A dream…

Who doesn’t dream or have some kind of image in their head that they want to bring to real life. I myself dream of free Palestine and I dream of the day that I would enter the city of Gaza and drive in the streets waiting to meet my family. A lovely dream isn’t it? I tell my mother that I would love to meet my grandparents one day, I would love to see where they live and where my grandfather works and what my grandmother does on a normal day.   

I am growing older everyday, wishing I would see my uncles and aunts in Gaza. I want to meet my cousins and hug them and tell them how lucky they are to be living in their country; on their land.  Many people just like I wish to be in their position even if the life they lived was dangerous. My father left Palestine when he was one year old and lived in Iraq for most of his life; he as well knows so little about his own country. All he knows is the ancient Palestinian history and the modern one. My mother as well never had the chance to live in Palestine she moved to Jordan when she was about a year old. Does it seem like an impossible dream right now to fulfill? I am hoping not.

I lived my life on the go. I move from one place to the other, I hate it! I hate to see people living in their own countries while I don’t. I hate it when people are able to go wherever they want and enter all the countries they want while I don’t. I can travel to any where in the world except for one place. I was denied to enter this land with no reason at all. I am denied to enter my own country why? Because I am Palestinian. I laugh hysterically and look at myself in the mirror and say “Guess what Farah! You’re not allowed to enter Palestine because you’re Palestinian!” I continue to laugh.

I dream of a free Palestine, of a united country. I dream of Palestine and only for the Palestinians. Why is this dream so hard to bring over to reality? Why is it so hard to achieve? I lived all my life abroad trying to understand the reason why, the reason why I live outside of Palestine while my cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents and everyone in the family lives in Palestine. Why does it have to be me who lives outside! I feel so unlucky.

I hear people on a daily basis from Palestine demanding to get out of Palestine to live abroad and I think how careless you are. Don’t you love your country?! Do you not realize that there are so many outside of Palestine waiting for the chance to get in? I swear if someone around here is up to swap places with me I will be at his stand. *sigh* Palestine… when will I ever kiss your ground, hug your trees, breath in your air, and live and die where you are.

I have one fear. I fear of growing old and not being able to visit Palestine. I fear this moment in my life where I am at my deathbed wishing I was in Palestine. My only wish is to die in Palestine, and be buried in Palestine; the holy land.  

This land is so precious to me and surely many other Palestinians. I can’t give it away, I don’t want to share it with anyone, and I would die for my land in order to protect it. I am sure if you were in my place you would do the exact same. You wouldn’t let go of your land, wherever you live there is always a land out there that is more precious to you than any other place in the world. I am sure you would pay so much to protect it. You would die to protect that land of yours. I am exactly the same, I live in Canada yet, I don’t consider Canada my country even thought I love Canada, it’s a safe country and it provided me and many other people rights and freedom. But I have something else on my mind; I have Palestine on my mind. This has become an addiction; and obsession. I can’t live a day without thinking of Palestine. I love Palestine with all my heart, and I look for that one day where I’ll be able to visit Palestine and my relatives in Gaza.

Farah Said.

Honest Opinion.

Hello there,

Are you a Palestinian?
Who are you with?
Fateh?
Hamas?
etc.

The other day or actually a few days ago, I was sitting in an ordinary coffee shop where an old man noticed I was an Arab from the way I was talking to my father on the phone. As I finish my call, I look to my side and I see him coming over to sit in front of me and asked me a few questions.
He looked at me and said after starting a short conversation, "Ms. Farah, as a Palestinian who do you see is right, Fateh or Hamas?" I gazed into the space and wondered. To be quite honest, I have always been a great fan of Hamas but when he asked me for the first time I thought deeply before I answered and I wondered.
Our land (Palestine) was stolen from us, I live in a country where no relatives are around. I never got the chance to meet my grandparents (From my father's side) and I rarely talked to them on the phone. I was denied the right to enter my country; my land.
So I think... Should I say Hamas or Fateh, and honestly I had this fear in me that this old man sitting right in front of me may be siding with the opposite option of whom I am going to choose; I didn't want to upset him. Should I blame all this on Fateh or Hamas. I am from Gaza and currently Hamas took over Gaza so should I blame Hamas for denying me that right? Should I blame Egypt? Or maybe I should blame myself for yelling at the officer at Rafah's border.
Thoughts take me far away... On usual days, I wake up in the morning and turn on my computer and read the news, keeping up with what my country is going through. This is the only thing I can do since I don't live in Palestine. I read news from various sources and try to find the right source of information; the true source of information. but wait, what does this have to do with what the old man asked. Well, I think the media has effected our lives greatly. People blame each other based on what they read in the news. No wonder I see pro-Israelis around North America supporting Israel, perhaps they have been reading the news that doesn't deliver the full story. I am sure if they see what the Palestinians go through every day because of the occupation, I wouldn't find any pro-Israelis. But oh well, thanks to some "beloved" channels that brainwash our brains with false news.
No wonder I see people siding with Fateh or Hamas and forgeting about their real enemy.
HELLO! Fellow Palestinians, fellow people why do we side with Fateh or Hamas? Why do we favor one over the other? Why do we side with one and not the other?
Hamas and Fateh are in conflict. Let's face it, they are in conflict. They hate each other, and despise each other. Unfortunately, civilians are caught in the middle. This is sad, I find this sad. I bet you do as well.
Palestinians over the years have forgotten their real enemy. You have Palestinians that hate Hamas and hate how they treat Gazans. You have Palestinians that hate Fateh and the way it deals with Israel. You have Palestinians that have made their neighbouring countries their enemies, such as Egypt. I bet you can find one Palestinian at least that hates Egypt for what they have done to the Gazans. Let's not deny it, there are haters out there and they hate for the wrong reason. Forgive me, I am not defending Egypt or defending anyone, I just stating my opinion.
Let's go back to the old's man question. He asked what I think of the Palestinian political image, let's say.
I as a Palestinian have one enemy, one target. Not to mention I do highly dislike the propaganda Fateh is using against Hamas and vice versa. But I am a Palestinian Muslim, shouldn't hate other brother's and sisters in Islam. I am not going to gain anything from hating another Palestinian, he's already facing a whole lot of misery to deal with, this is just going to add more. Why would I want that?! I mean, I always like to put myself in the person's shoe before judging him. So I see that I should hate another Palestinian, no matter what the religion is, at the end we are all Palestinians and we all want our land back. Let's all agree to this point: We as Palestinians want our land back; the land that was stolen from us almost 62 years ago.
Dealing with this point, I am not going to give up now and let the blood and the souls that died from my country go to waste. I shouldn't side against another tribe or organization that also represents Palestine. I should not side with a group of people against another group of people, when we all at the end probably come from the same ancestry. Having said that, we as Palestinians should unite.
Unite?! lol, haven't we been TRYING to do that for many many years? Well, yes we have but we can't lose hope. I have faith in my people; in the Palestinians.
One day we'll realize that we are only harming ourselves by siding against each other. We Palestinians should start taking matters in hand wisely and seriously. We Palestinians SHOULD have a common target; an enemy.
Who have we been fighting for the past years?! Iraq? Lebanon? Egypt? NO!
There is a dirty tribe of people that have stolen and settled in our lands without our permission. They robbed us our lands, demolished our houses, cut down our beloved olive trees, killed our loved ones and denied us our basic rights! Isn't that enough to make this tribe an enemy and an only enemy? Do we really have to go around killing each other instead of spending the time together trying to plan and act on killing the enemy that robbed us our lives...
Suddenly, I am awakened by the nodging hand of the old man on my shoulder and I leave my little world of thoughts and look at him with warm eyes and smile. He looks amused and asks why I am smiling. I tell him: Dear uncle, I have no opinion on what Hamas or Fateh or any other Palestinian party is doing right now in Palestine. they are both wrong. In fact, I think this question is very stereotypical and shouldn't be asked. We are all Palestinians at the end, and we all have one enemy in mind; the Zionists.
The old man smiled and placed his hand over mine and said: Thank God you're mature enough to realize the wrong that has been done in the past. We are all Palestinians at the end. We weren't born to be with Fateh or Hamas. We were born as Palestinians and we should stay that way for the years to come. The Zionists are only our enemies. Nothing more and nothing less.
In conclusion, what I was trying to say is that we Palestinians, no matter whom we side with; Hamas, Fateh..etc. We should always always ALWAYS have one enemy in mind; one target. The Zionists that stole our land almost 62 years ago, they should be our ONLY enemy. Let's not be fooled, We should be Palestinians nothing more. We should always have one goal in mind. Crush those dirty Zionists.


Farah Said.

Boycott Israel.

Made this picture awhile back but it's always good to remind some of us. We need to start boycotting Israel. Let's start with boycotting one or two products and then go up the scale. Trust me it's not hard, you'll find an alternative. It might not be as good but you'll be comfortable knowing you're doing your best to stop the crime from happening. Me nor you want to be a part of a crime that is being done right now, while you're reading this. The people of Palestine and Iraq are suffering war crimes done by Israel and America. We need to start boycotting now more than ever. 

P.S. Start SLOWLY!

* Click on the image to view in large.

War of Words.

A year has passed since Israel's 22 day war on Gaza, but the war of words continues. Both sides have sophisticated media strategies, and as the message is ever more muddied, distilling the truth becomes yet more difficult. An Original Al-Jazeera Documentary looks at how the War of words between Israel and Hamas is waged.

Facts about Israhell.

Israel, a country the size of New Jersey can only claim to the following achievements:
• Israel was established upon the ruins of another nation that it destroyed; Palestine
• Israel hold the world record in the number of towns & villages it ethnically cleansed...500+
• Israel holds the world record in the number of refugees it deported...4 million +
• Israel holds the world record in the number of homes it demolished...60 thousand +... See More
• Israel is the country with the highest record of UN condemnation...500+ times
• Israel is the country with the highest number of protective US Security council vetoes...100+ times
• Israel has killed more innocent civilians per capita than any other country...50 thousand+
• Israel has imprisoned more civilians per capita than any other country...250 thousand+
• Israel has rendered more innocent civilians handicapped per capita than any other country...50 thousand+
• Israel has injured more innocent civilians per capita than any other country...200 thousand+
• Israel has only two countries to defend its policies in the United Nations. These countries are America & Micronesia. The population for Micronesia as of June 2008 is only 108000
• Israel is the only country on Earth that denies the right of return of refugees
• Israel is the only country on Earth that still occupies a whole other country & parts of two other countries
• Israel is the only country on Earth that publicly, steals the water of its neighbours
• Israel is the only country on Earth that has legalized home demolishing as a method of collective punishment
• Israel is the only country on Earth that uproots trees as a method of collective punishment
• Israel is the only country on Earth that deliberately targets civilian infrastructure and justifies it
• Israel is the only country on Earth that legalized assassination
• Israel stands unique in using human shields in military operations
• Amongst all countries, Israel is the only one that has legalized torture
• Israel is the only country on Earth that builds illegal settlements in occupied lands
• Israel is the only country on Earth that publicly jails activists without trial
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Israel has created the highest number of checkpoints
• According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Israel holds the world record in the number of curfew its installed on the Palestinians
• Israel is the only country on Earth whose checkpoints deny women access to hospitals, they give birth alone and babies usually die
• Israel is exceptional in being the only country on Earth whose checkpoints denies patients access to hospitals, and they end up dying
• Israel is the only country on Earth whose checkpoints are where wedding parades come to an end
• Israel is the only country on Earth who checkpoints school children, denies them access to school, and puts an end to their classes
• Israel is one of two countries that, against International Law, use cluster bombs and depleted uranium bombs. America is the other...what a surprise huh?
• Israel holds the world record in the number of soldiers refusing to serve in the army
• Israel despite being a rich country, receives the highest financial aid, more than the sum aid to all sub-Saharan Africa!
• Israel claims its enemies want to wipe it off the map, but it has indeed wiped a whole country called Palestine off the map!
• Israel is the county that has introduced nuclear weapons into the Middle East. But the only country in the Middle East that refuses to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty
• After East Germany, Israel is the only country that is building a segregation wall
• Second to South Africa, Israel is the only country to establish an apartheid regime
• Israeli engineers developed the worlds’ first iron gates on roads
• Israeli engineers developed the worlds’ first cities turned into jails with gates and opening hours
• Israeli engineers developed the worlds’ first apartheid walls
• Israeli engineers developed the worlds’ first electrified segregation fences
• Israeli engineers developed the worlds’ first ‘eyes specific’ rubber bullets
• Israeli engineers developed the worlds’ first abortion efficient, infant killing tear gas
• Israeli engineers developed the worlds’ first humiliation guaranteed human cages
• Israel is the only country on Earth that has a political party that publicly advocates ethnic cleansing of native citizens (Palestinians)
• Israel is the only country on Earth that still has racist laws that discriminate against native citizens (Palestinians)
• Israel is the only country on Earth known to have a memorial dedicated to a terrorist where his followers gather and dance
• Israel is the only country on Earth that imprisons kids for political reasons
• Israel is the only country on Earth where you get a one month community service for intentionally, smashing the head of a child! How much more proof do people need to see that Israel is a terrorist nation?????!!!!!!!!!!
• Israel is the only country on Earth that does not hold its soldiers accountable for shooting peace activists in cold blood
• No other country on Earth has towns and cities allocated exclusively for one ethnic group
• The only country on Earth, where people live in homes stolen from living refugees is, Israel
• The only place on Earth where people cultivate fields stolen from living refugees is, Israel
• Israel has the highest number of towns built upon ethnically cleansed villages, whose former residents are living refugees
• Israel ranks amongst the top countries in lack of security.

Locked in the largest air prison; Gaza.

Part I:

Part II:

This ducomentary is done by Al Jazeerah

سجل أنا عربي Record, I am an Arab.

A very famous poem by the beloved Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish-May he rest in peace.

سجل
انا عربي
ورقم بطاقتي خمسون الف
واطفالي ثمانية
وتاسعهم سيأتي بعد صيف
فهل تغضب
سجل… انا عربي…
واعمل مع رفاق الكدح في محجر
واطفالي ثمانية
اسلّ لهم رغيف الخبز والاثواب والدفتر
من الصخر
ولا اتوسل الصدقات من بابك
ولا اصغر امام بلاط اعتابك
فهل تغضب
سجل…
انا عربي…
انا اسم بلا لقب
صبور في بلاد كل ما فيها
يعيش بفورة الغضب
جذوري
قبل ميلاد الزمان رست
وقبل تفتح الحقب
وفبل السرو والزيتون
وقبل ترعرع العشب
ابي من اسرة المحراث لا من سادة نجب
وجدي كان فلاحا بلا حسب.. ولا نسب
يعلمني شموخ الشمس قبل قراءة الكتب
ويبتي كوخ ناطور من الاعواد والقصب
فلا ترضيك منزلتي ؟
انا اسم بلا لقب !
سجل… انا عربي…
ولون الشعر فحمي ولون العين بني
وميزاتي: على رأسي عقال فوق كوفية
وكفي صلبة كالصخر.. تخمش من يلامسها
وعنواني : انا من خربة عزلاء…منسية
شوارعها بلا اسماء
وكل رجالها.. في الحقل والمحجر
فهل تغضب؟ سجل… انا عربي…
سلبت كروم اجدادي وارضا كنت افلحها
انا وجميع اولادي
ولم تترك لنا ولكل احفادي
سوى هذي الصخور..
فهل ستأخذها حكومتكم..كما قيلا
اذن !!!!!
سجل…
برأس الصفحة الاولى
انا لا اكره الناس, ولا اسطو على احد
ولكني… اذا ما جعت, آكل لحم مغتصبي
حذار… حذار… من جوعي ومن غضبي

Translation to English:

Record!
I am an Arab
And my identity card is number fifty thousand
I have eight children
And the nineth is coming after a summer
Will you be angry?

Record!
I am an Arab
Employed with fellow workers at a quarry
I have eight children
I get them bread
Garments and books
from the rocks..
I do not supplicate charity at your doors
Nor do I belittle myself at the footsteps of your chamber
So will you be angry?

Record!
I am an Arab
I have a name without a title
Patient in a country
Where people are enraged
My roots
Were entrenched before the birth of time
And before the opening of the eras
Before the pines, and the olive trees
And before the grass grew

My father.. descends from the family of the plow
Not from a privileged class
And my grandfather..was a farmer
Neither well-bred, nor well-born!
Teaches me the pride of the sun
Before teaching me how to read
And my house is like a watchman's hut
Made of branches and cane
Are you satisfied with my status?
I have a name without a title!

Record!
I am an Arab
You have stolen the orchards of my ancestors
And the land which I cultivated
Along with my children
And you left nothing for us
Except for these rocks..
So will the State take them
As it has been said?!

Therefore!
Record on the top of the first page:
I do not hate poeple
Nor do I encroach
But if I become hungry
The usurper's flesh will be my food
Beware..
Beware..
Of my hunger
And my anger!