I may have expressed some looove for Gaza in a recent post. Here's (some of the things) what woke me up again;
1. My son, who never is allowed to go out to play (too dangerous) spent some time just outside our building playing fotball with two neighbour-kids. So I thought. Being a few years older than him it turns out they took his fotball and kept playing between themselves while my son desperately tried to be a part of the game. He came home crying after a while. Kids here simply don't learn how to be compassionate.
2. Some days later he wanted to go with one of his friends from our bulding to a nearby park (the only playground in Gaza, I repeat, the ONLY one), that is just a few minutes walk from our home. I personally didn't allow him, but my son is soooooooo bored that he begged and begged, so I asked my realtives. Here's what they answered -"Oh no, there's two families in fued right now so they are outside shooting eachother and they might pass by the playground and start shooting." Nice, really nice.
3. Having only a short time left in Gaza I romatically thought that when my husband called me from Sweden and said -"Imaan, now that you have just a short time left please please please..." the sentence would finish something like "... please spend as much time as possible with my relatives", the sentence actually finished "... please listen (read obey) carefully to what my realtives advice you (there had been a question of how my children should spend their time that I took as interference and they considered as advice).
4. Another sleepless night. From Haaretz: "The Israel Air Force shelled Gaza Strip targets Friday in response to recent rocket fire from the Strip. Before dawn, IAF planes shelled 13 ground targets in the Gaza Strip that were used either as launching sites for Qassam rockets or paths leading to the sites."
Result:
1. Too unkind
2. Too dangerous
3. Too conservative
4. Too unsafe
Note to self: Don't live in Gaza
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7 comments:
Here is one big hug.
Feel better.
Imaan, get your bags packed and head to the airport...a.s.a.p. My dear sister in Islam, there is a hadith I heard, and my Allah forgive me for repeating what I don't remember word for word. The point of the hadith was that Allah sees all and will protect you, but you must also take the nessesary precautions to ensure your safety. A man was going to pray in the mosque and he was unsure wheather or not to tie up his camel, because surely Allah sees all and will protect it from being stolen, someone advised him this is true but you still need to tie up your camel. Get the point? What a horrible translation of a nice hadith. Your children deserve better, they deserve to have an enjoyable childhood free from the violence of our world. They will have to face it soon enough when the grow up, now its time for building sweet childhood memories that last a life time.
Have trust in God, but tie up the camel. Actually my favorite hadith. Thank you, Umm Jannah. I am packing my bags as we speak.
The Hadith is: "I3qil wa Tawakal". IT can be interpreted quite the opposite way-stay in Gaza, and put your tawakul on Allah swt. T
here are a great many people with other alternatives that DO choose to live in Gaza. I would just like to humbly express their voice.
Yes, there are a great many things wrong with Gaza. However, there are a great many things wrong with many places in the world. If people simply choose to abandon this troubled place, who will be left for the internal jihad to reform it? Everyday I might say 100 things I despise about gaza-not gaza itself but the people and how they act.
But I push myself and say-that is why for now I am staying, I want to change that, and I believe it CAN be changed. And I remember how many wonderful people there are here. The prophet saw also said: "tafa2alu bil khair, tajiduhu". "bE HOPEFUL AND OPTIMISTIC OF GOOD, AND YOU WILL FIND IT."
P.S. neighbhourhood bullies exist everywhere-maybe not in Sweden but most certainly in the US.
Sorry, but No. 2 just made me crack up.
I can't say I know the reality in Gaza - I'm in Nasereh - but listening to Raji Sourani from the NGO, Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, I have an idea of your reality - and it's ridiculous and unfair and wrong. On multiple levels.
I wish I could offer a solution. Maybe if Palestinians within the Green Line stopped seeing themselves as a minority within Israel, but as part of a larger Palestinian movement. Maybe then.
Yes, its true there are alot of neighborhood bullies in the US, gangs, drugs, robberies, and gun violence. There hasn't been any bombings though lately, Alhumdillah. I understand that it is important for Palestinians to stay in Palestine, because to leave is exactly what the other side wants. They make life miserable enough in hopes that the Palestinians will just leave in search for a better life, and they can carry on with there plan of taking the whole Palesine. I hope that my comment didn't get you upset Leila, I'm on your side. You seem to have taken my advice to Imaan, as an offense to you & Gazans in general. She has a choice either to live in a place that is a bit more dangerous than the average, or take her children to their other home which ensures a safer day to day environment. Only Allah knows, and we do not. Violence happens every where to what extent is a different issue. Do not take offense for my suggesting she live else where since she has the choice, which I'm sure alot of Gazans do but wish to stay in their birthplace, which is their perogative.
Hi Imaan. I love that hadith. I'm sorry that these last days feel so hard and pressured for you. I hope you will always enjoy the memory of the good days you had in Gaza. I will certainly always remembering the pleasure I had in reading them.
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