From Gaza, with Love: A Quest for Freedom

Saturday, June 14, 2008

A Quest for Freedom

Gaza those days
no fuel -no power-no gas
it was not nice of me, not to update my blog, and to keep you informed about my life in Gaza, but iam sure you can understand me very well, specially that you all know by now that writing for me is a state of truth, and deep feelings, I write because I want you to know the truth about my life in Gaza, and also to feel that I am still alive and I have not been converted ,to an object or number!
I write to keep the link between myself and the outside world , the normal natural world ,with a deep feeling that I am like all of us in Gaza , we don’t belong to this world any more .
we don’t belong to this silent impotent world , when we have been converted to a piece of news , small pieces of news, that attract the world attention and sympathy , for short while , and the siege continues and different crimes against humanity are daily committed by the occupation collective punishment , and by us as Palestinians , when we fail to over bridge the gap between Fath and hamas(the two largest parties in Palestine ) in order to reach an agreement , so we can confront the occupation , and focus on non violent resistance, to reach our national goals of freedom and self-determination , when peace that is based on justice prevail.
Hearing about Gaza is much different than living in Gaza

So please allow me to accompany t you in a tour, during one of my days in Gaza
WEDNSDAY 11th of June 2008
Today I felt so pleased , I felt that I own the whole world in my hands , when I managed to fill my car with 10 litres of petrol!!!!!!!!!!, oh my god how our goals has been minimised to satisfy such a basic need in this modern world , bearing in mind that , I did not fill my car with petrol since 6th of April 2008, so am sure that you can imagine my childhood happiness , but my next problem followed soon !what shall I do with this fortune of petrol ?shall I go to see my sister in Khan-yunis ?oh it is far away, (22 klm away) I thought ! I will waste the petrol)
Shall I go to the New Horizon centre in Nussierat ?
Shall I go to jabalia ?Assria centre
Alawda hospital ?
Red crescent society in Gaza
In the end I decided not to use my car , and keep it for emergencies.
And I continued walking to the red crescent society , I also kept my mask on my nose , so I don’t smell the cooking oil smell that is filling the streets of Gaza those days …………
Back to my apartment
I walked back to my apartment , walking supposed to be nice blessing , but not in a very hot summer day!!!!!!!!!!

I don’t have cooking gas at my flat, and don’t know how long it will take when I can manage to get one cylinder of this gas
I am lucky I have electrical cooker too!!!!!!!!!!!
I returned home to find the electricity cut off!!!!!!!!!

While it is getting dark and I am ,Feeling bored, hot tired, frustrated I decided, not to lit the candles and went to sleep very early.

, and hoped that ,I will have nice dreams not night mares ,How come I don’t know ??How can I have nice dreams when all the circumstances say that I shouldn’t!!!!!!!!!

In the morning
As I walked up in the morning

I told myself: they will never succeed to break up my will and stamina; they will never be able to crush my soul and determination to be part of the change I want to see in the whole world, not only Palestine

With this positive feeling I went to the Red Crescent Society, to follow up the arrival of medications to Gaza, from MECA, with the kind donation from the American people, who dream of peace and justice, and work hard till this day come true.
Yours for
Freedom
Return
Peace –
Justice
–truth
Mona

30 Comments:

Keep your head up high Mona, one day soon I hope the world will address the plight of the Palistinian people.
fredio.

By fredio, at 6/14/2008 4:30 PM
Yu may view this as a naive question but why doesn't friendly Egypt let humanitarian supplies get to the Gazans through their border with the Gaza Strip?

By Jonfen, at 6/14/2008 11:59 PM
At last! Take care and go on. I' thinking of you.

By sombraluz, at 6/15/2008 12:07 AM
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Source: Schaffer Library of Drug Policy

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Source: USA Hemp Museum
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By jsknow, at 6/15/2008 12:34 AM
It is terrible what happens in Gaza.
It feels very difficult when the normal necessities of life are not there when you want to use them.
It's a shame what Israel is doing except the jewish people who want to do the good things for the Palestinian people.
And I hope there will come some day
that human rights wil be respected.
I wish you a lot of courage

By Frida, at 6/15/2008 10:03 PM
I am SO GLAD you're alright!!!

I am of course followig on a daily basis whatever there coming out from Gaza - which is not much. All we hear is from the main media-centers and they are biased, nothing new.

I have talked with Adham from Jabalia some ten days ago ... he described the situation. It's hard to believe people can do that to ... people! It's sheer horror ...

STAY STRONG Mona ... we are with you! Your updates are SO IMPORTANT!

MANY HUGS!!

By Karin, at 6/16/2008 5:50 PM
Dear Mona,
We are many outside Palestine following your blog and I am happy to see you back. You became the proof of the steadfastness and courage describing the real Palestinian people, and you should know that you are admired. Take care of yourself and the family. Best regards from Kristin

By kristo56, at 6/17/2008 2:24 AM
Egypt's government are PUPPETS of the west, like so many countries in the region, that is why they do not help.
That is why there are terrorist attacks in these countries, puppet governments or corrupt kings, they all are in their position either because of western interests which get them into power or they oppress their people so they can stay in power and line their pockets along with the west.

The countries which are not slaves to the west are nearly always called rogue states and a danger to the west.. you should all know the pattern by now.
As for the others not being able to intervene, how can any country do anything against Israel, with their undeclared arsenal of nukes, this "ROGUE STATE" which has NOT signed the non proliferation treaty, does not have weapons inspections and is a brutal occupying force?

By beany, at 6/19/2008 10:09 PM
Hi Doctor-

Congratulations! Your post from June 14, 2008 titled “A Quest for Freedom” has been selected as our Post of the Day on “The Rising Blogger”. It is a site that awards posts, not blogs. We will email your winning badge to post in your sidebar and all our info, if you contact us with your email address. To encourage your readers to comment on your award, it helps if you make the first comment on our post about your blog, yourself. We ask winners to nominate a post favorite of a fellow blogger. Call it “paying it forward”. Neither is a requirement. You have won this award because we truly feel you deserve it. To reach “The Rising Blogger” site:

http://therisingblogger.blogspot.com

Have a great week!
Judd Corizan
The Rising Blogger

By JHS, Esq., at 6/20/2008 1:52 AM
Hi Mona.
I am from babol, iran.
yes, Hearing is much different than living. we can't understand. we only read newspapers.
bye to hi...

By ahmad, at 6/20/2008 1:53 AM
A good lesson. I enjoyed reading this, although I'm sorry for your struggles.

By Charles Gramlich, at 6/20/2008 2:50 AM
Dear Mona

We would like to see pacific resistance from the palestinians;
we would like to see demonstrations of palestinians who whish to achieve peace with iSRAEL (like we see ones from israelis who gathered to protest again the situstion);
We would like to see the Hamas stop firing his rockets
We would like to see Hamas and Fatah start trying to build a decent society instead of asking the destruction of Israel.
Believe me if Hams stops the violence, Israel will act differently...maybe you should ask once the Hamas to stop thinking in terms of violence et martyrs.

Alain

By Alain Eskenazi, at 6/24/2008 3:44 PM
You support Hamas, you support war, reap the harvest. You get no pity from me.

By Unknown, at 6/24/2008 9:00 PM
hope for freedom, happiness and humanities...

By Sahand1986, at 7/02/2008 9:20 PM
jonfen, that's a very good question. Why is Israel, the enemy, expected to help the Gazans while their Arab brethren in Egypt do nothing? Same reason why the Pseudostinians were never resettled by the Arab states but kept to languish in camps.

By Avi, at 7/06/2008 6:57 PM
could the availability of solar panels provide a solution to the fuel/energy problem in Gaza?

By Anonymous, at 7/11/2008 9:49 PM
Tell me, are you going to condemn Kuntar and assert that celebrating someone like that as a hero is moral inversion without any "well buts" or other justifying explanations? There is no justification for Kuntar shooting the father and then murdering his four year old daughter with a rifle butt. The Lebanese celebrations of his return and Hamas handing out sweets to celebrate it are barbaric and revolting.

You don't like to post items that flatly state that Hamas is a moral inversion, so I don't think you'll post this. But between you and me, if you want to assert human rights of Palastinians in Gaza, you'd better assert the human rights of Jews, too. Otherwise you'll be just another tribalist who thinks anything done to your people is horrible and anything done to Jews is just fine.

You can join the tribalists who slaughtered Muslims in Bosnia, Tutsi in Rwanda, Hindus in Pakistan, Jews in WWII, Armenians in Turkey, Turks in Greece. But don't think you're any better than them.

By Unknown, at 7/17/2008 12:26 AM
in future al will be alright, that will be very soon,i pray for u and poor palestine peoples, bcz media does not support to reveal the incidents actually happening in palestine, take care,
wassalam

By Yakoob Jabbar, at 7/17/2008 3:40 PM
Demotix- The Citizen Wire

Dear Mona

You're site is fantastic. We hope you might see a cross over with what we're launching!

Demotix is a website for user-generated news, and a citizen ‘wire’ service. Think of it like Flickr or YouTube, but only for original photo/video news. You tell us what is going on, we tell the worldwide web and the world’s mainstream media. As of now, www.demotix.com is live.

Why are we doing it?
We believe citizen journalism – well-managed – can be a tremendous force in political participation, civil society, and freedom of speech around the world. And we believe the media needs rescuing.

• Only four US newspapers have foreign news desks (the NY Times, LA Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal), and there are only 141 US foreign correspondents currently working today (in print and broadcast media)
• In the UK, a 2006 study of the broadsheets showed that more than 50% of the news was directly attributable to press releases
• The world’s media (over 90%) relies on the wire services – the Associated Press and Reuters – for their news. But some 80 countries, or 40% of the world’s nations, have no bureau from either agency.
The news is shrinking daily. We hope Demotix can plug that gap, and more.
We hope to be giving a megaphone to the man and woman in the street with a story to tell. We hope to be able to change the news map – bringing real, raw, original information from countries and about issues the mainstream media haven’t touched in years.

Eventually we hope that Demotix will be THE place where anyone in the world can go, in safety, to upload news – major, minor, local, cultural, political, social... We already have agreements with the Daily Telegraph, Newsweek, La Repubblica, Prospect and others – and will now supply them with a daily wire and picture feed of 'citizen' news. We have also built partnerships with Amnesty, Reporters Sans Frontieres, Witness and many others.

But we need your help. We want to do in pictures/video what you do for text. If you think there is a cross-over and you like us, please write about us, link to us, spread the news. We're nothing without contributors, and your readers are exactly whom we want to be reaching out to. We can get their news out to the world, and in the process change what news is reported. And we'll charge the mainstream media for anything they use, splitting the fees 50:50 with our contributors.

Please be in touch! Are there other ways we might collaborate?

Huge Salaams,

Turi

Turi Munthe
www.demotix.com
cc@demotix.com

By Demotix, at 7/18/2008 1:03 AM
http://freedomguide.blogspot.com/2007/02/message-to-jew.html
http://freedomguide.blogspot.com/2007/03/table-of-contents-3062007.html
http://freedomguide.blogspot.com/2005/10/martial-law-survival-guide.html
http://freedomguide.blogspot.com/2007/11/second-american-revolution-victory.html

By J. Croft, at 7/30/2008 1:43 AM
This is a breaking news story in Pakistan after US FBI finally admit they hold Dr.Afia a women and her minor children as terrorists(after denying this for over 5 years).
Could you please publish this somewhere on your site.Thank you.
You may edit the comments where neccessary.

A Glorious Dawn…And A Better Day

To Dr.Afia Siddiqui - prisoner # 650 in American custody

Another dawn …another day,
Disgrace; insult is thrown our way;
Yet shamelessly on their golden perch
The spineless look - Oh how they sway!

As if there is no Lord above,
They with the devil-hand in glove;
Selling our dearest values and souls,
For gold and power – push and shove!

This crime you saw they so denied,
To filthy scum they sold the bride;
Yet the mighty Creator seeing it all
Unveils the gruesome act they hide!

Amongst ravenous wolves the fair one lies,
As from brutish hands she helplessly flies;
A suffering sister sane no more,
Her anguished screams - they rent the skies.

And this is all the pride you boast,
Our tormentors you daily host !
But yesterday we shared the cup,
- And today so far apart we coast ?

When comes a ‘Qasim’ to stem this rot?
Of Almighty Allah and His Messenger forgot!
Of cheaply selling our heritage which -
With submission and sacrifice was dearly bought.

And yet the strong will go their way,
As an ‘Iftikhar’ keep the monsters at bay;
Afia! Our elders pray, while the braver fight -
For a glorious dawn…….. and a better day!

Authors Comments: I was motivated to write this poem after reading the shockingly monstrous, inhuman and criminally illegal way the US forces in Afghanistan have treated a Pakistani married women and her small children for the past 5 years.You can see the details of this at the Pakistani blog http://www.teeth.com.pk ; After repeatedly denying any knowledge of her whereabouts for the past 5 years the Americans have finally been forced to admit to their evil act because of the efforts of Mr.Moazzam Begg who recounted his experiences as a US prisoner in a book ; British Lord Nazeer; a British journalist Yvonne Ridley; and a number of human rights organizations (here is one press release you can read http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2008/2947/ ;)who have presented evidence of a certain prisoner-of-war known as Prisoner 650 who was in terrible medical condition within an American prison located in Afghanistan - and that they had reason to suspect that Prisoner 650 is Dr. Afia Siddiqui.

I ask readers of this poem to please join the cause to get her release by signing this petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/af258633/petition.html ……..and doing anything else to protest this American monstrosity- if you so wish.

May I request you to please give this appeal the widest circulation. We may yet save the US forces in Afghanistan from disgracing themselves and the American people even further .

By Hassan Abbas, at 8/04/2008 12:02 PM
Dear Mona,

I have been reading about the students trying to get Israel to give them visas to leave Gaza to study. I hate what is happening there, how Israel tries to rob the children and youth of hopes and dreams and security and a future. I hate how they try to make everyone feel unworthy and take away there dignity.

God tells me that every human being's life has value to God, and that includes every man, woman, and child in Gaza, and every Palestinian anywhere. Each of us is a special creation of God, made in his image, and loved by God. My prayers are that every person there knows this, that you all know how special and loved by God you all are, that you never forget this, and that you reach out to help each other and love each other and keep hope and faith and love and a desire for peace alive.

These are words from a song I wrote entitled Every Moment In Time, that I wrote, inspired by all of you in Gaza.

Every moment in time, there are choices to make
Do we follow the world or do we follow Christ?
When we wake up in the morning, do we think about God with our first breath
Do we thank God for the gift of life and the gift of his Son?
Do we think about the wonders of God's great love for us?
How he created this world and everyone in it, every man, woman, and child
With his own hands, he molded each one of us, into his own special creations
And he breathed life into each one of us
Do we think about the wonders of God's graet love for us?
How he sent into this world, his only Son
To die on the cross to save us from our sins
Do we think about Jesus, how he tells us to love God and love one another?
To seek to love God and others, the same way God loves us
Do we love one another the way Jesus asks us to do?

I lift up my hands to the skies
To worship you, my God
My father, my creator
I sing praises to you, my God
My Abba, my maker
I cry out my innermost yearnings and prayers
To you, my God
My Lord, my Savior
I love you my God, I am nothing with out you
You are my refuge and my strength
When I'm down, and my heart is breaking
And my tears flow into the night
I cry out to you, and you're always there
And you, reach down and you pick me up off the ground
You show me comfort and love
And with the morning light, you turn my pain into joy
You give me hope in hopeless situations
You give me impossible dreams to dream
And then you make them come true
How great are you, my God
How great are you, my God

Ending
Every moment in time, there are choices to make
None of us know how many moments we have left in our lives
But there is one think we all can do
We can seek to make a difference with our lives
And we can seek to live every moment for Christ

Love,

Sherri

By sherri, at 8/08/2008 7:35 AM
I love HAMAS

By sumenepku, at 8/08/2008 1:49 PM
Mona,

Do you know of an Organisation called Freegaza.org, this is a group of people who will try to take two boats to Gaza from Cyprus via international waters and bring the batteries for children's hearing aid. I think some of your readers are not aware that Israel is only allowing 8 basic goods into Gaza, and this excludes paper and most types of medicines and all types of spare parts for medical equipment. There is also a van full of medical supplies standing for several weeks now at the Rafah crossing that has been send by british charity Dove and Dolphin. Its chances of being let in are slim to none, but maybe it's rusting hulk will stir some media attention. You are very much in my prayers.

By Eva Jlassi, at 8/10/2008 5:54 AM
Dear Mona - thinking about you and your family! Hope you will write something soon...

All the best from Nora

By Nora, at 8/14/2008 12:41 PM
Please let us know you are well, you are not blogging, and we just hope that you are unable to reach internet.

By Eva Jlassi, at 8/19/2008 9:03 PM
Hi..This is my first time visiting here. And its seems exciting me.

"Love, like a river, will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle."

cheers,
tempe
hot romantic greeting cards

By Tempe, at 9/10/2008 7:13 PM
The Free Gaza movement should demonstrate AGAINST Hamas and FOR peace with Israel. Israel is still waiting for you, after 60 years. How much longer?

Israel is a loving country. Israelis want peace with you. Please ask Hamas to stop shooting rockets, return Gil'ad Shalit, recognize Israel's right to live, and Gazans will have a beautiful life. You'll be able to turn Gaza into a Singapore, a Manhattan, a Dubai, you'll be able to visit Israel and hopefully let Israelis visit you. So what do you choose? Hating Israel and living in misery or loving yourself and your children and finally recognizing Jewish rights to their land and living in peace and prosperity with them?

It is all up to the people of Gaza.

Choose to love the Jews and you'll be blessed.

Choose to hate the Jews, and they'll be forced to defend themselves against you. At your expense.

By Shai, at 10/28/2008 8:31 AM
I admire your cause and your strength. Keep your head up. Some of us in America are seeing your words and are standing beside you. Here's a hope for peace and resolution.

By syd w, at 8/08/2009 12:35 AM
Shai,

Peace requires a desire for it by both sides.

What Israel did in December and January in Gaza, slaughter 1400 human beings, over 90% of whom were innocent civilians,these are not the acts of a peace loving people and are not acts of self defense.

They are acts of a people motivated by hate of other human beings, not love for them.

God blesses those who love Him and one another, not those who hate and hurt and kill other human beings.

Blessings from God do not belong soley to Jews, nor are God's blessings dependent on loving the Jews.

I do not think anyone's religion teaches that.

We do not live to glorify Jews or Israel or any human beings or nations, we live to glorify God.

Sherri Munnerlyn

By sherri, at 10/07/2009 1:02 PM

From Gaza, with Love

Saturday, June 14, 2008

A Quest for Freedom

30 Comments:

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