هؤلاء الشباب؟

في السابق كانت فكرة الإنتحار عن طريق الإستشهاد ،إذا ما كانت حقيقة ،مصاغة وأقرب إلى الفهم. فعندما تتساوى الحياة تحت الإحتلال بالموت ، يكون اختيار الموت من أجل آخرة يكون المرء فيها بمنزلة الشهداء، اختيار ذات منطق ، لمن يؤمن بأن الموت في سبيل الوطن شهادة تدخله الى الجنة.

ولكن ما الذي يجري الآن ، عندما يتنازل هذا الإنسان عن دنياه وآخرته بضربة مميتة ومهينة. يعاقب فيها نفسه وعائلته ووطنه ودينه؟

شباب غزة هؤلاء الذين يقفون بكل بسالة أمام اضطهاد الإحتلال وخنق الحصار ،بقوام مبتورة ليقولوا للعالم كلمة حق أمام باطل غاشم. لماذا ينتحر شبابهم وأمامهم فرصة الموت كشهداء أمام العالم؟

في الجهة المقابلة من الإضطهاد، عندما تعلن جهات الأمن في أجهزة حماس انتحار مقتقل لديها ، كيف تروج لهكذا ثقافة؟ ثقافة مكروهة ومرفوضة من قبل الديانات جميعها وتنبذها الطبيعة أمام ما وهبنا به من حياة.

هل بات الإنتحار لهذا المعتقل أهون من العيش أمام ما رآه في الإعتقال؟

عندما نرى تزايد الانتحار في غزة ، فالمؤشر الواضح نحو انفجار بدأ لا يحتاج إلى تحليل.

عندما يصل الشاب إلى مرحلة لا يهتم فيها لما سيحدث له بعد الموت ، لا بد أن هذا الشاب عاش جحيما لا يمكن تحمله، ونار جهنم بالكاد يكون فيها تغيير بالنسبة لجحيمه المعاش.

عندما يفقد الشاب انتماءه لدين تربى وعاش وآمن به وكان جزء لا يتجزأ من تكوينه .

عندما يفقد الشاب شعور الأسى لمن سيترك وراءه من أحبة سيعيشون في عار الانتحار.

عندما لا يأبه الشاب بجسده الهالك وعدم الصلاة عليه وإقامة الجنازة من أجل راحة روحه.

عندما يختار الشاب أن ينتحر لا أن يستشهد في وقت الشهادة فيه سهلة ومتاحة…

فإن هذا أكثر هولا مما نتخيله.

ما يحاول هؤلاء إرساله لنا من رسائل..نحن معشر البشر القابعون خلف جدار الحصار ولا نفهم منه الا بعض الشعارات ، أن الموت بجحيمه الأكيد صار أرحم من الحياة.

لم يعد هؤلاء الشباب يشترون آخرة بسبعين حورية وجنات نعيم وأنهار من الخمور. لقد تركوا وعود الجنة مقابل شهادة متاحة في زمن يصدر فيها الحكام صكوك الغفران باسم الله.

لقد فقد الشباب هؤلاء ثقتهم بكل ما يمكن أن يربطهم بالدنيا والآخرة. يريدون قطعها نهائيا . كفروا بكل شيء .. حتى بعدل عاشوا حياتهم القصيرة ينتظرونه بآخرة.

ما يحدث مؤلم ، موجع ، مفجع….

حوادث الإنتحار هذه مصيبة أكبر من مصاب الحصار والاحتلال… الإنتحار يعكس حالة نذهب إليها ، بعضنا تداركها فانتحر… وبعضنا كفر فألحد… وبعضنا خرج عن دينه وإيمانه وأدمن على التريموديل والسموم.. وبعضنا هج ورحل… وبعضنا رمى نفسه في قوارب الموت عل البحر يكون فيه نجاة من هشيم حياة الحصار…. وبعضنا رمى طوبة الوطن وأغلق على نفسه بيته وتنسك بانتظار موت رحيم.

ما يحاول هؤلاء قوله…. أنهم كفروا بمن يديرون هذا الوطن ، وسيؤثرون على جحيم من رب البشر على استنزاف واستحواذهم لمماتهم كما استنزفوهم بحياتهم.

إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون.

فلتكن رحمة الله عليهم…

 

Steve Schmidt Denounces, Then Leaves The Republican Party

Steve Schmidt Denounces, Then Leaves The Republican Party:

crooksandliars:

Steve Schmidt Denounces, Then Leaves The Republican Party

The Republican Party has become the party of Trump, “corrupt, indecent and immoral.” And that Ronald Reagan would have been ashamed of McConnell and Paul Ryan (debatable), and that they had disgraced the party of Lincoln (nevermind that it hasn’t been that in well over a century). Much of this Schmidt has said before. What is new, however, is that he’s now aligning himself with the Democratic Party, saying: “This Independent voter will be aligned with the only party left in America that stands for what is right and decent and remains fidelitous to our Republic, objective truth, the rule of law and our Allies. That party is the Democratic Party.”

Source: The Hill

Republican strategist Steve Schmidt, one of the GOP’s loudest critics of President Trump, renounced the party early Wednesday and announced that he will begin voting for Democrats.

Schmidt slammed Trump in a Twitter thread, saying he was leaving the party that once ended slavery.

29 years and nine months ago I registered to vote and became a member of The Republican Party which was founded in 1854 to oppose slavery and stand for the dignity of human life. Today I renounce my membership in the Republican Party. It is fully the party of Trump.

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