tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41681120312648567992024-02-20T13:54:36.190-08:00ALAH: Arab Lesbians Against HateFatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.comBlogger184125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-73455945068279244852013-02-01T18:29:00.001-08:002013-02-01T18:30:37.474-08:00Women's rights trampled under HamasThe decline of women's freedom, equality and human rights in Gaza under Hamas. Written by Asmaa al-Ghoul, a journalist and writer from Rafah.<br />
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<br />
Aqsa University, a public university in Gaza, has introduced an Islamic dress code for women. After being characterized for more than 20 years by political and intellectual diversity, female students are now bound to adhere to a strict dress code, including an abaya (cloak) and hijab (veil) while on campus. The decision has caused uproar and sparked heated debates.<br />
<br />
Dr. Naaman Ulwan, an independent academic and advisor for cultural affairs at Al Aqsa University, revealed to Al-Monitor that he did not know about the decision ahead of its announcement on Jan. 26, 2013. Ulwan affirmed that even if such decision was approved, it certainly complies with the conservative society of Gaza that does not tolerate attire showing women’s curves.<br />
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Dr. Faiq al-Naouk, advisor for managerial affairs in Al Aqsa University and the decision maker, expressly denied the “Taliban” aspect of this decision. He reiterated that it was unanimously approved two months ago and would be implemented at the beginning of the next semester, underlining that he was not a representative of Hamas in the university board.<br />
<br />
Naouk elaborated on the implementation process, stressing that it was a matter of “persuasion” not “coercion.” Female employees would stand at the front gate of the university to observe the students; any female with alluring apparel would be reprimanded, once or twice, until she abided by the decision. “If we were intransigent, I would not have received you while you were unveiled, but even though you weren’t veiled, we received you and gave you an interview. We are not extreme, we are moderate,” declared Naouk, addressing Al-Monitor’s reporter...<br />
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“Women’s rights in Gaza are regressing. Many decisions are being passed in secret and only become public by chance, such as the decision to destroy curriculum books that are thought to be morally corrupting, in addition to the imposition of the hijab in schools and the prohibition of female participation in folklore dancing. When Hamas officials are asked about these matters, they always end up finding shallow justifications,” said feminist activist Dunia al-Amal Ismail.<br />
<br />
Ismail contends that whenever women call for change and an improvement in their social situation, they are asked to put their demands on hold under the pretext that it is not the right time; the people are fighting the Israeli occupation. Ismail, however, notes dangerous changes being made by the government pertaining to the endorsement of the penal code without informing the feminist movement. Causes like gender equality are seen as a western product and feminist movements are thought to contradict Islamic feminism. “Accusations are heaped upon the feminist movement, even though the struggle it led — on the level of amending laws and imposing quotas for women — has ushered in the participation of Hamas’ women in the legislative council,” she added...<br />
<br />
Article 18 of the 1936 penal code, applicable in the Gaza Strip and used by judges to mitigate the sentence of a murderer who kills his daughter, wife, mother, sister or relative in the name of “honor” states the following: <b>“Any person who commits a crime to defend himself or another person or their money, honor or pride shall benefit from a reduced sentence.”</b><br />
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Haroun says that the issue with the penal code is not limited to this article alone, but also includes several articles and provisions that should be amended. Several articles have been suspended because their modification requires a lot of effort. They are based on an old and hackneyed law and should be replaced by a unified Palestinian law in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.<br />
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Regarding the opinion of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs on gender, Haroun stated, “We are not fighting gender, but we are addressing women’s issues from an Islamic perspective. We are also investigating women’s real needs in Gaza, and we do not have to put up with anything that does not suit their situation and role. We have our own agenda and we are not infected with a Western phobia. We just take what is convenient for us and leave out what opposes our religion and Sharia.”<br />
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The regression of the situation of women in the Gaza Strip is not only obvious to female activists, but it is also clear from the figures of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for 2011. A total of 15% of families with a female majority suffer from extreme poverty in the Palestinian lands, with a rate of 20.6% in the Gaza Strip and 12.5% in the West Bank. In 2011, the unemployment rate among women reached 28.4% in the Palestinian lands compared to 13.8% in 2001. The highest and lowest rates of violence were reported in the Gaza Strip and Rafah district, south of the strip, and were respectively 58.1% and 23.1%.<br />
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Director of the Women’s Affairs Technical Committee, Nadia Abou Nahla, mentioned in a meeting with Al-Monitor, held at the committee’s headquarters that “the statistics of the Palestinian system show a slow but clear increase in the participation of Palestinian women in the overall workforce. The numbers show a rise from a maximum of 12% in 2006 to 16% in 2011, as opposed to over 85% male participation. It is noteworthy that Palestinian society has the highest rates of female graduates and higher education in the Arab world. However, these rates contradict those showing the presence of women in the workforce, which can be attributed to the traditional mindset of Palestinian society regarding women and their role.<br />
<br />
Abou Nahla affirmed that the female employment rate in the government of Hamas reached 35% — a relatively high rate considering the fact that it is political employment. The same can be applied to the West Bank, which has taken several decisions and issued laws independently in this regard. Significantly, however, most of the decisions were in line with women’s rights, but only in the context of the annulment of the article that reduces the murderer’s sentence in honor crimes.<br />
<br />
Abou Nahla clarified that, obviously, there was a decline in honor crimes in Gaza Strip in 2012. Only three cases were reported, relative to many more in the previous years. She believes that this is due to the police affirming their presence as the sole body entitled to implement the law. Moreover, there is now a safe shelter for women in danger — the “Aman” governmental center. She added, “Even if we disagree with the way this center deals with battered or abused women and with its religious orientation, we cannot deny that it is protecting women from violence and murder.”<br />
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Abou Nahla said, “The Hamas government took more than 200 decisions and issued legislative laws that were approved by the members, such as the amendment of the Law of Associations, including women’s associations. Granting permanent child custody for a widow was another amendment that mainly benefits Hamas women. As for the right of custody for divorced women, judges are dealing with it temperamentally. Other decisions include those of the virtue campaign related to wearing the veil and smoking water-pipes — an activity which hasn’t improved the situation of women but has influenced the idea of public liberties negatively.”<br />
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She said that the decision taken by the board of Al Aqsa University to impose a dress code was against the law, since it was taken without the knowledge of the university’s board of trustees.<br />
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Abou Nahla added, “It is true that unveiled women are a minority in Gazan society, but their rights should be protected in a pluralistic society. Consequently, any decision that violates the articles of the basic Palestinian law will be deemed illegitimate.”<br />
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Moreover, she considered that the Islamic women’s discourse stems from the idea of doing good and religious forgiveness; whereas the national pluralistic women’s discourse is issued by feminist movements in the Gaza Strip and is based on partisanship, change of concepts and spreading values of gender equality and justice. The first type trains women to memorize the Quran and the principles of obedience to men, while the second empowers them and teaches them self-defense and gender values.<br />
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Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/02/islamization-in-gaza-eroding-wom.html#ixzz2JhkCkAR6<br />
Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-59401612380016027572013-01-06T00:58:00.001-08:002013-01-06T00:58:11.333-08:00Jyoti Singh PandeyJyoti Singh Pandey<br />
<br />
Flying in face of the ban on revealing the identity of the Delhi braveheart, who succumbed to injuries sustained fighting off her six rapists, her father Badri Singh Pandey has given the permission to reveal her name: <br />
<br />
Jyoti Singh Pandey.<br />
<br />
In an interview to The Sunday People, the 53-year-old Badri said: “We want the world to know her real name. My daughter didn’t do anything wrong, she died while protecting herself. I am proud of her. Revealing her name will give courage to other women who have survived these attacks. They will find strength from my daughter.”<br />
<br />
Jyoti Singh Pandey.<br />
<br />
According to the Indian Penal Code, the disclosure of identity of the victim of certain offences etc. can be made<br />
a) by or under the order in writing of the officer-in-charge of the police station or the police officer making the investigation into such offence acting in good faith for the purposes of such investigation; or<br />
b) by, or with the authorisation in writing of, the victim; or<br />
c) where the victim is dead or minor or of unsound mind, by, or with the authorisation in writing of, the next of kin of the victim <br />
<br />
Jyoti Singh Pandey.<br />
<br />
The world will not forget your name.<br />
<br />
Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-37810744820884400892012-11-30T14:28:00.002-08:002012-12-05T20:54:05.622-08:0014 year old Afghani girl killed for refusing a marriage proposal.<br />
The attack happened Tuesday, a day before new legislation was introduced in Congress calling on the U.S. government to take steps to help protect Afghan women and girls as the U.S. military prepares to exit Afghanistan.<br />
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Gasitina, a student, was beheaded in the Imam Sahib district of Kunduz province. The attack was initially reported by local media, and was confirmed by Amnesty International researcher Horia Mosadiq in an email.<br />
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The girl was fetching water when she was accosted, according to reports. The men, who have not been identified, were arrested by police. The girl and her parents had refused a marriage proposal by one of the men, according to the Amnesty International report.<br />
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This was the 15th deadly attack on a female victim in Kunduz in 2012, the human rights organization said.<br />
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"Amnesty International is very concerned about the violations against women in Afghanistan," said Cristina Finch, director of the organization's Women's Human Rights program.<br />
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Amnesty reported a similar incident in October, when a young woman was murdered and her throat slashed. In that case, the woman apparently refused to work as a prostitute.<br />
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Although it appears such attacks are increasing in frequency, it may be that the world outside Afghanistan is just beginning to hear about them, Finch said.<br />
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On Wednesday, Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, and Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Republican from Texas, introduced the Afghan Women and Girls' Security Promotion Act. If passed in its current form, the bill addresses how women's security will be monitored as the U.S. military withdraws from the country.<br />
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The bill also calls for improved gender sensitivity among Afghanistan's national security forces and recruitment of women within the ranks of those forces.<br />
<br />
Amnesty International USA's executive director Suzanne Nossel applauded Casey and Hutchison for introducing the bill.<br />
<br />
"As the United States military transitions out of Afghanistan, Afghan women's human rights continue to be at grave risk and demand urgent attention," Nossel said in a statement. "The fate of women will be a crucial determinant of that country's prospects for a stable and prosperous future."<br />
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Straight from <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/afghan-girl-beheaded-refusing-man-marriage-proposal-185239042.html">yahoo</a>- at least it entering the mainstream press now.Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-14542673208288340882012-11-27T18:39:00.004-08:002012-11-27T18:41:05.033-08:00Not the typical IDF soldier's momAnet Haskia is not the typical mom of a soldier serving in the Israel Defense Forces. A Muslim Arab, who grew up in a mixed Arab-Jewish city in the north, Haskia is breathing a little easier this week.<br />
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For Haskia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision not to enter the Gaza Strip last week was "brave and right."<br />
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The mother of three children, with a 20-year-old IDF combat soldier, Haskia told Tazpit News Agency, that "many Israeli soldiers’ lives were saved thanks to that decision."<br />
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"Going into Gaza would have yielded success for the Hamas terrorists. Israel did what it had to do for the time being to stop the rocket attacks and played it smart."<br />
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Haskia who was born and raised in Akko, a mixed Arab-Jewish city in the Western Galilee in northern Israel, is openly vocal about her support for the Jewish State of Israel.<br />
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"I am proud to live in Israel," she says. "I am even prouder that both my sons have served as soldiers for this country."<br />
<br />
"If I was living in Gaza, I would have no rights as a woman under Hamas," explained Haskia. "And you can’t expect anything different—Hamas is a terror organization, they treat people like animals with no regard to human life. They will never hold democratic elections like they do in Israel."<br />
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"I’m open about these truths," adds Haskia. "The Arab MKs in the Israeli Knesset don’t represent me. The extremist left-wing in Israel also doesn’t represent me and others in my community who share my beliefs. Those corrupt politicians just contribute to hate, incitement and lies."<br />
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"When an IDF soldier is killed in combat, not one Arab MK will stand up and offer his condolences to the bereaved family," she exclaims. "These Arab MKs enjoy democratic rights but don’t appreciate them."<br />
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Anet explains that her attitude towards the Jewish state as a member of the Arab minority country stems from the fact that she was raised in a home that "respected both Hebrew and Arabic-speakers."<br />
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"When I grew up in Akko, we had good relations between Jewish and Arab families."<br />
<br />
"I realized early on that I wanted my children to advance in Israeli society. They studied in a private Jewish school on a kibbutz and were exposed to a different mentality. It was not an easy road, but I taught my children to always be proud of their identity and not to cry and whine like our politicians."<br />
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During Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense, Haskia did not just sit worried over what may happen to her son—the proud mom did her share to help Israel as well. "Over 12 years, Hamas has been firing rockets at Israeli civilians and all you see are photos of Gaza in the media. Some of those photos are fakes," Haskia pointed out.<br />
<br />
"I noticed many times in Arab media that 'Gaza' photos of bleeding civilians were actually photos from other Arab conflicts in the Middle East— Syria and Iraq for example. They were being used to incite hatred against Israel, so I started to post these fake photos and their origins on my Facebook wall."<br />
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Haskia, however, has political ambitions as well. "I want to be part of Israeli politics some day and make a change by representing my people politically. There are many people who are too scared to speak up, who love Israel like I do and have done well here. They want a future where their children will not fall to hatred and incitement, but overcome that. I want to be their voice," she concludes. <br />
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Originally published at <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4312531,00.html">YNET</a>Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-16191468864138333382012-11-09T19:54:00.003-08:002012-11-11T08:44:31.699-08:00The death of Shaima AlawadiIt was the cause celebre for some time. Until it wasn't.<br />
<br />
From the Huffington post:<br />
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March 24, 2012, EL CAJON, Calif. A 32-year-old woman from Iraq who was found severely beaten next to a threatening note saying "go back to your country" died on Saturday.<br />
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Hanif Mohebi, the director of the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he met with Shaima Alawadi's family members in the morning and was told that she was taken off life support around 3 p.m.<br />
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"The family is in shock at the moment. They're still trying to deal with what happened," Mohebi said.<br />
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Alawadi, a mother of five, had been hospitalized since her 17-year-old daughter found her unconscious Wednesday in the family's house in El Cajon, police Lt. Steve Shakowski said.<br />
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The daughter, Fatima Al Himidi, told KUSI-TV her mother had been beaten on the head repeatedly with a tire iron, and that the note said "go back to your country, you terrorist."<br />
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Addressing the camera, the tearful daughter asked: "You took my mother away from me. You took my best friend away from me. Why? Why did you do it?"<br />
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Police said the family had found a similar note earlier this month but did not report it to authorities.<br />
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Al Himidi told KGTV-TV her mother dismissed the first note, found outside the home, as a child's prank.<br />
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A family friend, Sura Alzaidy, told UT San Diego () that the attack apparently occurred after the father took the younger children to school. Alzaidy told the newspaper the family is from Iraq, and that Alawadi is a "respectful modest muhajiba," meaning she wears the traditional hijab, a head scarf. <br />
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Investigators said they believe the assault is an isolated incident.<br />
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"A hate crime is one of the possibilities, and we will be looking at that," Lt. Mark Coit said. "We don't want to focus on only one issue and miss something else." <br />
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_____________________<br />
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From CAIR<br />
CAIR-CA: UNSOLVED KILLING IS THE TALK OF IRAQIS' ENGLISH CLASS <br />
Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times, 4/2/12<br />
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El CAJON, Calif. -- This day's English lessons for Iraqi immigrants at Cuyamaca College involved learning how to talk about bad news.<br />
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From their text, "Day by Day: English for Employment Communication," the 25 students repeated dialogue wrapped around common occurrences: "I lost my wallet" and "My husband got fired from his job."<br />
<br />
But the students had a horrific piece of real news on their minds: the March 24 death of an Iraqi immigrant who had been bludgeoned with a tire iron in her home three days earlier. A note near her bloodied body called her a terrorist and told her to "go back to your country."<br />
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"They can't stop talking about it," said the instructor, Hayfa Dalali, an immigrant from Baghdad. "They just keep saying: 'She was a mother of five, from a nice family, in a safe neighborhood.'"<br />
<br />
Predictably, the unsolved killing of 32-year-old Shaima Alawadi has led to heightened concern among some women about their safety.<br />
<br />
But in this working-class suburb east of San Diego, the nation's second-most-populous community of Iraqi immigrants, the fear does not seem to spring from a belief that the killing was a hate crime committed by a predator stalking Iraqis. ...<br />
<br />
Officials of the San Diego branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council have urged residents not to jump to conclusions and to wait for the police to find the killer. So did Imam Sharif Battikhi at a memorial service for Alawadi at the mosque in nearby Lakeside<br />
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____________________________<br />
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There were vigils in her honor. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAternYDTJRZUjoyHzFmEWEJTY8oLFXA1hC0PyVwHUwpxUU217C9JLubw6y_KrnArmFodF1Iy6OKILGoTSAYmNute9DaFN208_RY-sxxTMvCNfC2gkL3yQDWaw3KAQtPosypmNBQ9_8pXK/s1600/hoodies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAternYDTJRZUjoyHzFmEWEJTY8oLFXA1hC0PyVwHUwpxUU217C9JLubw6y_KrnArmFodF1Iy6OKILGoTSAYmNute9DaFN208_RY-sxxTMvCNfC2gkL3yQDWaw3KAQtPosypmNBQ9_8pXK/s320/hoodies.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Attempts were made to tie her death in with Trevon Martin. Both became potent symbols of the "inherent racism" of American society. Our local AROC (Arab Resource organizing center) also planned a vigil. <br />
<br />
THURSDAY APRIL 5th 5 pm <br />
VIGIL FOR SHAIMA. STAND AGAINST HATE<br />
Bradley Manning/ Justin Herman Plaza San Francisco<br />
Vigil, Procession, and Speak Out<br />
<br />
<br />
On March 21st Shaima Alawadi, 32, a mother of five, a devoted wife, and an Iraqi refugee who fled violence there in 1995 was found lying on her kitchen floor in a puddle of her own blood, She had been viciously beaten with a tire iron. By her body was a note saying "Go back where you came from terrorist"<br />
<br />
Shaima's attack and death come on the heels of the massacre in Afghanistan of 17 innocent civilians, mostly women and children, by a "rogue" soldier who "snapped" after previously serving three tours of duty in Iraq.<br />
<br />
Join us on this occasion to remember Shaima and to address the aftermath of 9/11, the war on Iraq, and the anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiments that are at the core of this terrible incident. <br />
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It is important to touch on these issues and educate the public about the misunderstandings and mistreatment the Arab and Muslim communities go through in this country.<br />
<br />
Bring red and white flowers<br />
___________________<br />
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Then it was abruptly cancelled. Without explanation<br />
<br />
<br />
THE VIGIL FOR SHAIMA HAS BEEN CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!<br />
<br />
THURSDAY APRIL 5th 5 pm <br />
VIGIL FOR SHAIMA. STAND AGAINST HATE<br />
Bradley Manning/ Justin Herman Plaza San Francisco<br />
Vigil, Procession, and Speak Out<br />
<br />
___________________________<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Sadly, Shaima Alawadi's death only concerned people as long as she could be used as a symbol. But as increasing amounts of evidence pointed to domestic violence as the cause of her death, the local Muslim community was just as happy to sweep it under the rug.<br />
<br />
Finally, there may be justice for Shaima. Interestingly enough, neither AROC nor CAIR followed up on this story, or informed their email lists of the new developments. Their silence is complicity, not only in Shaima's death, but in the deaths of all women who are abused at home. CAIR and AROC are only concerned with exploiting the deaths of these women to advance their own political agendas, turning a blind eye to issues such as domestic violence, underage marriages, and the subjugation of women. Shaima again was exploited in death, just as she had been exploited in life. Shaima was a 32 year old woman with a 17 year old daughter. Do the math.</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.woi-tv.com/story/20056544/husband-held-in-killing-of-iraqi-american-woman">Husband held in killing of Iraqi-American woman</a><br />
<br />
L CAJON, Calif. (AP) - The husband of an Iraqi-American woman whose beating death initially appeared to be a hate crime was arrested on suspicion of murder in what police described Friday as an act of domestic violence.<br />
<br />
The killing of 32-year-old Shaima Alawadi drew international attention in March when the couple's 17-year-old daughter told reporters that she found a note by her mother's bludgeoned body that read: "Go back to your country, you terrorist."<br />
<br />
Kassim Alhimidi, 48, was taken into custody Thursday after being called into the police station, said El Cajon Police Chief Jim Redman.<br />
<br />
Police said there were no other suspects. Redman declined to comment on the evidence or elaborate on a possible motive.<br />
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"Criminal investigations build, evidence builds, and you reach a point where you have enough evidence to move forward, and that's what happened in this case," he said.<br />
<br />
Alhimidi went to Iraq for about two weeks to bury his wife and returned voluntarily, Redman said. Police did not try to prevent him from leaving the country because he was not a suspect at the time.<br />
<br />
At the burial in Najaf, relatives wept uncontrollably. Alhimidi and the 17-year-old daughter, Fatima, fainted as the body was lowered into the grave.<br />
<br />
Kassim Alhimidi was publicly silent for six days after the body was found, while his children spoke often with reporters. <br />
<br />
<br />
To AROC AND to CAIR: Justice begins at home. If you refuse to take a stand on these issues that are vital to the health and to the safety of our community- you will lose half your members. you've already lost me.Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-68024134351188603472012-11-08T19:36:00.002-08:002012-11-08T19:36:26.690-08:00Saudi Arabia: The real Apartheid StateSaudi Arabia is the real Apartheid State.<br />
<br />
There is religious apartheid<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgr0TTvHxl3V-PdciH3oVSZ767OIb7VDyg8TZB9gflZiPksx8sTjb7cmKRauCxZun2TeB4wHqQcv2DVx4ko8k67qkKiyCx-QljbkEfmJEeuYMUKJDfINX-OTXWEPWj-4kJOFgffX6FXXk/s1600/real+apartheid+state.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="207" width="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBgr0TTvHxl3V-PdciH3oVSZ767OIb7VDyg8TZB9gflZiPksx8sTjb7cmKRauCxZun2TeB4wHqQcv2DVx4ko8k67qkKiyCx-QljbkEfmJEeuYMUKJDfINX-OTXWEPWj-4kJOFgffX6FXXk/s320/real+apartheid+state.jpg" /></a></div><br />
And there is gender apartheid.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgZEDVGaIHnVPYIOwVcnpJvYQL9Vbeuo5Hx0AeIK9TSQXq4bFJu42ONSKMHHlrv2ZC_hC1DwSVpUURIQRHpSgu8L1iZUP-0TlkEaPFeOkqOTUZDQ5te6cipyaMu1BLNFAC78RMX4L5pMF/s1600/saudi-segregation_2391408b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgZEDVGaIHnVPYIOwVcnpJvYQL9Vbeuo5Hx0AeIK9TSQXq4bFJu42ONSKMHHlrv2ZC_hC1DwSVpUURIQRHpSgu8L1iZUP-0TlkEaPFeOkqOTUZDQ5te6cipyaMu1BLNFAC78RMX4L5pMF/s320/saudi-segregation_2391408b.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
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And yet we don't here a word about it from the BDS movement. I can't imagine why.<br />
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Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-441843471378505992012-11-06T21:14:00.003-08:002012-11-06T21:14:34.591-08:00Hamas beating Women with sticksIf this happened in Israel, it would be all over the news.<br />
<br />
The background- women in Gaza from a variety of political backgrounds decided to have a peaceful unity rally. Hamas would have none of that. Whats left to do? Watch and see<br />
<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DRjGRr-Zn-4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-10824872645208291862012-11-04T07:30:00.003-08:002012-11-04T07:30:26.492-08:00Scenes from the World Conference on Women I don't know if I should laugh or cry.<br />
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Here are some of the panelists in the World Conference on Women and the accompanying exhibition Qassim University held at the King Khaled Cultural Center in Buraidah <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgM7S7bqOFEIpyVaOISt6Nx2biKN4vKlHVkTeQhi18r1LjUCkg9FCb1YbbzyImQRlrWlAjVdbX3eLwII-JtaxkMmIhyphenhyphenB4_a1uksZjp0dsP9gaY-2Q5WkSVjfJJsRL6j9-SM7k2jCeqMO_d/s1600/confernce+on+women.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="179" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgM7S7bqOFEIpyVaOISt6Nx2biKN4vKlHVkTeQhi18r1LjUCkg9FCb1YbbzyImQRlrWlAjVdbX3eLwII-JtaxkMmIhyphenhyphenB4_a1uksZjp0dsP9gaY-2Q5WkSVjfJJsRL6j9-SM7k2jCeqMO_d/s320/confernce+on+women.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Oh those wacky wacky SaudisFatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-29432782977834724702012-11-02T00:04:00.002-07:002012-11-02T00:04:55.027-07:00If only<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCRa-MI47apO8U4kclriNX3knk91kCHoc4tYOst1KdXtnEftU8YYmYI4LktR8bNv2ORSlFpeSWfdJ4DLSdBdqJ5nhyESYpSJmK5z3L8Go6TvePZ3dkwqvveb81YUeHDLOtTueptNftXh1/s1600/hmmm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="153" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCRa-MI47apO8U4kclriNX3knk91kCHoc4tYOst1KdXtnEftU8YYmYI4LktR8bNv2ORSlFpeSWfdJ4DLSdBdqJ5nhyESYpSJmK5z3L8Go6TvePZ3dkwqvveb81YUeHDLOtTueptNftXh1/s320/hmmm.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-9208979617730776672012-10-20T18:42:00.000-07:002012-10-20T18:50:16.197-07:00Yemeni woman sentenced to death for killing male relative who tried to rape her I found this little slice of life in <a href="http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/19/244701.html">Alarabiya.net</a>. I suppose its an improvement that these stories are getting published nowadays. It was written by Mustapha Ajbaili<br />
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A Yemeni woman has been sentenced to death for having opened fire and killed a male relative who climbed up the wall of her house in an attempt to rape her.<br />
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Raja Hakimi was initially sentenced to two years in prison by a district court in the southern province of Ibb. The sentence was raised to death by the court of appeals, prompting the condemnation of women and human rights groups.<br />
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Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC), an organization co-founded in 2005 by Tawakkol Karman, a recipient of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, condemned the death sentence against Rajaa as an “unjust ruling, which violates all legislation and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”<br />
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WJWC said in a statement that the woman, Hakimi, was “only defending herself” against an armed man who tried to exploit the absence of the woman’s husband and attack her with the intention to rape her.<br />
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The man reportedly carried a gun and climbed up the wall of Hakimi’s house in the middle of the night trying to enter the house from the window, Adenalghad.net and voice-yemen.com websites reported.<br />
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When she saw him, the frightened Hakimi pulled up the gun of her husband and opened fire on the assailant. He fell down to the ground and died. In the morning, neighbors saw the body of the man and informed the police, who then arrested Hakimi.<br />
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Hakimi pleaded guilty to murder but insisted that that she killed him in self-defense. However, her words were not taken into consideration by the appeals court, which ordered sending her to the gallows.<br />
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But deputy general director of legal affairs in the province of Ibb, Abdulrakeb Alhimyari, told Al Arabiya English that the act of killing was “possibly planned beforehand.”<br />
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He quoted Abdul Alim al-Hakami, a relative of both the woman and the murdered assailant, as saying that “justice was finally held.”<br />
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Abdul Alim was a previous government official in the province of Ibb, according to Alhimyari.<br />
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Alhimyari said Abdul Alim told him that the assailant was “dragged into the house” in order to be killed. But Alhimyari insisted that this story could not be verified as true.<br />
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Some local media had claimed that relatives close to family of murdered assailant have influence on local authorities in the province of Ibb, which could explain why the ruling was in their favor.<br />
Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-47506313969814398542012-10-17T18:29:00.000-07:002012-10-17T18:29:20.443-07:00Arab Women in the Middle EastArab Women in the Middle East (why is this written by a <a href="http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3401/arab-women">guy</a>?)<br />
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n Pakistan, a 14-year-old girl is shot by Muslim extremists for daring to call for education for women.<br />
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In Tunisia, a young woman who was raped by three policemen is about to on trial for committing an "indecent act." Her crime: she was sitting with her fiancé in a car when the policemen surprised them and brutally raped her.<br />
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Syrian refugee girls who fled the fighting in their country are being forced into marriages by Muslim men, who are exploiting the plight of their families to fulfill sexual fantasies.<br />
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In the West Bank city of Hebron, a Muslim woman who decided to run in the local election is being ridiculed and threatened by fundamentalists who insist that she should be only staying at home cooking and looking after her husband and children.<br />
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In the Gaza Strip, women continue to suffer from severe restrictions imposed by Hamas and other fundamentalist groups.<br />
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In Saudi Arabia, women are still not allowed to drive.<br />
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In Israel, however, Muslim women are not only allowed to drive and run for elections, but can also reach high positions. Not all Arab Israelis are an "enemy from within;" Muslim women in the Jewish state enjoy more rights and opportunities than their colleagues in Arab and Islamic countries.<br />
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While female Muslims are being abducted, raped, shot, tortured and forced into unwanted marriages in a number of Arab and Islamic countries, 33-year-old Maria Gharra has just become Israel's first Muslim woman to serve as a police officer.<br />
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Gharra, who is from a village in the Triangle area in Israel, is probably one of the most courageous Arab women in Israel.<br />
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"I'm part of the state and I even have no problem singing the 'Hatikvah' [Israel's national anthem]," she declared shortly after she assumed her new job.<br />
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Gharra represents those Arab Israelis who see Israel as their state and believe in its democratic system.<br />
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Her story also shows that Arab women often have more opportunities than in most Arab and Islamic countries.<br />
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Contrary to common belief, Gharra does not believe that her recruitment to the Israeli police is an unusual act. "I never felt different," she explained. "My working assumption is that we are all equal citizens. This is my state and that is why I want to make a contribution."<br />
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What is even more encouraging is that she has won the support of her parents, who say they are proud to see her serve in the Israeli police.<br />
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True, many Arab men already serve in the Israeli police, but this is the first time that a woman has been promoted to the rank of officer.<br />
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Amal Ayoub, 36, is one of the women making waves in biotechnology. The founder of Metallo Therapy, a startup developing gold nano-particles to enhance radiation therapy, she is the first female Arab Israeli high-tech entrepreneur.<br />
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Dr. Rania al-Khatib is the first Arab Israeli woman to become a plastic surgeon at Rambam Hospital.<br />
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These are only some of the success stories of Arab women in Israel.<br />
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The past two decades have also seen a number of Arab women elected to the Knesset a right that is denied to Muslim women in some Arab countries.<br />
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In recent years, hundreds of Arab Israeli women, ignoring calls from some leaders of the Arab community to boycott national service, have volunteered for the government's initiative.<br />
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Although of course there is much Israel could do to improve the living standards of its Arab citizens, especially in employment and infrastructure, the success stories of Arab women in Israel stand in sharp contrast to the reports about discrimination against women in the Arab and Islamic countries.Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-47297574793631817192012-10-17T06:39:00.001-07:002012-10-17T06:39:22.728-07:00Another Swasitka on CampusA swastika was found on the door of a freshman girl last month at Cal. It was just mentioned to me in passing- its almost as though the Jewish students have been completely desensitized to this sort of thing. There was nothing in the Daily Cal, and as far as I can tell, nothing was done. Was this even reported? Does anyone care?<br />
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It seems, at UC Berkeley, the answer is still "No"Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-44906036965495558962012-10-16T13:42:00.003-07:002012-10-17T07:15:11.537-07:00Let them eat i Phones<br />
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No Food. No Water. No hospital beds. But Gaza has Apple I Phone 5's.<br />
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The funniest part is that the phone isn't even available yet in Israel (It won't be released until December), but its already saturating Gaza. <br />
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"Apple's new iPhone 5 is selling well in the Gaza Strip despite inflated prices, reaching the Palestinian enclave via smuggling tunnels even before high-tech hub Israel next door.<br />
The cutting edge smart phone is being snapped up for almost double what it costs in the United States, its price jacked up by middlemen on its circuitous delivery route from Dubai via tunnels linking the blockaded territory with Egypt.<br />
But the phones have been available for a couple of weeks in Gaza and they were on display on Monday in three independent mobile stores in a one-block radius in downtown Gaza City."<br />
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Its all in the <a href="http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/breaking-news/technology/new-iphones-snapped-gaza-despite-high-prices-poverty-20121016">Business Times </a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv3FNs-uuZ81LwLd6jCVj5qmkQ0YE3_WOB8lHIi_uMj8-VY4mZ3hzQeR0Tyk6z5aKWj7rvqEWcin_4x1dExMWmcyZxZiPHx4wYtYZbz5ikbrlg-9l_pVcGT0ZRkdNK5rfOiZsVWfuHxzz/s1600/Gaza+i+phone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCv3FNs-uuZ81LwLd6jCVj5qmkQ0YE3_WOB8lHIi_uMj8-VY4mZ3hzQeR0Tyk6z5aKWj7rvqEWcin_4x1dExMWmcyZxZiPHx4wYtYZbz5ikbrlg-9l_pVcGT0ZRkdNK5rfOiZsVWfuHxzz/s320/Gaza+i+phone.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1a4QBHjGl4bZqE4WtrPi4UZO2c19atf58a9LzYRDUF-kGaN9MLcWU2GT2n_XjBUNHe6ktA20_A-asoAWYWzBSb43TDZ3ZwLsewvpuk7sOiv7IChIn3keDuLqhzweM9WR_CbgQZDSKltV3/s1600/gaza+iphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1a4QBHjGl4bZqE4WtrPi4UZO2c19atf58a9LzYRDUF-kGaN9MLcWU2GT2n_XjBUNHe6ktA20_A-asoAWYWzBSb43TDZ3ZwLsewvpuk7sOiv7IChIn3keDuLqhzweM9WR_CbgQZDSKltV3/s320/gaza+iphone.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://paltimes.net/new/ar/gallery/showalbum/25721/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%A2%D9%8A%D9%81%D9%88%D9%86-5-%D9%8A%D8%B5%D9%84-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9.html">Photos from Palestine Today</a>Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-46257279233307830282012-10-07T01:04:00.001-07:002012-10-07T01:04:48.761-07:00Forget Jihad!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCqEbKCN8uh0okqVueQ-iNa3X2F6eJMab2BeK45yLKRmIpuFaqtyclLWoHSrNR-8WCSUjtnYN295Mvl9TlZYkhm7rJ-mKpo7AFrOzA4eQvWBcFemtbOdAatCnaOZxh-FCADwkH63clKLE/s1600/Palestinian_Ads_F_Jihad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtCqEbKCN8uh0okqVueQ-iNa3X2F6eJMab2BeK45yLKRmIpuFaqtyclLWoHSrNR-8WCSUjtnYN295Mvl9TlZYkhm7rJ-mKpo7AFrOzA4eQvWBcFemtbOdAatCnaOZxh-FCADwkH63clKLE/s320/Palestinian_Ads_F_Jihad.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-39569395740604098512012-10-06T17:20:00.003-07:002012-10-06T17:21:44.289-07:00Maybe its not all lsrael's fault. This article is exclusive to Arab News. I dont really know what that means, but its worth giving it wider exposure. Written by Abdulateef Al-Mulhim, the original can be found <a href="http://www.arabnews.com/arab-spring-and-israeli-enemy">here<br />
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Thirty-nine years ago, on Oct. 6, 1973, the third major war between the Arabs and Israel broke out. The war lasted only 20 days. The two sides were engaged in two other major wars, in 1948 and 1967. <br />
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The 1967 War lasted only six days. But, these three wars were not the only Arab-Israel confrontations. From the period of 1948 and to this day many confrontations have taken place. Some of them were small clashes and many of them were full-scale battles, but there were no major wars apart from the ones mentioned above. The Arab-Israeli conflict is the most complicated conflict the world ever experienced. On the anniversary of the 1973 War between the Arab and the Israelis, many people in the Arab world are beginning to ask many questions about the past, present and the future with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict.<br />
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The questions now are: What was the real cost of these wars to the Arab world and its people. And the harder question that no Arab national wants to ask is: What was the real cost for not recognizing Israel in 1948 and why didn’t the Arab states spend their assets on education, health care and the infrastructures instead of wars? But, the hardest question that no Arab national wants to hear is whether Israel is the real enemy of the Arab world and the Arab people.<br />
I decided to write this article after I saw photos and reports about a starving child in Yemen, a burned ancient Aleppo souk in Syria, the under developed Sinai in Egypt, car bombs in Iraq and the destroyed buildings in Libya. The photos and the reports were shown on the Al-Arabiya network, which is the most watched and respected news outlet in the Middle East. <br />
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The common thing among all what I saw is that the destruction and the atrocities are not done by an outside enemy. The starvation, the killings and the destruction in these Arab countries are done by the same hands that are supposed to protect and build the unity of these countries and safeguard the people of these countries. So, the question now is that who is the real enemy of the Arab world?<br />
The Arab world wasted hundreds of billions of dollars and lost tens of thousands of innocent lives fighting Israel, which they considered is their sworn enemy, an enemy whose existence they never recognized. The Arab world has many enemies and Israel should have been at the bottom of the list. The real enemies of the Arab world are corruption, lack of good education, lack of good health care, lack of freedom, lack of respect for the human lives and finally, the Arab world had many dictators who used the Arab-Israeli conflict to suppress their own people. <br />
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These dictators’ atrocities against their own people are far worse than all the full-scale Arab-Israeli wars. <br />
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In the past, we have talked about why some Israeli soldiers attack and mistreat Palestinians. Also, we saw Israeli planes and tanks attack various Arab countries. But, do these attacks match the current atrocities being committed by some Arab states against their own people. <br />
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In Syria, the atrocities are beyond anybody’s imaginations? And, isn’t the Iraqis are the ones who are destroying their own country? Wasn’t it Tunisia’s dictator who was able to steal 13 billion dollars from the poor Tunisians? And how can a child starve in Yemen if their land is the most fertile land in the world? Why would Iraqi brains leave Iraq in a country that makes 110 billion dollars from oil export? Why do the Lebanese fail to govern one of the tiniest countries in the world? And what made the Arab states start sinking into chaos?<br />
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On May 14, 1948 the state of Israel was declared. And just one day after that, on May 15, 1948 the Arabs declared war on Israel to get back Palestine. The war ended on March 10, 1949. It lasted for nine months, three weeks and two days. The Arabs lost the war and called this war Nakbah (catastrophic war). The Arabs gained nothing and thousands of Palestinians became refugees.<br />
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And on 1967, the Arabs led by Egypt under the rule of Gamal Abdul Nasser, went in war with Israel and lost more Palestinian land and made more Palestinian refugees who are now on the mercy of the countries that host them. The Arabs called this war Naksah (upset). The Arabs never admitted defeat in both wars and the Palestinian cause got more complicated. And now, with the never ending Arab Spring, the Arab world has no time for the Palestinians refugees or Palestinian cause, because many Arabs are refugees themselves and under constant attacks from their own forces. Syrians are leaving their own country, not because of the Israeli planes dropping bombs on them. It is the Syrian Air Force which is dropping the bombs. And now, Iraqi Arab Muslims, most intelligent brains, are leaving Iraq for the est. In Yemen, the world’s saddest human tragedy play is being written by the Yemenis. In Egypt, the people in Sinai are forgotten. <br />
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Finally, if many of the Arab states are in such disarray, then what happened to the Arabs’ sworn enemy (Israel)? Israel now has the most advanced research facilities, top universities and advanced infrastructure. Many Arabs don’t know that the life expectancy of the Palestinians living in Israel is far longer than many Arab states and they enjoy far better political and social freedom than many of their Arab brothers. Even the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip enjoy more political and social rights than some places in the Arab World. Wasn’t one of the judges who sent a former Israeli president to jail is an Israeli-Palestinian? <br />
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The Arab Spring showed the world that the Palestinians are happier and in better situation than their Arab brothers who fought to liberate them from the Israelis. Now, it is time to stop the hatred and wars and start to create better living conditions for the future Arab generations.<br />
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Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-48310752636294036252012-10-04T12:40:00.004-07:002012-10-04T12:40:51.790-07:00Finally. A Middle Eastern Flotilla that I Can Support!Taken from the <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/abortion-rights-yacht-sails-around-moroccan-port-170516620.html">AP wire<br />
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If Code Pink provided this service to Gaza and North Africa, I might just join them!<br />
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Moroccan police Thursday escorted from its waters a small yacht carrying women's rights activists claiming to be able to perform abortions on board, after anti-abortion protesters jeered them on land.<br />
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The Dutch group Women on Waves sailed the boat around the northern Moroccan harbor with banners advertising an information hotline about abortion, which is illegal in most cases in this North African country.<br />
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A day earlier, the group had said that a ship that can provide "safe, legal, medical abortions" up until 6.5 weeks of pregnancy was on its way from the Netherlands. Medical professionals have traveled before to European nations to raise awareness; the group's founder said that abortions had been performed aboard ship in international waters off of Poland.<br />
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The trip in the harbor of the Mediterranean coastal town of Smir was the abortion rights group's first event in a Muslim country.<br />
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Abortion in Morocco is illegal, except in rare cases where the mother's life is threatened and it is also illegal to give out information about it. Moroccan officials had said the boat would not be allowed in to the harbor and police sealed the port for what they called "military maneuvers," denying journalists access.<br />
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But in the afternoon, activists from Women on Waves said they already had stationed a sailboat in the harbor several days ago, fearing the port would be shut down. That boat took off around the harbor, about an hour after the group's founder approached crowds of protesters on the ground, trying to hand out fliers on abortion in Arabic and French to crowds of protesters.<br />
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Police later boarded the Dutch-flagged yacht and escorted it out of the marina. No one was charged.<br />
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"We launched a hotline that gives information to women here in Morocco, because the ship can never solve the problem here for everyone," said Rebecca Gomperts, the organization's founder. The hotline contains a recorded message explaining which easily available medication in Morocco can be used to perform an abortion.<br />
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Some 200 protesters in Smir targeted the activists outside the sealed gates of the marina. The protesters, some in conservative Muslim robes and headscarves, carried pictures of bloody embryos and shouted "Terrorist!" and "Assassin!" at Gomperts.<br />
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"We are here because we cannot accept these values, the values of massacre," said protester Abdessamad Zilali, 23. "It is not part of our tradition to kill the unborn."<br />
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Police pushed back shouting protesters who tried to get closer to Gomperts, and said she was escorted away for her own protection.<br />
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The Women on Waves boat was invited to Morocco by a local women's rights organization seeking the legalization of abortion in this North African kingdom.<br />
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Founded in 1999, Women on Waves aims to spread information about safe medical abortions induced by medication and has previously angered authorities in conservative Catholic countries.<br />
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The group traveled to Ireland in 2001, Poland in 2003 and Spain, and was banned from entering Portugal's waters in 2004.<br />
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...Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-24099664419865888422012-09-19T17:36:00.004-07:002012-09-19T17:48:20.707-07:00"Mohammed - Messenger of Peace"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXSI-nWfHoejn7PErbWFV26NwmjpMvyKsyPHLZHTFxAE_9e91_wMzeKgP-FEU7YIR3mdLGJP_qXpMadgK2qwZT5NDN6YDF7tYELs4lIkSQl2T9hMz5Y3W75_vGC3TZKnp5Wi_6n4e_doy/s1600/nsrh---ksam----6.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXSI-nWfHoejn7PErbWFV26NwmjpMvyKsyPHLZHTFxAE_9e91_wMzeKgP-FEU7YIR3mdLGJP_qXpMadgK2qwZT5NDN6YDF7tYELs4lIkSQl2T9hMz5Y3W75_vGC3TZKnp5Wi_6n4e_doy/s320/nsrh---ksam----6.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5790052730152957378" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusWADKM6PSzicXFkJRbS_tkM0O8E9ne7Y40WPaZwm_fossoasQvwBUlI6TD7lnDirk-yyIqebD5Gx69DkauPr06O66ZIfckgOescPfb7TjO3jUO_ZvVZFDiJF6TfswIzEV9nEtAfFg5Zu/s1600/m+of+p.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjusWADKM6PSzicXFkJRbS_tkM0O8E9ne7Y40WPaZwm_fossoasQvwBUlI6TD7lnDirk-yyIqebD5Gx69DkauPr06O66ZIfckgOescPfb7TjO3jUO_ZvVZFDiJF6TfswIzEV9nEtAfFg5Zu/s320/m+of+p.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5790052164399286642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOksEw63u2DACOFiU77x1VC_EQ-xFX5u2yVupLEMBoiCYvzt5-PKP_opXN62IYyV6NRHHyeaI55UEe0u309sua7p-PeS3InYh1ggLg_E6YNdUh4KK26AHjAK0Tc9Zl29VnfNP7ARk97Zk/s1600/mohammed+messanger+of+peace.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 205px;https://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOksEw63u2DACOFiU77x1VC_EQ-xFX5u2yVupLEMBoiCYvzt5-PKP_opXN62IYyV6NRHHyeaI55UEe0u309sua7p-PeS3InYh1ggLg_E6YNdUh4KK26AHjAK0Tc9Zl29VnfNP7ARk97Zk/s320/mohammed+messanger+of+peace.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5790051932252583810" /></a><br /><br />Celebrating Mohammed, Messenger of Peace with armed masked men and big scary guns. Don't know if I should laugh or cry.<br /><br />More photos of Israel's partner for peace can be found <a href="http://www.alqassam.ps/arabic/news1.php?id=28805">here</a>Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-66814305129379497532012-09-10T22:55:00.004-07:002012-09-10T23:00:35.947-07:00An officer and a Muslim ZionistWhat a fearless man. This article is circulating quite a bit, but its important.<br />From <a href="http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=5727">Israel Hayom</a>, which I assume is a mouthpiece of the World Wide Zionist conspiracy.<br /><br />"From the age of zero I was told that Israel stole Palestine from us, but when I was 14 I woke up. I discovered that Jews are not bad," says Ala Wahib, an operations officer at a key IDF training base, and the highest-ranked Muslim officers in the Israeli army.<br /><br />Major Wahib, 32, is currently the highest ranking Muslim officer in the IDF. He is enormously patriotic, a true Zionist. Precisely the kind of person we like to see lighting the torches during the national Independence Day ceremony every year. <br /><br />But still, Wahib came to this interview with immense trepidation. Even today, after 12 years in the Israeli military, he still doesn’t feel comfortable openly discussing his views. For years he struggled on all fronts: he fought against the residents of his village, who to this day refer to him as a traitor, and he fought the military institution that never fully understood his motives. <br /><br />"In my village, they can’t understand what could possibly motivate me to protect a country that is not my own. In the army there are people who know me and would go all the way with me, but there are those who don’t know me and don’t really know how to relate to me,” he says.<br /><br />So why did he decide to give this interview, with his face exposed and his full name in print? “Because it is important to me to show the Arab public what they are missing. There are quite a lot of people [in the Arab community] who want to enlist, but they are afraid and they don’t know if they will be accepted by their environment. It is important to me to show them the road I’ve traveled, and to make them understand that it is possible.” Regardless, he doesn’t take his hand off his gun for a second during the entire interview. “It is my security. It is my only means of protecting myself,” he says. <br /><br />His Hebrew is fluent, without a hint of an accent, and he could easily be mistaken for an average Tel Avivian. A map of the training grounds hangs on his office wall, and his green eyes constantly sweep it, making sure again and again that everything is under control. Every once in a while a soldier will knock on the door, asking permission for this or that mission, and one of them, noticing the newspaper crew, can’t resist and says “write that he is the best commander there is.” Wahib tries to hide an embarrassed smile and tells the soldier to get his backside back to the field. <br /><br />He describes himself as a “Zionist Israeli Arab.” Four years ago he went on a tour of Nazi extermination camps in Poland, together with his fellow officers, as part of the IDF’s Witnesses in Uniform program. “As a child,” he says, “I grew up in a society that denies the Holocaust. When I arrived in Poland I was shocked. I cried a lot. It was difficult to contain this thing called genocide. There was something very powerful in the fact that I was standing on Polish soil, holding an Israeli flag and donning the uniform of the Israeli army, but this time from a position of power. It was proof that we can’t be broken.” <br /><br />When Wahib says “we” he means the Jewish people. “I believe in the Muslim faith, and I will never abandon it, but I think that Zionism is more than a religion. It is something that fully represents my sense of belonging to the State of Israel and to Israeli society, and the immense commitment I have to protecting and guarding the country of which I am part.” <br /><br />Lets hear it for Israel, the Apartheid state.Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-55087059300818967162012-08-17T22:46:00.008-07:002012-08-17T23:12:27.463-07:00More photos from Starving GazaAre they still telling you that Gaza is starving? Are they quoting nebulous reports that strangely lack footnotes or substantiating data? Do you respond with scholarly peer reviewed medical literature that gets brushed aside as propaganda?<br /><br />We've all been there. <br /><br />Gaza and the West bank has obesity rates that rival the West, yet we keep hearing about the starving children. We can show photos of overflowing stores, and open air markets. We can show photos of hotels and restaurants. But people just don't want to be bothered with the facts.<br /><br />I present to you the Almat'haf Hotel and Cultural House in Gaza. Its not nearly as nice as the Al-Mashtal, but its still pretty nice in a rustic, boutique hotel sort of way.<br /><br /><br />This is from their facebook page, btw.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0Ltv7td077oL1_5WsWAuWPQMptiyhQaugo0jdFKfXj5mPkLN-_pYx2r9KJ1rxg5U9_mKcabeu6BM_aakuPiKy2qZcg2d6HWKAR9Mn5rg3KdTwQWu7O1xrMZEsbf3O3rmh5M29M71gt6m/s1600/gaza+hotel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0Ltv7td077oL1_5WsWAuWPQMptiyhQaugo0jdFKfXj5mPkLN-_pYx2r9KJ1rxg5U9_mKcabeu6BM_aakuPiKy2qZcg2d6HWKAR9Mn5rg3KdTwQWu7O1xrMZEsbf3O3rmh5M29M71gt6m/s320/gaza+hotel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5777888634528003362" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IyIGM4ecGaXi_K4hceaF7hNnKzUZgiLlH0g-OOIi3tzcIOWIaD9ThA_QjGU6ioegfq0bj0x-smHL2-iuOQMLa9us4RCCNX4DFeF25ajGfsiCAeDZ7bnl4uHKsaI6S3-y1SvkbtdJrQHi/s1600/hotel+3.bmp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2IyIGM4ecGaXi_K4hceaF7hNnKzUZgiLlH0g-OOIi3tzcIOWIaD9ThA_QjGU6ioegfq0bj0x-smHL2-iuOQMLa9us4RCCNX4DFeF25ajGfsiCAeDZ7bnl4uHKsaI6S3-y1SvkbtdJrQHi/s320/hotel+3.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5777889449563738834" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR_Gom-ozjAsds9NCgki4f16eQowf0-uyTI52jhW8ATRkd50creBrMbWI9xawMKBxyY4_FlPmYZt655yDDq6sDNdfD_8z_0ynTjxSIExKV4wgFxaxGp4Tn2tCbFjLu93cbxgoSA8-RwpS/s1600/hotel+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR_Gom-ozjAsds9NCgki4f16eQowf0-uyTI52jhW8ATRkd50creBrMbWI9xawMKBxyY4_FlPmYZt655yDDq6sDNdfD_8z_0ynTjxSIExKV4wgFxaxGp4Tn2tCbFjLu93cbxgoSA8-RwpS/s320/hotel+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5777889201656020802" /></a><br /><br />Notice the date stamp on this photo- its from April of this year. For all you've heard about the water shortage in Gaza, how does this hotel manage to sustain a Koi pond?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDYVkzCvs4DmwSf_49S5_Yz2xwznA85qSGxswdVGs4bjOmK371g9XnXqwGWS_4wx3DkPuRFK05t6DU9Fa8lN1NuD_5hDHTTFQknRpz7oEAcNFW02EBywk51QllzXxRyb3kBlFaU2LZs2u/s1600/Koi+pond+in+Gaza.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDYVkzCvs4DmwSf_49S5_Yz2xwznA85qSGxswdVGs4bjOmK371g9XnXqwGWS_4wx3DkPuRFK05t6DU9Fa8lN1NuD_5hDHTTFQknRpz7oEAcNFW02EBywk51QllzXxRyb3kBlFaU2LZs2u/s320/Koi+pond+in+Gaza.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5777891329362931378" /></a><br />Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-45258947090428282892012-08-17T21:52:00.006-07:002012-08-17T22:18:08.520-07:00Al Quds day around the WorldI know I said I was giving up activism. I've stopped tweeting. That was a good start. And by and large, I've abandoned this blog. (Everyone coming here was looking for porn, anyway.) But I don't know why exactly, but I'm really fond of the team <a href="http://cifwatch.com/">here</a>. They did such an amazing job researching the failed <a href="http://gm2j.co/">Global March to the Jerusalem</a>, but more importantly, they've keep their sense of humor even when surrounded by hate. I'm going to take a break from my break and promote their work. Deal with it.<br /><br />CiF Watch has prepared a <a href="http://cifwatch.com/2012/08/14/islamic-human-rights-commission-al-quds-day-tip-of-the-uks-iranian-support-network-iceberg/">special report</a> on the Iranian linked Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), chief organizer of this year's Al Quds Day march in London which is scheduled to take place on August 17. <br /><br /><br />The report spotlights the role played by the IHRC, an integral part of the Iranian support network in the UK, and the manner in which the IHRC takes advantage of its registered charity status despite acting in a manner that runs counter to the Charity Commission's own guidelines on charities and terrorism.<br /><br />In the calendar of anti-Israel events, the Al Quds Day march in London is perhaps the most disturbing in its blatant display of support for the terror group Hezbollah and vocal calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. <br /><br />Richard Millet has photos from last years's event <a href="http://richardmillett.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/lauren-booth-lebanon-jordan-and-egypt-must-liberate-jerusalem/">here</a> and describes some of the signage <br /><br />Israel Your Days are Numbered<br />Death to Israel<br />Down down Israel<br />For World Peace Israel Must Be Destroyed<br />The World Stopped Nazism, The World Must Stop Zionism<br />We Are All Hizbollah<br /><br />Yellow Hezbollah flags were everywhere with the flag’s usual gun emblem, which is especially menacing considering that the head of Hizbollah has said that Jews are descended from pigs and apes and that if all the Jews in the world gathered in Israel it would save Hizbollah the trouble of going after them elsewhere.<br /><br />This was particularly charming:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_Yr6tqr5xSKKTQVTrpUAvqpWiZotro6NBNBrD7tWRdQYuCMhqqvmwmzikuReL6W_NAKduhK-L05U2osgtR9itPH-MZeeXVSnzL7BfOtsIid_Wd276hWcK5A1CgEj28fOdaiS4X89S5bt/s1600/israel+must+be+destroyed.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_Yr6tqr5xSKKTQVTrpUAvqpWiZotro6NBNBrD7tWRdQYuCMhqqvmwmzikuReL6W_NAKduhK-L05U2osgtR9itPH-MZeeXVSnzL7BfOtsIid_Wd276hWcK5A1CgEj28fOdaiS4X89S5bt/s400/israel+must+be+destroyed.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5777875428403011634" /></a><br /><br /><br />I dont know why, but Al Quds day was a non-event in the Bay area. Maybe its because all the Al Awda kids are still with Mom and Dad, and school hasn't started yet. Maybe its because JVP is afraid to touch this one, even though they have no trouble partnering with CAIR and AMP, so their standards are fairly loose. Maybe its because International ANSWER has been virtually emasculated, and just cant gather a crowd any more. Or maybe its because everyone is saving up their anger for the Rachel Corrie verdict next week. <br /><br />That'll be my betFatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-56690302045757232212012-07-21T22:11:00.008-07:002012-07-21T22:28:41.335-07:00Jihadi Pin-up calendarInspired perhaps by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Full_Monty">Full Monty</a>, friends in Gaza are thinking about creating a jihadist (freedom fighter) of the month calendar. For fundraising, of course. For the children<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDysRmZHdgt7LYD8-k4O2OmF9vrczNX2Q90MTE2boMusGZmDCqy3F-VSE4mZpsNgtBZtWpqBdEPDez9xDP91sSluburMYPT4gHFF0gb5SOprNNiT-0_HucHk-GnClJhzahCpPT444U5dC/s1600/lfreedom+fighter+of+the+month.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDysRmZHdgt7LYD8-k4O2OmF9vrczNX2Q90MTE2boMusGZmDCqy3F-VSE4mZpsNgtBZtWpqBdEPDez9xDP91sSluburMYPT4gHFF0gb5SOprNNiT-0_HucHk-GnClJhzahCpPT444U5dC/s400/lfreedom+fighter+of+the+month.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5767859161644808482" /></a><br /><br />I kinda want to tell April playmate of the month "This bag is not a toy".<br /><br />And no, I don't want to be the regional distributor, and no, I don't think this will be a big hit in America. And no, I don't think they need to conceal their awrah. I think this is stupid.Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-84395620587171523032012-07-14T19:44:00.003-07:002012-07-14T19:52:54.300-07:00Palestine needs Women who dreamDo you know what Hamas fears? Do you know what the International Solidarity Movement fears? Do you know what those that teach hate and preach hate fear most of all?<br /><br />They fear normalcy.<br /><br />They fear children growing up with a bright future<br /><br />They fear little girls dancing.<br /><br />The Jerusalem Post writes <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Features/InThespotlight/Article.aspx?ID=277446&R=R1">"Despite difficulties to overcome male-dominated culture and chauvinism, increasing number of Palestinian women starting businesses. "</a><br /><br />RAMALLAH - From corner fruit stalls in Hebron to chic Ramallah ballet studios, Palestinian women are making their mark in business, some out of necessity and others looking to break the gender mold and pursue a dream.<br /><br />For Shyrine Ziadeh, a 24-year-old Birzeit University graduate, that dream was to open a dance studio.<br /><br />Now the proud owner of the Ramallah Ballet Center, the first in the West Bank, her sunny, top-floor studio is flooded with classical music and mirrors stretching from wall to wall. Little girls plié in pink ballet shoes and jump over fairy wings.<br /><br />"I want to develop girls," she said. "Ballet helps develop their point of view in life. We need such things in Palestine."<br /><br />This works in many ways. We need strong women leaders. We need them as examples and as role models. We need women to be educated and to have the inner strength to follow their dreams- even if that dream means saying no to marriage at 18 to a second cousin.<br /><br />We need women who dream.Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-62538294287595312732012-07-01T11:57:00.011-07:002012-07-01T12:57:11.457-07:00Unexpected Gaza<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilswFwIXkljvn2r75S38bzNwnppMUdmtNaEMvgHoKWPzHJhKcggIDz-lfJRhbvHVHOCuzwuVW3kPK176flOAVpad8uKgmBWpSoX3S2ZeJGmLkuQeh1N1VAHdwChncenuo7oqqHZUrYEM2g/s1600/gaza+beach+4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilswFwIXkljvn2r75S38bzNwnppMUdmtNaEMvgHoKWPzHJhKcggIDz-lfJRhbvHVHOCuzwuVW3kPK176flOAVpad8uKgmBWpSoX3S2ZeJGmLkuQeh1N1VAHdwChncenuo7oqqHZUrYEM2g/s320/gaza+beach+4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760291812174466882" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEpb-2rgtnbpwLSNcKrMutYxhFwmB6mau_YCpgOCPIvQTjsGF9Oxa648Zu_YjH1hyphenhyphentZNMo6p-FyVDtRv-IRp_d2U5lKoORfBl7j-dsofi9gyNHx2HgT7V3QviB-gK06DQf7bqyirBjhQy/s1600/gaza+city+3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 254px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgEpb-2rgtnbpwLSNcKrMutYxhFwmB6mau_YCpgOCPIvQTjsGF9Oxa648Zu_YjH1hyphenhyphentZNMo6p-FyVDtRv-IRp_d2U5lKoORfBl7j-dsofi9gyNHx2HgT7V3QviB-gK06DQf7bqyirBjhQy/s320/gaza+city+3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760291063483054770" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjribIzjuXVe9biz6RaMulC8SdTdiUmGRLX9hErSWFSxGv9hPDgWyuwgXVju02yXmE2dmQnS6j-qf8AEr4eBE6XOmreN3cdgWeP87kuBm0HVExIAphwOictEQu-nbEWPPZ7ZhbI0rwQfuwC/s1600/Gaza+city+6.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 242px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjribIzjuXVe9biz6RaMulC8SdTdiUmGRLX9hErSWFSxGv9hPDgWyuwgXVju02yXmE2dmQnS6j-qf8AEr4eBE6XOmreN3cdgWeP87kuBm0HVExIAphwOictEQu-nbEWPPZ7ZhbI0rwQfuwC/s320/Gaza+city+6.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760290969871706034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTqI7dIMJzdXHD4K5bUVL7JgltK4IX-Er_KJUJ7vdJgael5t1cPqjAtHlPx37bnVeEVCPWEzYuS0xgCShGnkc1UVbU_1Mb8vej9mxLKkU6Jcn4yRwR2It0HZL-GJwpUmG0OBERF-Cbglm/s1600/gaza+coity+5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwTqI7dIMJzdXHD4K5bUVL7JgltK4IX-Er_KJUJ7vdJgael5t1cPqjAtHlPx37bnVeEVCPWEzYuS0xgCShGnkc1UVbU_1Mb8vej9mxLKkU6Jcn4yRwR2It0HZL-GJwpUmG0OBERF-Cbglm/s320/gaza+coity+5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760290875818488610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtMOTMLR1boAqWiHZ5bZ0NI7Fh1TIXV5siTu-fygg5bhs_bnMlCJK7ToisGlqelnrmjuXlzS5brWoqEGtEguAJXKnVHU-p6d38C_QXt6p4WqJpFmyzlBH2r_TK3uD-X4ouDnKKZZKWgRI/s1600/gaza+Harbor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNtMOTMLR1boAqWiHZ5bZ0NI7Fh1TIXV5siTu-fygg5bhs_bnMlCJK7ToisGlqelnrmjuXlzS5brWoqEGtEguAJXKnVHU-p6d38C_QXt6p4WqJpFmyzlBH2r_TK3uD-X4ouDnKKZZKWgRI/s320/gaza+Harbor.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5760290783929380738" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://ashams.com/artn.php?ID=9349 ">More views of Gaza that the ISM doesn't want you to see.</a><br /><br />Ask yourself- why are they hiding the truth? Why do they lie?Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-16768587240682946612012-07-01T11:42:00.003-07:002012-07-01T11:45:11.868-07:00Muslim woman: Arabs must enlist in IDFYES! YES! YES!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4248849,00.html">Arab-Israeli whose kids serve in army supports campaign for equal share of the burden, slams Arab lawmakers for 'perpetuating sense of inequality among Arabs' </a><br /><br />Arabs, not just the haredim, must also carry their equal share of the burden, stop complaining and begin serving in the IDF – or at least join the national service program," an Arab-Israeli woman said Wednesday.<br /><br />During a visit to the so-called "suckers' tent" - an encampment by army reservists from the 'Equal Burden Forum' who are demanding all Israelis serve in the IDF or perform national service – Anet Haschaya (43), said "the Arabs in the country must give more of themselves to get more."<br /> <br />Haschaya is leading by example. Her 22-year-old son Deddo was recently released from the army after completing two years in the Duchifat Battalion; her daughter Suha, 20, serves in the IDF Education Corps, while 19-year-old Hussam is expected to be recruited to the Golani Brigade after completing a year of national service (shnat sherut) in the south.<br /><br />"Israel's Arabs shouldn't try to turn back time, but raise their heads high and look to the future," she said.<br /> <br />Haschaya, a Muslim, was born in Akko. Twenty years ago, after her divorce, she moved with her children to Kibbutz Yechiam, and today she resides in Kfar Vradim, where she manages a hair salon. "I was born and raised (in Israel). I have no other homeland.<br /><br />"My children studied in the Jewish school system and were taught to love the homeland and contribute as much as possible," she told Yedioth Ahronoth.<br /><br />Haschaya, who leveled harsh criticism at Arab Knesset members, said she was considering joining Yisrael Beitenu, Kadima or the Labor Party.<br /><br /><br />"In my opinion, the Arab MKs are only looking out for themselves, instead of caring for the Arab public," she claimed.<br /> <br />"Instead of bringing Arabs closer together, they are perpetuating their sense of inequality. They (MKs) are disparaging the country – and the country is paying them to do it! Those who wish to fight the country should leave and do so from the outside," she said.Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4168112031264856799.post-16606282625478635202012-06-28T23:13:00.012-07:002012-06-28T23:31:27.377-07:00Postcards from GazaWith 25 miles of Mediteranean beaches, the only thing that stops Gaza from being Monaco is Hamas. That no alcohol and no bathing suits stuff is so medieval. I suppose the rocket launches that regularly fall short might put a crimp in the tourist industry too.<br /><br />If I were to visit Gaza, I think I'd like to stay in the new Al Mashtal resort. Check out that pool. Its, well "like the worlds largest open air concentration camp" isn't the first thing that comes to my mind.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8mvEc9ze67ZNOkicnZbecoHt5j3xQ-0niM62-J_jMkAeCdXZpvQUL8uW4ggwnqkf4nJ_5YW1Po3Iax2-GYF4qaiiTIR2ZUcVTYT__9cOE_EI_jwr7xMRash538pJTavjhfp61tAh7_k8/s1600/Al+MAstal+hotel+gaza.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8mvEc9ze67ZNOkicnZbecoHt5j3xQ-0niM62-J_jMkAeCdXZpvQUL8uW4ggwnqkf4nJ_5YW1Po3Iax2-GYF4qaiiTIR2ZUcVTYT__9cOE_EI_jwr7xMRash538pJTavjhfp61tAh7_k8/s320/Al+MAstal+hotel+gaza.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759338473623971074" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvE5QlnbN989Cc2K8IW5CKNh9LGnZkA-pe1lje_LnXA20r_FgiSQ_Z7-eXtl3o3A2FR4W1UBM5Dw_bm-xtYf4YJGp8t05LfIhhXWK7IpwVC2b9UTSlAnXv3v_78mdvmhZGgRRWBOvsMXf/s1600/al+mashtal+gaza+resort.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvE5QlnbN989Cc2K8IW5CKNh9LGnZkA-pe1lje_LnXA20r_FgiSQ_Z7-eXtl3o3A2FR4W1UBM5Dw_bm-xtYf4YJGp8t05LfIhhXWK7IpwVC2b9UTSlAnXv3v_78mdvmhZGgRRWBOvsMXf/s320/al+mashtal+gaza+resort.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759338313677540802" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8W2yoetfNIr4zEh7d-cRx1XyZXzwSatinh2ezmENC7ER4GK2I4Wp87gRlW4y26BkKbBaY2dBnpTn3GKZf6Elo2hcz6T2W_XogmWnyYkpdqkHSsoU2Zdgb1ayqiFsyHXtgikS-AeGbF-X/s1600/Al+mahtal+View.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC8W2yoetfNIr4zEh7d-cRx1XyZXzwSatinh2ezmENC7ER4GK2I4Wp87gRlW4y26BkKbBaY2dBnpTn3GKZf6Elo2hcz6T2W_XogmWnyYkpdqkHSsoU2Zdgb1ayqiFsyHXtgikS-AeGbF-X/s320/Al+mahtal+View.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5759341526191324786" /></a><br /><br />Check out that view. Is this the Gaza of your dreams? No, this is the Gaza that the ISM and the PSM never want you to see.Fatimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440284278736820250noreply@blogger.com1