The bombardment of Gaza: A never ending story

Whilst in the procedure of planning and finalizing the finishing touches of this blog remaining professional and not emotionally attached to the content portrayed was probably the hardest obstacle during the formation of this piece. The horrific pictures one has to witness on a daily basis of little children being shredded into pieces with missing limbs scattered around the Gaza strip has the power to touch even the most stubborn of people in society. From the resignation of Baroness Warsi to even Nick Clegg turning against his master, people are starting to realize that this brutal oppression against the people of Gaza is barbaric and intolerable. This is why my emotions run very high as I visited Palestine not long ago during the summer vacation to witness firsthand the conditions Palestinian Arabs were living under the rogue State of Israel.  As many may be aware travelling to and from the Gaza strip is near impossible due to the land and sea blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt in 2007, so my ambitious dream to visit this besieged land was safe to say short lived. However I was fortunate enough to travel around the West Bank only to find out the existence of an subsidized oppression enforced upon the Palestinian Arabs in their own semi autonomous territory. If you thought apartheid ended in South Africa then you are terribly wrong. I myself remember walking in route ‘H1’ in the city of Hebron (West Bank)  where the settlers were situated in luxurious houses with lush surroundings thanks to her majesty the queen and her burgundy passport whilst my Palestinian friend whom I was going to meet on the other side had to walk through ‘H2’ simply because he was an Arab. The consequences of him accompanying me were too great to risk. Many other factors which slowly unveiled during my week long stay really started to play in my mind questioning myself if this is how the Israeli authorities are treating the people of west bank whom they have a ‘friendly’ relation with i.e. the PA (Palestinian authority led by Mahmoud Abbas), Then God have mercy on the people of Gaza.

Historically speaking the current 2014 bombardment of the Gaza strip is one of many attacks deployed by the Israeli state. In the years 2008-2009, 2012, the Gaza strip has witnessed disproportionate bombings carried out by the IDF (Israeli defense forces) targeting civilian population and institutions. With each year having its own story, the one thing that remained the same is the density of Gaza strip which sparks international debate questioning whether these bombings are war crimes. The Gaza strip is the most densely populated place on earth deprived of basic necessities as it economy is hampered by the Israel-Egypt blockade. With 70% of the population living under the poverty line, this open air prison when bombed has devastating repercussions as mass innocent civilians are prone to death if not almost guaranteed. With not even UN school shelters left to spare that were built under the consensus of the international community for the well-being of the Gazan children, the Palestinian people find themselves in an awkward position as they cannot flee to a neighbouring country to escape the ‘crossfire’. I put the word crossfire in inverted commas because according to the Israeli chain of events their sole objective is to target Hamas affiliated locations whilst anyone caught in between is a result of ‘tragic’ crossfire. Personally every time I witness Israeli officials such as Mark Regev taking up a moral high ground using words like ‘tragic’ on BBC or Sky news makes me cringe as clearly there is a hidden agenda behind why coincidentally there are over 1,100 people dead and the infrastructure of Gaza bought down to turmoil. I also find it hard to comprehend how children playing football on the beach can possibly pose as a threat towards the IDF.

Meanwhile as the death toll rises beyond belief Israel continue to dismiss their war crimes by diverting the blame to Hamas or collateral damage.  With the military prowess Israel possesses surely they should be efficient in the manner they carry out their bombings, not that I am endorsing the Gaza bombardment but rather questioning Israel intentions behind its operations.  Funding from America is close to utopia with a staggering 3 billion dollars per year dedicated to military aid over the span of 10 years. Modern warfare technologies such as drones and intercontinental ballistic missiles (one of many perks being the puppet of America) provide Israel the luxury to hit their targets at ease however as I mentioned earlier the death toll in Gaza does not correlate with the military capability Israel boasts about. Yes to clear the elephant in the room Hamas are also firing rockets across the border but do they have an iron dome system to defend itself? How many Israelis have actually died apart from the Bedouin Arab Israeli citizen? Does Hamas have the right to resistance? These are all pressing issues that need to be addressed around the table diplomatically with viable international actors. Egypt for a start is ironically distressing to see hosting the peace talks but that’s a debate for another time.

On that note I urge all my readers to make the most of our resources around us for the sake of people just like me and you who ponder every day whether they will see a new day after sunset. Anything from persuading your friends to join demonstrations or even writing to your local MP addressing where you stand and what should be done about this perpetual issue will strengthen the  collective struggle we face towards the solidarity of Palestine. Utilizing the democracy we live in is vital because as a society we are all responsible to hold our Government into account and to prevent complacency on an issue millions feel deeply about. Remember the Gaza crisis is not a issue of religion but a matter of humanity.

By Mohammad Jakir Hossain

The forgotten art of solitude- discover that stranger hiding inside of you

One evening, as I was sat alone entertaining my own thoughts of what the future may hold, I saw my little sister repeatedly come into the room, sit down, and then leave. I asked her if she’s ok, and to that she responded, “I want to keep you company because no one likes to be lonely”. That was a bitter sweet moment for me, a moment when reality and realisation hit hard. It dawned upon me that my sister, 10 years of age, is part of a generation where independent thought, dare I say, has ceased to exist. Or in the less hyperbolised form become an endangered species. Where separation from external social interaction is deemed undesirable and distressing. Where solitude and loneliness have intertwined to become one.

And yet, do I blame them? These children are being raised by the virtual world, whereby virtual social interaction has become an involuntary lifelong commitment and opinions are based on what’s received the most likes or the most retweets. Smart phones are easily accessible and every application under the sun is available to interact with friends and strangers (the dangers of that being obvious. That’s a story for another day). We adults too have fallen into that trap of escapism. We would download any app, any game (angry birds), anything, just anything to do so we don’t have to be left to our thoughts. Society has entered the state of being ‘alone together’. We are all alone, yet interact together to keep us from ourselves; therefore alone together. We can tell you what he ate or where she went on holiday or what his religious view is or what her political opinions are, yet we hesitate to answer the most basic question of all: “Tell me about yourself…?”

Considering I have spent the past 19 years living with myself, it always alarms me how blank my mind goes whenever I’m asked that question. Suddenly my existence boils down to name, age, religion, nationality and studies. If you dig deeper I might even throw in my family. But that is all. And yet it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. Instantly, a problem arises, and it is that we have failed to attempt to connect with ourselves the same way we do with others. To many of us, the social front we maintain outside the home and the person we become at home is in someway an indication of a mild form of bipolar. But that isn’t the root of the problem. The root is that we are strangers to our own selves. That is why our reactions to situations can very often surprise or even shock us. It’s because we are harbouring a stranger within our walls that we know nothing of. Apart from the name, age, religion, nationality and studies. And if you dig deeper they might throw in their family too.

However, unfortunately this stranger doesn’t have whatsapp, and isn’t going to open up to you at 3 am and expose their deepest darkest secret. This stranger is more challenging to connect with, and requires your utmost attention and concentration. Only through that connection with the stranger will you unmask the many layers of your very complex entity.
But how? I’ve struggled with that question for years too. How do I connect with myself? As much as I like the sound of my own voice, and as appealing as conversing with myself seems, it wasn’t the way forward. Nor was locking myself in a dark room for a day the solution. I realised that this was going to be a gradual process. For starters, time alone. Take a walk. No friends, no phone and no iPod. Just you vs. the world. Clear your mind of others and their lives and opinions and dramas. Think simple thoughts. Identity is a critical aspect that shapes our entire being, so ask yourself, or rather your estrange self the question “tell me about yourself…?”, and begin to listen to the answers through your thoughts. Expand and continue beyond your usual response. Branch out and keep digging deeper. Much deeper than usual. You’ll be surprised what your mind has to say about you!
Throughout every opportunity you have to be in solitude, whether it’s some time alone on the sofa or a stroll in the park, attempt to engage with your emotions. Think long and hard about what makes you happy, what upsets you, what irritates you, what fascinates you. Discover and understand yourself emotionally, and believe me, it’ll become much easier for others to understand you too. Understanding our emotions and triggers for certain feelings will help in maintaining emotional stability and control, and will also come close to eliminating any embarrassing or otherwise surprising outbursts in the future. Stability in character can only be achieved through understanding ones place in the universe, what our needs are and what our wants are and what our aspirations are, and emotions have a vital part to play in all of this.

In Allah SWT alone is dependency of any nature, including emotional, leading to contentment. This beautiful ayah comes to mind; “Indeed in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” However, when we place our dependency on other sources, and we become emotionally dependent upon people as a source of happiness, we have put ourselves in a venerable and destructive position. Dependence on others for happiness and maintaining a ‘social high’, feeling happy in the company of people, can lead to bouts of depression or intense feelings of distress and loneliness when alone. Be the source of your own happiness through achieving goals and reaching targets. Discover and delve deeply into them to seek contentment with ourselves and internal fulfilment. Of course I am no psychologist, just a normal person going about her daily life trying to discover her inner stranger.

So back to my sister, who inspired all of this midnight thought process. In an attempt to repair a yet feeble impressionable mind, I began explaining to her that being ‘alone’ and ‘lonely’ is not the same thing. Of course, without expecting her to have understood any of it, I still proceeded to highlight the importance of balance, and how alone time is good for our internal wellbeing. Looking back at me with confused eyes she asked “will this make sense when I’m older?” I sure hope it does.

The Four (Groups of) Palestinians

The Four (Groups of) Palestinians.

The Four (Groups of) Palestinians

I am sure by now that more or less everyone is aware of the 66 year old land dispute between the Jews in the then newly formed state of Israel and the native Arabs known as the Palestinians, which up to 700, 000 were forced to flee their homes to make way for the new Jewish settlers in this new state. The Arabs who lived in what was known as the British mandate of Palestine before 1948 (The birth of Israel) are those who have come to be known as the Palestinian People, but who are they? where are they now and what living conditions do they live in?

Israeli Arabs

These are the Palestinians who were not evicted from their houses or chose to stay in what then became the state of Israel, in general they are Arab citizens of the state of Israel and receive the majority of rights other Israeli citizens are granted, however there are some rights that they are not fully entitled to. Amongst the Arab citizens of Israel are the Druze, who are a religious sect separate from Islam. Male Druze Israelis are conscripted into the Israeli Army by law and are not given any exemptions. Many Druze see themselves as proud Israelis who are serving their country and often do not agree with the idea of them having a Palestinian identity, but often it could be the total opposite. There are also the Arab Bedouin citizens of Israel who themselves are of a different set of culture than other Palestinians and their daily lives are generally focused around their nomadic lifestyle, this means that at times these Bedouins do not associate themselves or feel alienated from their greater Palestinian identity, as a result there are a number of Bedouin conscripts into the Israeli army. The Bedouins themselves face many problems as a minority population within the state of Israel, they currently face the Prawer plan which is a plan to uproot all Bedouin out of their unregistered temporary villages into registered towns accounting to an unprecedented land loss as well as a destruction of the Bedouin lifestyle. Other Israeli Arabs are mainly of Muslim and Christian descent and are scattered across the north of Israel, although this demographic is not conscripted in the army by law , nevertheless they are at great disadvantage because they don’t have land purchasing rights or the right to settle anywhere else in Israel. Furthermore these Palestinian Arabs of Israeli citizenship cannot travel to most of the Arab and the Muslim world since their Israeli citizenship limits them as most of these countries do not recognise the Jewish State, in addition these Arabs fall outside the jurisdiction of a future Palestinian state if talks were to prove successful which is a huge blow to their national aspirations.

West bank Palestinians

These are the residents of the region which was annexed by Jordan in 1948 and then conquered by Israel in 1967, Although most of this population is under the Palestinian authority and account as citizens of a future Palestinian state; never the less they are at disadvantages in many counts. First of all they do not have the freedom of movement to travel in and out of what is now the state of Israel, in addition Palestinians moving between cities within the West bank have to face the hurdles of checkpoints between each major city. Palestinians in the west bank also have to live alongside Jewish settlers in the west bank who are bestowed a range of welfare as well as water security and a set of Settler only roads which Palestinians are forbidden to drive on or walk across. Many Palestinians in the West bank also do not live under the PA but Israeli military law where they are accustomed regular Israeli army raids and arrests.

Gazan Palestinians

This group probably has the biggest disadvantage than all other Palestinian groups, this group of 1.8 million, mainly children live in an incredibly crowded strip of land which accounts to 600km squared. First of all Gaza is blockaded by air land and sea by Israeli forces in addition the Narrow border with Egypt is also blocked by Egyptian forces. This means that Gazan live in the world’s largest open air prison, Gazans are unable to fend for themselves , they cannot fish in the Mediterranean because Israeli naval ships blockade it , there is a lack of water availability as well a lack of medical care, those who have great Injuries or in need of specialist medical assistance are often unable to due to the fact that Gazans cannot make it into Egypt due to the closed Rafah border crossing. If conditions couldn’t even become less humane the Gaza strip is prone to unprovoked Israeli aerial bombardment which the recent on going conflict resulting in more than a thousand Palestinian deaths is evidence of.

Palestinian Refugees outside of Palestine

These are often the forgotten ones , the 700,000 refugees that were forced to leave their homes to make way for the creation of Israel and their descendants. This population is scattered all over the world but the majority of them are straddling across Palestine’s immediate neighbours Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. While some of these still live in refugee camps in Jordan the majority of these are now citizens of the state , in fact the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is in fact more than 70% ethnically Palestinians, that having been said there are still many instances Palestinians fall as second class citizens in this state to Transjordanian Arabs. Nevertheless you could see how this is a world away from how Palestinian refugees suffer in Lebanon and Syria , in Lebanon three decades ago there was the infamous Sabra and Shatila massacre where extremist christian militants in Lebanon were aided by Israeli Army troops to desecrate an entire Refuge camps population. In fact this can be mirrored by the on-going conflict in Syria where the Palestinian refugee camp was blockaded by Syrian troops which resulted in the starvation of thousands of Palestinian refugees, in addition to this Palestinian refugees may never be granted the right of return if a Palestinian state was ever created in the future.