67 years ago, in Japan, “THE LITTLE BOY” didn’t mean innocence; it meant damage, pain and suffering. It wasn’t blue and wasn’t white, it was black and grey with spots of red all over the place. And most importantly it wasn’t a toy, it was the bomb that vanished Hiroshima!

It took only 60 seconds to kill 30% of the total population of Hiroshima, 90% of their doctors and 70% of their buildings were instantly turned into ash. Experts predicted it would take a city wiped off the map decades to ever be the same.

Three to four years after the A-bomb, Hiroshima rose from the ashes!

After all, naming a bomb that killed thousands of children “the little boy” wasn’t that cruel. It gave the Japanese the hope of a new start that a “little boy” can have while riding his bicycle for the first time. Each fall showed him the mistakes, which he should never repeat again. And instead of crying, he smiles and tries again and again until the day comes when he can let the winds wipe away all his painful memories as he ride his bicycle as fast as a bicycle can be ridden.

The people in Hiroshima couldn’t fight death, burns or diseases from the radiation, but they certainly could fight fear, despair and negativity. They knew that with hope and faith, everything is possible. They believed in the power of the human willingness, determination and his ability to recover. When people told them “the glass is half full”, they disagreed and refused to settle for anything less than a “full glass”!

As an Iraqi, my left and right brain sides are always in dispute.

My left side thinks we can never be Hiroshima, Iraq can never be the same, the damage can never be undone, the hurt and pain that each Iraqi carries over their shoulders can never be lifted and that we will have to live with the shame of not recovering forever. My left side thinks peace and happiness have left Iraq long ago, and he insists that they will never come back again. He reminds me every day of our mistakes as Iraqis, as a government and as humans.

And whenever someone asks me “where are you from?” he nags me to deny being an Iraqi, he screams loudly the names of the children who were killed by the Iraqis themselves, he sings the wedding songs of the newly weds who were killed on their wedding nights, and sometimes, he makes me listen to the Iraqi mothers telling their stories which always start with tragedy and end with uncertainty. And when I remind him of Hiroshima, with a voice full of rage and anger, trying to hold on to my last piece of hope, quietly he says “but we are Iraqis, we can never do the same!”

Then…just then, my right side wakes up, with his loud silence, reminding me of the days of Hulagu, when he raped, destroyed and shuttered Baghdad. The days when instead of giving up, Baghdad ran and took the hands of her history, medicine, astronomy and mathematics and hidden them inside of her, under her streets and between her walls, turning her rivers into a blue water which she later generously let us drink.

She was smart enough to know that with sword and hatred, you might be able to kill people, damage houses, or even make a city vanish! But she was sure that they could never erase our history, wipe away our culture. That the smell of smoke cannot replace the delicious smell of our tea, and no matter how bitter our pain is, we can never forget how sweet our date once tasted.

I still believe in Baghdad, in Hiroshima!
I refuse to settle for half-solutions, half governments, and that Iraqis will always live with half happiness, half satisfaction and that sometimes they only get to live half a life!
I still want to believe that I will not settle for half a country, I won’t get to choose between south and north, Sunni or Shia, I will never follow half a religion!
And no matter what my left-brain side says, I try to hold on, as hard as I can, to the belief that my right side will always be RIGHT.

When I was a little girl, I used to believe in angels, magic and that everyone is going to heaven!
I used to think that if I’m in danger, angels will save me!
And if I’m having a bad day, it is ok ,
because I’ll end up in heaven.

I’ve never felt sorry about kids with no parents, or my friend, that girl with big glasses at school who everyone used to laugh at.
Because no matter what happens, God will take them to heaven.

When I caught my mum crying after my grandma passed away, I didn’t even try to cheer her up
I though: oh it can’t be that bad, God knows she’s mad,
and he’ll take care of it, isn’t that’s why he invented heaven?
So that kids with no parents can have a shoulder to cry on when they’re sad?
So that my friend, the girl with big glasses at school who everyone used to laugh at, can actually laugh one day? Not out of misery, not out of shame, out of happiness and out of joy
So She can pick up the tiny pieces of her dreams off the floor, the dreams that everyone tried to destroy?
And that one day, instead of remembering her as the girl with big glasses at school who everyone used to laugh at,
she can be remembered as the most beautiful ,smart ,funny girl who knew no matter what happens, god will take us to heaven!

Now I’m not a little girl no more, I know that there’s no magic, there’s no angels…and probably there’s no heaven!
I know that kids with no parents, will have pain, sorrow and tears
And at the end of the night, there will be no one to whisper goodnight in their ears.
And when I think of my friend, I still remember her as the girl with big glasses at school who everyone used to laugh at!

Now, I know that life can be hard…it can be tragic,
and I can guarantee you, there’s no fairy tales and there’s no magic!

And that life can be an awful song, with bad rhymes that you have to listen to every morning!
But you have to sing it anyway, and sing it loud until your ears fall in love with what they’re hearing.

I tasted the bitterness and I’m still striving to taste the sweet.
I gave pieces of my heart away more than once without asking for anything, and I was like: hey, that’s my treat!
When I was close to the edge and about to fall, I reached out to life,
and instead of taking my hand she gave me an earthquake
I looked up and said no no, don’t expect me to fall…not that quick!

Life, tried to shake my faith, as hard as she could, and you know what! some of my faith is lost now
But As a grown up women, I still play hide and seek and merry go rounds
I hide from pain and seek comfort under my mum’s arms.
I run away from the people I don’t like and around the ones I love.

And if you’re having a bad day, I’ll tell you don’t worry, it is ok
Cause no matter what happens, god will take us to heaven!

This’ll be my first departure from Australia since repatriating nearly a decade ago. After spending 20 years based in Verbier, Switzerland, I’ve been rediscovering Australian culture, from Sydney to Yamba, Sandy Beach to Tamworth, to Newcastle, to Auburn in Sydney, before moving north again to Byron Bay. It seems settling down is not to be a quick and easy process for me.

I met comedian Akmal Saleh one night in a service station outside Tweed Heads. I was returning from the Gold Coast having watched the ‘crew screening’ of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, when who did I see filling up petrol in front of me? Akmal Saleh no less.

Being a fan, and knowing he’s a resident of the Byron Shire I thought I’d go say g’day and see if he’d do a comedy piece for my www.byronvibe.com website. With a flash of his brooding eyes and a shrug of his shoulders, his inimitable pursed grin replied “yeah, sure”.

A couple weeks later, we were wandering down main street in Byron, vox popping with Frank and some other randoms, having a laugh. (View clips here

After several months passed I get a call from Akmal asking if I’d be interested in going to Egypt to shoot a story. I had to think for all of a micro second before responding with an emphatic YES.

Of course the project had a low probability of coming off, as every project seems to at first in the film biz, so I didn’t get too excited as it was february and the trip was scheduled for August. There was a while to go and any number of factors could cancel the project, the instability of the new military government but one of note.

But we had good advice on that matter from an expert on Egyptian affairs who had recently returned from Egypt as well as another friend of Akmal’s who’d been a solicitor in Egypt for many years, and that seemed good enough for me.

Months rolled by. A couple of meetings at Lulu’s in Mullum. Phone calls from Akmal and I’m thinking, “this guy’s serious! Maybe it will happen!”

Sam has been a solicitor in Egypt for many years

Mitigating circumstances meant Akmal had to go in August or he couldn’t go at all… We tried to get a couple of production companies on board, but really time had run out and we had to make a decision: Go it alone or cancel the trip. But Akmal was keen, so with a month left he said “let’s go!”

New passport and visas had to be sorted. Camera equipment had to be sourced. The desire to shoot with Sony’s latest F3 rig had to give way to the reality of running gun in a place like the streets of Egypt and we decided on Sony’s less cumbersome and more discreet EX1, a compact yet high def solution from the friendly guys at Pro Cam in Brisbane.

With a week to go, packing down my gypsy abode should have been an easy process, but a spent tension pulley in the fan belt config meant I had to tow it to the Gold Coast at a cost which would have been better spent on the trip to Europe (yes, Europe, after Egypt, but that’s another story). The damn plastic spindle cost 90 bucks but the replacement of it cost $800 as they had to pull the front end off…

This setback could only be looked at one way. As a preparation to the many contigencies that I knew Egypt was going to throw at me once we were on the ground. Like a war of attrition I began to cross tasks off my list of things to do, before finally cramming tripod, audio gear, cameras and lenses, clothes, laptop and mobile-office kit into two backpacks and a ready-to-shoot bag. About a 50kg load all up.

Parking the ‘Hotel Benz’ at Karin’s (thanks Karin) I loaded my gear into Catie’s Van (Akmal’s wife and the production’s Line Producer) before we proceeded to the Gold Coast airport. The plan was for me to go two weeks prior to them to film the Abu El Haggag religious festival in Luxor which was advertised as being on the 17th and 18th July. This festival is a coming together of Muslims and Christians in a two day parade through the streets of Luxor around the ancient mosque of Abu El Haggag.

Abu El Haggag Mosque and Temple

Nothing like getting thrown in the deep end, on my own in a country I’ve never been to, don’t speak the language of (hoping my french will get me by if English doesn’t), with some expensive camera kit in tow, much to the consternation of family and friends who see the evening news regarding instability in the region…

But I was on my way to the airport, the one sure sign a project is on and the only time one allows oneself to get excited about the journey ahead, because today, I’m off to Egypt.

Feras Baqna, Hussam Al-Drewesh and Khaled Al-Rashed started an online television series based in Saudi Arabia called “We are being cheated.” They posted several episodes on topics that are often not covered by mainstream Saudi television. The last episode was called ‘Poverty’ where many issues were raised regarding Saudi Arabia and increasing poverty, which is ignored by the government. As a result on October 16, 2011 these three young Saudi men were summoned by the Bureau of investigation and Prosecution. They have been detained ever since, without charges, arrest warrant or legal representative.

The online series was started by these three young men because they loved Saudi Arabia and wanted to change aspects of it that were implemented poorly. Highlighting poverty was not to mock Saudi Arabia, but to change the lives of those who are poor by giving them better opportunities. Instead of these three pioneers being applauded, they were met with an iron fist, making the Kingdom appear as ridiculous, even more so than the ban on women driving.

Every country needs an opposition, it will keep the ruling party in check through scrutiny and accountability. Saudi Arabia’s attempts to censor voices of opposition, or concerned citizens will inevitably led to increased frustration and anger. And this particular case sets a precedent for future Saudi youth that their voices don’t matter, and efforts to highlight injustices will be met with scrutiny, which means citizens of Saudi Arabia must campaign for this case, and not allow censorship to continue.

The last video which led to their detainment has been translated to English, but was originally published without the subtitles, and has over one million views since the arrest. You can watch the video below for yourself and be the judge on whether the content was appropriate. If you believe their detainment is unlawful, please support their release campaign and raise awareness.

How can you help?

1. Raise awareness through social networking sites, on Twitter follow the Hashtag #Mal3ob3lena, and post their campaign blog on Human rights groups on Facebook.
2. Make a video on Youtube to show your support.
3. Contact the Saudi Embassy in your country and ask for their release.
4. Get in touch with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other relevant organisations to help this campaign grow bigger.
5.  Start a petition.

…Just don’t stay silent.

Often i read in CNN, BBC or Reuters that Libyans are divided and the country could very possibly decent into another civil war between competing tribes or Islamists v. Secularists. Personally, I do not know the extent of tribalism or sectarianism in Libya as I have never been there. **If you are from Libya, please comment below and tell me** As we have all too often seen in the Arab World, tribalism and social divides can lead to violence and civil war. The foundation of democracy is respect for the rule of law and the respect for the constitution as the supreme law of the land. This is why the writers of the Constitution of Libya and other revolutionized Arab states have a huge task in front of them.

They must draft a constitution within the next 10 months that codifies and manifests the visions that they have for their nation and their people. Most nations that draft constitutions start from scratch, barely benefiting from other constitutions. However a constitution is like a software program and any programmer will tell you that there is no need to make a new version of a program from scratch. They learn from other programs and in some cases even use those programs and change them to suit their specific needs. There is no shame in asking from help to draft a constitution, and the judges and lawyers drafting these ones need to closely study the constitutions of the U.S, Canada and France. These constitutions all guarantee the fundamental rights of freedom, liberty and the means to be happy. I think Arabs countries should go the route that Canada has gone down and adopt “fundamental freedoms” that are guaranteed by the constitution. These should include the right to freedom of thought, of assembly, speech and the press.

The constitution will be the most fundamental part of forming new democratic societies and I think this should be done before a leader is elected. For the constitution to feel like it is absolute and concrete, it must exist before the first president/prime minister is elected. A respect for a constitution and a sense that it is more than just a piece of paper but instead the general will of the entire population has to exist if the rights we all dream of are to be realized.

The protesters demanded the closing of the private broadcaster Nessma TV, which broadcast the film. Hundreds of attackers later attacked the house of Nabil Karoui station manager and set it on fire.

The film Persepolis from 2007 is based on a comic who lives in France. Iranian author Marjane Satrapi talks about her childhood and youth in Iran. She was nominated for an Oscar and won the Cannes Film Festival with a special price. Iranian filmmakers are becoming in internationally acclaimed works deal with the political and social reality of their country. Including Jafar Panahi.

In 2006 he received for his film Offside, the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in February that he would even sit on the jury of the Berlinale – but was allowed because he was under house arrest for not leaving Iran. Now he must go to prison for six years. As state media reported on Saturday, Panahi failed on appeal, his sentence was confirmed in this instance. The 20-year career and travel ban on Panahi has also been maintained.

If you saw the film you will understand it is a classic piece of art that needed to be shown all over schools in the Mideast ,many youth will find them connected with the tale of freedom against tyranny of radical mind ,the protester leaders may win points in the election but had lost for them self and the new tunisa points in respect ,open minded and the hope to build a model state to lead the Arabic future as they did when the lead the Arabic revolutionary movements , I believe they went out to stop the warning message of the movie against radical domination  of power in name of Islam ,and they used the God image as excuses.

(A picture of the “sign of peace”)

Over 6 decades, Egyptians tried many strategies for opposition, starting from opposition from within the ruling party (and it’s the weakest strategy), to the militant opposition (and it’s the most violent strategy) – all these attempts failed. Till Egyptians discovered a new strategy, “the peacefulness” and the Egyptian revolution came out chanting “peaceful… peaceful”, and the peacefulness succeeded in achieving what the Kalashnikov couldn’t.
6 weeks as well is approximately the period of the Arab-Israeli conflict… For 64 years, Arabs tried many strategies dealing with Israel (starting from being agents to terrorism), and also all the attempts failed… So, why don’t we start adopting a peaceful strategy dealing with the state of Israel to reach full rights to all the peoples of the region? That research paper is an attempt of me to explain how peaceful means can end that conflict completely, thus all the peoples of the region rest and their suffering ends.

However, dear reader I have to warn you, if what leads you to deal with that case is the motivation of revenge and the desire to get-rid of Jews then that research isn’t directed towards you, so don’t waste your time reading it. This research is directed toward who wish to end the conflict by fair way giving all parties their legitimate rights.

The first scene: Security Council decision – November 1947
The first scene which I’m going to concentrate on between numerous historical scenes I’m going to present. It’s the events which followed the decision of Security Council to divide Palestine in November 1947… What were the reactions on the decision? Were these reactions correct or wrong?
After 6 days of issuing Security Council decision, the Arab League met and took a decision to prevent Security Council decision by force (by weapons)… Arabs ignored the peaceful and the diplomatic ways, they didn’t resort to a dialog and didn’t discuss Security Council in its decision. All they did was each one of them went to bring his weapon and chant “death to Jews”.

At the time when Arabs were drunk with the fever of blood-shedding Jews, Israelis were making a world-wide diplomatic campaign to convince the whole world to support the born state of Israel. The United States of America felt that Security Council decision will ignite a war in the region, so it provided a recommendation that to Security Council demanding canceling the partition plan. As usual, Arabs were busy preparing violence, they didn’t care for that American step, and Israelis didn’t go back to their homeland until they convinced the Americans to take back their recommendation from Security Council.

Here, a question arises: What if Arabs thought about peaceful means, and traveled as well to to convince the Americans with their point of view, also the rest of Security Council members? What if America didn’t take back its recommendation about canceling the partition plan? Arabs could have canceled the Security Council decision, therefore obstructing the establishment of the state of Israel from the first place, but unfortunately they were busy with violence, weapons and the desire to kill, so they lost everything.

The second scene: declaring the state of Israel – 15 May 1948
Days passed after the decision of Security Council and it wasn’t canceled. Based on the decision, Israel declared its independence as soon as the British mandate for Palestine ended. So, why didn’t also the Palestinians declared their state at that time, backed by the legitimacy of Security Council decision, and it’s the decision in which Israel adheres to strongly because it’s the decision which gave it legitimate existence? The answer simply is that Palestinians and Arabs were busy with war and blood, and they weren’t interested in peaceful ways, of the type of holding a parliament and heading to the United Nations to declare a Palestinian state.
Once more, Palestinians wasted a golden chance because of being busy with violence.

The third scene: Moshe Sharet initiative – 1953
After declaring independence, David Ben-Gurion headed the Israeli government, who was a Zionist leader adopting radical stances firm against Israel. The chance for achieving peace at his era was very weak. In the year 1953 the Israeli Knesset had its second Prime Minister for Israel who was Moshe Sharet, who was contrary to Ben-Gurion, believing in peace and giving Arabs their rights. Moshe Sharet demanded from the Israeli Knesset to delegate him in making peace talks with Arabs. The Knesset agreed to delegate Moshe Sharet in negotiating on anything and everything (including the right of Palestinian refugees to return inside the Israeli lands).
Moshe Sharet went to all Arab leaders asking for dialog, all of them refused and insisted to settle the conflict by war and violence. Gamal Abdel Nasser agreed on the dialog on the condition of secrecy, because Gamal Abdel Nasser didn’t have the courage to face his people that he was making peaceful negotiations with Israel.
Thus, Moshe Sharet fell in 1954 because of Moshe Sharet failure to convince Arabs of peaceful mechanisms to settle the conflict. David Ben-Gurion became once again to be Prime Minister closing many doors for a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Why Arabs don’t ask themselves: What if they accepted Moshe Sharet initiative? What if these negotiations succeeded and the Palestinian state was established at then, and the refugees came back home? Once again, Arabs lose because of their adherence to violent mechanisms and their objection to peaceful mechanisms.

The fourth scene: the assassination of king Abdallah – 1951
After the Arab defeat in in 1948 war and the truce agreement with Israel in Rhodes – February 1949, and because of not declaring a Palestinian state, Gaza became under the Egyptian administration while the West Bank under the Jordanian administration.

King Abdallah Ben Al-Sharif Hussein, king of Jordan, realized the importance of reaching a peaceful solution to the conflict after the failure of the military attempt. He went to visit Jerusalem along with his peaceful efforts, but the Palestinian terror was waiting for him. He was assassinated inside Aqsa mosque, so that the first peaceful Arab effort be assassinated towards Israel.

After 60 years of assassinating king Abdallah, we ask ourselves: did Abdallah’s benefited Palestinians? Of course not, because Jordan was dragged to a conflict with Israel which didn’t end except after the agreement of Wadi Arabah in 1994, while the West Bank was subject to Israeli occupation and still to that day suffering of a spread of the Israeli army and Israeli settlements in. If king Abdallah hadn’t been assassinated, the West Bank would have now been without settlements and Jordan wouldn’t have lost in its economy and its youth in a conflict for 40 years with Israel. Once again, Arabs lose because of their inclination toward violence and their objection to the peaceful means.

The fifth scene: the Egyptian peace treaty – 1979
In the year 1977, Sadat realized the importance of what king Abdallah was doing in the year 1951, so he decided to start an Arab peace initiative. He visited Jerusalem in November, 1977 and afterward, immediately the Egyptian-Israeli peace talks started. All the Arab parties in the conflict were invited to to join the peace talk, but the Arabs found it hard to make a peaceful work. They launched the “The Three No’s of Khartoum”, objecting any peaceful solution to the conflict, adhering to militarist settlement.

Today, after 32 years of signing the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, we ask ourselves: what if Arabs accepted the peaceful negotiations in Sadat era? What would the Arabs have lost if they negotiated at that time without a result? Was what Jordan take in 1994 more than what it would have taken if it joined Sadad initiative in 1979? Was what the Palestinians take in Oslo, 1993, more than what would they have taken in 1979?
Once again, Arabs waste the chance because of their adherence to the armed solutions not the peaceful solutions.

The sixth scene: Camp David 2 – year 2000
In the year 2000, many positive circumstances gathered. President Bill Clinton was at the end of his presidency and wanted to end the conflict in the Middle East before he leaves office. At the same timing, Israel was lead Ehud Barak of the Labor Party of Israel – Labor Party is a leftist political party known by its support to peace process. Israel was on the eve of parliamentary elections, so Barak needed a success facilitating obtaining many seats in the next Knesset.
The talks had actually started at Camp David, Yasser Arafat, Ehud Barak, Bill Clinton, and who views what Israel offered at that time, would realize that Israel offered an offer in which Palestinians won’t obtain a similar offer forever. A state on the borders of 1967, Eastern Jerusalem the capital city, dismantling of settlements and the return of a percentage of refugees. Palestinians will go after two month from now (in September 2011) to the United Nations too declare a Palestinian state and they know well that they won’t obtain what Israel offered them in Camp David 2.

Yasser Arafat signature was only required and the United States guaranteed the agreement, in other words America would compel Israel to implement. However, Mubarak was annoyed of his absense in the talks, so as, he realized that it is of his interest that the conflict continues, so the relationship between Yasser Arafat and the Egyptian Intelligence was exploited, and he was pressured into objecting to sign the treaty. Emotionally provoking vocal phrases were raised, of the type: resistance, occupation, martyrs, uprising, treason, agents, Zionists. Arafat apologized and didn’t sign the treaty saying to Bill Clinton, “if I signed the treaty, you’ll walk in my funeral soon”.

What happened later on? George Bush, the son, came to White House, he wasn’t a man of peace of any kind. In the Israeli elections, Israelis felt that what Labor Party says is useless with Arabs, so Labor Party together with Meretz lost most of their seat and the Israeli right rose to authority, represented by Likud of the militarist background, allying itself with religious political parties of type of “Shas” and “The Jewish Home”. It objected to Camp David 2 and almost destroyed Labor Party, to the extent it’s now a very weak political party in Israel which isn’t influential in political life. Ehud Barak who used to be a hero of peace, didn’t forget at all the Arabs destroyed his strength and transformed him from a strong leader to a chief of a weak political party, so, Barak became an impeder to peace more than a supporter to it.

So, what do Arabs benefit of objecting Camp David 2? Did the Palestinian uprisings give the Palestinians 1% of what would have Camp David 2 give them? What would Arabs do now after the partners of peace in Israel have been destroyed and the governance there was took-over by fanatics and religiously-biased? Do Arabs imagine that they would get more than what was offered to them? What would happen now to any peace agreement after half of what Israel offered in 2000 became unacceptable and not possible to be offered in 2011? What did the Palestinians benefit of being the “sons of stones”? Wouldn’t be better for them to be the “sons of peace”?

Seventh scene: Arab Spring – 2011
When the Tunisian revolution started in December 2010, everyone looked at it as an exceptional case specific to Tunisia, and everyone dealt with the approach of “Egypt isn’t Tunisia” and “Libya isn’t Tunisia”. But, when the revolution succeeded in Egypt in overthrowing Mubarak and when the revolutions in Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain erupted, everyone realized that the Arabic-speaking peoples knew the strength of the peaceful revolutions.

The Israeli right stood confused in front of a fateful question: “what if the Palestinians started a peaceful revolution”? Israel was accustomed to that the Palestinian resistance is militant, because using violence against Israel allows it to use its army in the framework of self-defense and no one would blame Israel when it chases child-kidnappers or killers of civilians. But, if the Palestinians started a peaceful revolution, Israel won’t be able to use its army, so what would it do? No one in Israel (and specifically the Israeli right) found an answer on that question, and the fear remained to them of a Tunisian revolution.
But, as one of Israel leaders said that “Israel’s success doesn’t depend on its smartness, but on the stupidity of its enemies”. The Palestinians wasted the chance in the second uprising in 15 May 2011, contrary to the rest of the Arab peoples, the Palestinians didn’t look for a Palestinian Tahrir square to protest in peacefully. Palestinians didn’t realize that the peacefulness has no relation with penetrating the borders, infringement on the territorial waters of Israel and chanting racist words. A peaceful sit-in disseminating racist ideas is exactly as the sit-in of Mostafa Mahmoud square, where peaceful protestors chanting shit thought, and of course that won’t lead to a result. The chance is still available for Palestinians to adopt the peaceful method of Tahrir before it’s too late.

(A picture of the biggest demonstrations in the history of Israel, Tel Aviv, 6 August 2011)

Peaceful Strategies toward Israel
- Why won’t we start trying peaceful strategies with Israelis and see if it would succeed as the peaceful Egyptian revolution succeeded? We tried violence for 6 centuries, so why don’t we try the peacefulness for 6 months?

- Before the eruption of the Egyptian revolution, the Egyptian demonstrators were at the beginning of their demonstration giving flowers to police officers and tell them “we’re not demonstrating against you,but against the regime”… So, why don’t we send flowers to Israelis and tell them “we are not antagonize you as individuals, but we are against your policies toward us and Palestine”?

- Also, before the Egyptian revolution, one of the opposition groups published on the internet a list with telephone numbers of Egyptian police officers and we started a campaign of calling those officers, trying to convince them to stop assaulting demonstrators… That campaign succeeded in attracting numerous police and army officers and ex-officers and their families, and they participated in our revolution.

So, why don’t we start in the same thing with Israelis? Why don’t we start communicating with ordinary Israeli individuals and tell them that the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces actions are unacceptable, inhumane and obstruct peace in the region? Why don’t we convince try to them with the justice of our cause, if we really believe-in its just.

What if we each Egyptian person started adding two Israelis on his friends list on Facebook? If there were million Egyptians, each one of them can only affect two Israeli citizens, that means that we are affecting 2 million Israeli citizens (or a quarter of Israel census)… So, what if we put in consideration that Egypt has approximately 10 million Facebook users, and that each on of them has the ability to add 5000 friends to his friends list. The soft force is much stronger than any other violence you imagine.

It’s of my interest, of your the interest and the whole world’s interest that the conflict ends in Middle Easy, therefor I wish that we start a true beginning in Arab peaceful attempts for the sake of putting an end to the conflict and blood-shedding, and to establish a fair warm peace built on coexistence between the peoples of the region.

Maikel Nabil Sanad
El-Marg general prison
2 ع [‘ayn]
2011/7/29

“Woe for a nation that eats from what it doesn’t plant and wears from what it doesn’t sew”
- Chinese wisdom.

And this is how in a few decades China turned out from a feudal country into the first industrial country and will soon beat the States… This is how and why China produces all what the whole world needs… at the time the Arab world (still ruled by the San Remo Plot though which the Arab area was divided into pieces) imports every single thing it needs, and even forced to buy what it doesn’t need in lots of cases (like the new military arsenals to be used against a neighbor or a brother country… but never against the occupiers that fill our region)

A few  weeks ago, a friend of mine (was a classmate) came to consult me in building his house (stupidly) thinking that I am a genius planner and builder… he got the excuse, because (after working for ten years –since I was a child- in all what you can imagine of works, specially construction) I could plan and work out nearly every single thing with my own hand- starting from drawing and redrawing the maps for nights, digging the bases, building the walls, the iron bars, the roof, planning and installing electricity and water systems…etc,.. and all that because I worked enough to learn what I need, and you cant imagine how much I saved, but I did that not because I wanted to save but because I didn’t have enough to pay the workers !!! It took me 13 months to finish my house of sqm107 !!

I took my friend to a local store where you can buy all what you can think of construction infrastructure; cement, pipes, wires (any size), tubs, faucets, showers, tiles, lightening…etc, etc, etc… When we reached the gate, there was a big sign (This store is clean from the products and services of the settlements) and when we got inside we found nothing but settlement products !!! You see how blatantly and unashamedly we are liars?  Why? The hell, tell me why !!

Burqan, is a big and well known industrial city, sorry settlement, in the heart of the West Bank, and it produces around 150 products of furniture, chemicals, plastic products (all what you can imagine of profitable plastic products), food, drinks, detergents, … almost all what you need at home…. But why the hell we lie? Why our “reverent” “government” spends millions of dollars for brochure, campaigns, TV programs, staffs, interviewing “specialists”, collecting data… all for a big lie?

This spring I started building a small mini-market in our tiny village. It took me six weeks to finish every single thing with my own hands- and it was exactly like what I wanted it to be .. after two months of the opening, I can tell you that most of what I sell is from “our neighbors” the rampaging settlers, the modern copy of the American fugitive cowboy .. Do I have the choice? Of course not. Even when I warn costumers (all are my cousins…. And if you don’t know we, Bedouins, have 500,000 cousins) some tell me: so what? Isn’t it edible?  Others even recommend certain products knowing that they are from their oppressor !!!

————————–

In “israel”, there is a system of vocational school called “Reshet Amal” of which you can find one in every town, and several in every  cities…. And as “israel” is a “so democratic” state and the only “democratic oasis in the Middle East”, they (the Zionists) have two different systems of those Amal schools for the jewish settlers other than the system for the indigenous Palestinian villages and towns:  In the jewish system, they provide courses that produce fighters, snipers, security agents, economists, interrogators, armed guard, computer and net experts, hackers, musitions, painters,  site managers (to control and watch at the Palestinian workers) and mostly of what is called (white jobs)… however, the indigenous Palestinians are forced to choose the dirty careers of builders, garbage cleaners, servants, cooks, toilers … if not, they got to face the street and end into a dead end !!!

This way, this systematic teaching and training, makes the difference, creates and molds the generation you want !!! This is all done with the approval and auspice of the GRAND WB… yes, you heard it well, The WORLD BANK !!!  Also there is a very similar program that is conducted by the UNRWA vocational centers to produce the same quality of Palestinian servants … (in the early 1980s, when the “israeli” building market needed more and more dirty workers, the UNRWA launched a wide program in every Palestinian refugee camp to prepare the refugees to work and serve their oppressor as builders, tilers, bleachers, servants (in cooperation with the zionists of course) ) … but the problem is that when you ask the UNRWA officers, they will boast of helping the “poor refugees” to win their bread … the hell with the UNRWA’s well-planned programs !!!

………………………………………..

Two years ago, a friend of mine, a lawyer, a classmate too ( Didn’t I tell you that we, Bedouins, also have 500,000 friends?) told me a strange story: this lawyer (got his MA in International Law from Paris, and now preparing for his PhD dissertation- see? despite the UNRWA programs, we are not all builders) was working for a Law Institution. The manager held a meeting for the workers to decide “democratically” to rent a car, to decide its type, model and probably its color and accessories. After a heated discussion my friend suggested that it is a stupid idea to rent a car for two years, it is a waste for the donor’s money to pay some 30,000 USD (that apart from the daily fuel) to rent a car that doesn’t cost a third of this sum to buy it. He suggested buying a new one and using it for two years, then to sell it again, and this will cost them not more that 10% of the suggested sum… The Law Institute owner, sorry, the manager said a big NO. But why sir manager, businessman or whatever? The manager said that we are not allowed to buy, it is not only that, but also we have to choose from a “wide range” of certain car-rent companies. ”Who said that?”, my friend asked. “It is the donor, the WORLD BANK” !!!

You see? This is how the money is dictated to create a New Middle East in which “israel” is the dominant player militarily, economically, politically  and whatever you like –lly.

This could explain the reason behind the crises between Egypt and USAID. between Gaza and the USAID that happened this month, in wich the USAID stopped all its projects in Gaza… they dont want any one to interfere in their programs, not even the relevant countries and communities…. they, the USAID and such “humanitairian” agencies are not more than the economic arm for the intelligence agencies, they aim to set programs that facilitate their control…. every Western country has its own “humanitarian” agency

……………………

The Story started some 100 years ago. At 1917 (the date of Balfour Declaration) when the Palestinian economy was (comparatively) one of the most developed and modernized economies in the region. It took the British occupiers exactly 30 years to accomplish their promise to the jews; to -systematically- devastate the Palestinian economic and social structure, to kick the Palestinians out of their homes…and… build a modern, powerful and stable jewish colonizer society. This has happened deliberately, and step-by-step while deceiving the Arabs with the “good intention” of the government of His Britannic Majesty King George the Fifth in London. The trick passed and they transplanted a “nation” into the Arab body, however, we are still, after 100 years, suffering the side effects of planting that cancer of the Zionist entity.

Shall I end here?

IRAN

After the establishment of the Zionist entity on the rubble of Palestine, the French government was a major player in aiding the Zionists, both in the 1956 sub-war and later (after knowing that “israel” is defenseless without the Nuclear Weapon) in building the Zionist Nuclear core in more than a site in “israel” … France got it share in adopting the bastard !!

The American role in nurturing the “poor jewish state” emerged like a rocket after the war of 1973… the American role in aiding the Zionist entity dosnt need any further explanation after mentioning the  yearly unconditioned almost 4 billion USD, this is other than the unlimited military aids like those shipments sent to the Zionists while they were burning Gaza !!

Do you know Kurtz? Not my friend in no way, though I have dozens-virtually at least !! Kurtz, is the main character in “Heart Of Darkness” , [a short novella, strongly recommended] the masterpiece of Joseph Conrad. Conrad describes Kurtz as half polish half German, educated in France and served the British Crown. Conrad says: he is the breed of whole Europe. This Kurtz (as Conrad described him over 100 years ago) was in a “holy mission” to educate Africa, but he ended up a real curse for Africa, and turned into a cannibal opening his mouth wide to swallow the “white gold” of that time, the African ivory… Now we have our Kurtz  represented in the Zionist entity that turned into the butcher of the age, protecting the West greed of the “black gold” of the Arabia !!

Why Iran?

It took the Britons thirty years to kick the Palestinians out, and the French a few years to create Nuclear Zionist state that is eligible and entitled to any new technology specially the deadly ones…. The so “democratic” West, was about to make the Apartheid South Africa a nuclear state for them to be able to control the whole of Africa from Cape-Town …BUT… the democratic  and forgiving South Africa is banned from getting nuclear Power, even for peaceful purposes. Why?

This is how the whole west (talking of  governments and capital) is backing the Zionist entity; the only colonial occupying “state” on earth, not only with the Nuclear weapons, but also with the most modern and updated killer technology. Why?

Iran??

When Iran was ruled by a feudal dictator, the so “democratic” States started backing him with the nuclear knowledge, and even built a primitive core for not to compete them… BUT… after the public Islamic revolution it became a rogue country, that not only prevented from getting any scientific knowledge, but also besieged to be deprived from developing even its own knowledge. Why?

You see? A tale of two cities, two states, or even two tiny villages… never mind, but it is the politics of the whole world including its “benevolent” UNRWA and Grand WB !!  To keep enslaving the weak, to keep monopolizing the market !!

Nuclear Iran would mean a New Middle East other than that one of Ms Condie or that one drawn by the end of WW1, a new middle east that will be free off the American supported Arab dictators… to create it own future, to have its full independence off the transnation (American dominated) companies !!

——————-

But why to live the lie… our deadly lie of our so “lovely” and  American dominated PA? Stop lying my dears, we will never be able to boycott the Zionist products… stop the lie of the “Palestinian economy”, there is nothing like that at all. The Palestinian economy has been devastated decades ago. We are just consumers for the Zionist productsthat are cultivated from our land by our hands and you got to thank the UNRWA for training us to work and serve the “genius jewish mind” !!  If you want to help me fishing let me develop my own boat… don’t destroy my boat and train me to fish for you day-by-day

The “Palestinian economy” ? what a big joke… our PA managers and VIP holders are not more than  sub-sub-subagents for the Zionist businessmen. And our economy has completely been annexed to the Zionist one (thanks for the West, UNRWA and WB policy) decades ago !

Stop the lie and say it frankly that the West got sick of funding the occupation. That you are just managers for the tax revenue (mostly of the Zionist products). … the boycott campaign is just a lie, why  don’t you admit? It only aims to control the whole market and to milk the already impoverished people, to get enough money to pay the occupation police that the west doesnt want to fund.. you think you will get a state by obeying the American orders and milking your own people?  Stop the lie, stop devastating our economy first by annexing it more deep into the Zionist shark. Try the most primitive way of developing a primitive local and popular economy, micro-economy. There is space, there are minds (probably not as good as the “genius jewish mind”, but still we have minds to build our own boat and start fishing !!

The West got sick of funding a corrupt PA, they (the West) are seriously working on finishing our issue and give the rest to the oppressor, they wont give you a boat but will break you small boat…Saudi Arabia?  it is the slave of the big boss, it boasted of announcing donating 2 billion to Gaza but nothing arrived, nothing at all… build on your own nation, on your own children

We will never be able to build a state under occupation, not even with the existence of the transplant Zionist entity

In short, all the efforts of the West (including the “humanitarian” ones) are directed to create one fact of two cities; a Huge industrial settlement neighboring an impoverished refugee camp, a powerful transplanted “state” near impoverished, devastated and divided arab cantons !!!

At the Spring of the Arab Street (two years ago I started talking of “my beloved man of the street” in my posts) I have a VISION OF HOPE. Not that vision of hope built on the catholic marriage between capital and occupation to deceive the greedy agents… but a VISION OF HOPE that is built on the masses of the street to create a better future for the whole region without the side effects of the Zionist transplant… without the existence of the cancer itself !!

Sami, the bedouin.

As queer Arab activists working on the ground in several countries in the Middle East, our initial disagreements with GayMiddleEast.com were political in nature. But rather than respond to them or engage in dialogue with us, GayMiddleEast.com resorted to playing the victim and shrugging off those concerns.

GayMiddleEast.com’s disingenuous response to what it sees as a “smear campaign” against it not only obfuscates the legitimate reasons many queer Arab activists take issue with its work, but also presents lies so blatant that a simple Google search is enough uncover the truth. It is duplicitous to claim that pointing out GayMiddleEast.com’s extensive ties to Israel is more dangerous than those ties themselves and its lack of transparency about them.

In its response, GayMiddleEast.com claims that the campaign against them began after they voiced skepticism over the disappearance of Amina Arraf, when in fact the tense history between GayMiddleEast.com and local activists existed long before that and centered around four  issues:

Interventionism

LGBT organizations and activists in the Arab region have always approached requesting foreign intervention very carefully, and it has been the topic of much debate both within activist communities and between them and international organizations that have come to understand the complexities involved and possible backlash that such action would entail.

Meanwhile, GayMiddleEast.com seems to have an open door with the UK Foreign Office and do not think twice about asking them to intervene at any given opportunity. These issues were raised with GayMiddleEast.com by several people, but they refused to engage.

Co-option of queer Arab voices

While perhaps not as vile as Tom MacMaster, GayMiddleEast.com operates on the same principle: White men speaking on behalf of queer Arabs and white men as gatekeepers of queer Arab voices. We are not victims in need of a white male savior working in London, nor do we need a conduit for our poor brown oppressed voices to be heard in the West, which seems to be GayMiddleEast.com’s intended audience.

Over the past few years the region has seen an enormous upsurge of progressive queer activism, from North Africa to the Levant and the Arab Gulf. Much of this work is being done quietly on the ground, from lobbying parliamentarians to organizing support groups, establishing solidarity networks, working with local civil society organizations, and publishing in various forums both online and off.

MacMaster’s deception brought many issues to the fore, and the least interesting are the stories GayMiddleEast.com has been plugging about how, contrary to what MacMaster has portrayed, gays are actually really oppressed. Perhaps more relevant in this context is an honest discussion about how to do solidarity work in a way that is respectful of people’s lived realities. That includes knowing what the limits of solidarity are, especially when you are outside the community you claim to care about, and when you occupy a position of privilege.

Both MacMaster and Littauer have chosen the wrong path; they have both put themselves front and center, the former by actually deceptively adopting the persona of a queer Arab woman, and the latter by acting as a spokesperson and gatekeeper for queer Arab voices with a direct line to the Western media.

It is unnerving that GayMiddleEast.com has one white name, one white face, and a handful of nameless, faceless Arab queers behind it. One of the articles listed by GayMiddleEast.com as being part of a “smear campaign” is actually a discussion about the depoliticization and orientalist tropes evident in much western (and Israeli) gay activism, including GayMiddleEast.com’s. Disagreement and critique for GayMiddleEast.com are tantamount to smears, which in itself says a lot.

Pinkwashing

Pinkwashing aims to sell Israeli racism, colonialism and apartheid as democratic and gay-friendly. This happens through bifurcation: On one hand, Israel, and especially Tel Aviv, are represented as cosmopolitan and LGBT, queer and trans-friendly places. At the same time, war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories and racist discrimination against Palestinians living in Israel are being euphemized and “pinkwashed”.

The use of LGBT rights in particular is not a coincidence: separating “gayness” from other forms of oppression and hiding behind claims of being apolitical serves this function perfectly. Ideology almost always calls itself non-ideological. Issues of racism within LGBT organizing have long been a source of tension between activists in the Global North and South, particularly as activism becomes more and more transnational and networks of solidarity are built across borders.

The idea that LGBT rights take precedence over other rights need not be stated outright: by claiming that LGBT rights and activism are apolitical, and by refusing to address these issues head on and recognizing that they are interconnected, that principle is made apparent. GayMiddleEast.com’s particular pinkwashing was first addressed here. If GayMiddleEast.com is indeed against pinkwashing as they claim they are, then it would have paid attention when Arab and Palestinian queers took issue with their supposedly “neutral” manner of reporting. Instead, it chose to ignore the questions raised completely. And again, they were characterized as “smears”.

Violations of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Campaign against Israel

GayMiddleEast.com claims that it does not have a position on any particular solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Fair enough – no one has ever asked it to comment on the borders, Jerusalem, or two-states vs. one state, and no one has held it to task for that. What GayMiddleEast.com was criticized for was its rejection and violation of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign to end the Israeli occupation – a strategy to end the occupation, not a solution.

As a “fair”, “honest”, and “apolitical” reporter on news in the Middle East, why did GayMiddleEast.com not even report on the very loud global call to boycott Jerusalem World Pride in 2006? If they are simply an apolitical news site, this would at the very least qualify as news. GayMiddleEast.com have failed to report all subsequent queer call to boycott or news related to it such as the disinvitation of the official Israeli delegation to the Madrid pride parade – one of the largest in Europe –  following Israel’s attack on the Gaza flotilla. They did however report on everything else surrounding Pride in Israel.

Far from being “neutral” and “apolitical”, GayMiddleEast.com have taken very clear political stands – ones that privilege gay rights over Palestinian rights. GayMiddleEast.com has also patted itself on the back for sponsoring “Arabs of neighboring countries to participate in the march” in Tel Aviv, a clear and blatant violation of BDS. What is even more upsetting about the political stands that GayMiddleEast.com has taken is its refusal to admit that it has taken them.

That is the background of the problematic relationship between GayMiddleEast.com and many queer Arab activists, which it is very aware of and chose to completely bypass in its response. Far from being “smears”, these are legitimate political issues taken up by many activists in the Global South.

However, ignoring these critiques is not even what is most disturbing about GayMiddleEast.com’s response: the very blatant and sloppy lies it has presented about its extensive ties to Israel is cause for much concern. Being Israeli itself is not a crime, yet GayMiddleEast.com have gone to great lengths to deny these ties precisely because it knows that what it is doing, and has been doing since its inception, is dangerous.

Part II – Lies and Obfuscation

We invite GayMiddleEast.com to respond to the findings of our research, presented below:

GayMiddleEast.com claims that the website is not Israeli, then admits that it was registered by Assaf Gatenio – an Israeli (the founder and manager suddenly demoted to Israel Editor). If GayMiddleEast.com are so aware that links to Israel are damaging for an already vulnerable population, then why was it founded and why is it still owned by an Israeli? And why, in 2009, was it registered to an Israeli address?

Source: http://www.domaintools.com/research/whois-history/?page=details&domain=gaymiddleeast.com&date=2009-05-12

It is highly improbable that LGBT Arabs would be afraid of being associated with homosexuality (the reason GME gave for Gatenio’s ownership of the site), but would see no danger in asking an Israeli to register a site on their behalf and be too naïve to know how to create pseudonyms for themselves.

GayMiddleEast.com claim that Assaf Shabi Gatenio is not the founder or manager of GayMiddleEast.com, and that he simply misrepresented himself in his online bio:

Source: http://www.gatenio.name/gatenio/aboutme.htm

This is patently false. GayMiddleEast.com have articles dating back to 2003 (the year of GayMiddleEast.com’s founding) in which GayMiddleEast.com itself identifies him as a manager. He has also been quoted in numerous places as the manager, such as in this Asia Times report from 2005 and this BBC article on Egypt from 2010. If Gatenio really is only the Israel editor, and GayMiddleEast.com are as conscious of the security of queer Arabs as they claim, then why was Gatenio responsible for administering a safer sex survey in 8 countries in the region?

Source: http://www.flickr.com/groups/25964367@N00/discuss/72157619363865976/

And why, in the GayMiddleEast.com-produced video presenting the results, is Gatenio described as the “manager”?

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9rsUc5E9H4

Why would a site with no links to Israel apart from having an “Israel editor” produce all its news broadcasts in Israel, and have pinkwasher Scott Piro, an Israeli-American, as its anchor? And why would Piro refer to Gatenio as his “boss” if he is only the “Israel editor”?

Dan Littauer claims he is only a German citizen and underplays his links to Israel. In fact, Littauer himself has stated that both his parents live in Israel in a post on his personal blog that has recently been removed. The screenshot below was taken on June 12, right before GayMiddleEast.com’s Israel connection began surfacing on twitter:

Source (removed by Littauer): http://danlittauer.tumblr.com/post/70425734/consensus-about-violence

His Hebrew language posts on the blog were also recently deleted. Littauer also has an online profile that suggests he was born in Israel:

Source: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/tt/42858/

Littauer also used to operate a tourism agency in Brazil in which he presented himself as an Israeli in 2008. Why would he present himself as such to Israelis but then deny it to Arabs?

Source: http://bit.ly/iCT2Yi
Translation: “Dan Littauer, the agent who presents himself as an Israeli, once you transfer the money to him, it will take you days and sometimes even more to reach him. He has endless excuses. The computers crashed… the electricity was cut off… there was rain… no need to go into further detail”
Posted on April 14, 2008 by Rona60 on Israeli tourism site LaMetayel.

We are not exposing GayMiddleEast.com’s fabrications because we are out to get Dan Littauer or because we want to “fragment the gay community”, as has been claimed. We are disturbed by the lengths Mr. Littauer has gone to cover up the truth, especially given that he is very well aware of the consequences of his actions and particularly after the Amina Arraf debacle.

If some queer Arab activists choose to work with GayMiddleEast.com knowing that it is an Israeli organization with suspect politics, then that is their choice, albeit one we disagree with strongly for strategic reasons as well as on principle. But it is not acceptable by any stretch of the imagination, and for any reason, that Dan Littauer, Assaf Gatenio, and the rest of the GME team lie outright in the way they did.

Our issues with Littauer and his crew are political for the reasons outlined at the beginning of this post, they are not personal. Instead of engaging with the questions brought up repeatedly by queer Arab activists, they not only evaded the issues but then took to covering up their tracks and lying about it – sloppily. What GayMiddleEast.com has done through its repeated obfuscation is not only endanger activists it works with and contacts by lying to them and thus robbing them of choice, but it has also, like MacMaster, given our opponents more ammunition against us.

This statement was endorsed by the following organizations and initiatives:

MidEast Youth (MENA)
Nasawiya (Lebanon)
Meem (Lebanon)
KifKif (Morocco)
Abu Nawas (Algeria)
Khomsa Network (North Africa)
Helem (Lebanon)
Al-Qaws (Palestine)
Palestinian Queers for BDS (Palestine)
Decolonize Queer (International)
Pinkwatching Israel (Lebanon, Palestine)
Engender (South Africa)
Bekhsoos: Queer Arab Weekly (Lebanon)
Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (Middle East, North Africa, South and Southeast Asia)
Omnia
Safra Project
Lebanese LGBT Media Monitor (Lebanon)
Raynbow (Lebanon)

This statement was endorsed by the following individuals:

Suzan B.
Tariq
ArabAmerican
Kawthar
Ahmed Awadalla
Amar Shabby
Elo_borg
Amal Amireh
Rauda Morcos
Jehan
saira zuberi
Mumtaz
zouba
Yahia Zaidi
Charlotte Karem Albrecht
Suneela Mubayi
Frank O’Gorman, Queer Liberation Front.us

After Mohamed Bouazizi set himself alight in protest at repeated ill-treatment by the police, the whole Arab world echoed his scream of pain and call for justice and many countries were shaken by anti-government demonstrations. Mohamed Bouazizi is a street vendor. He was never allowed to set up a permanent stall even though he had repeatedly applied to the town hall and even the presidential office. His demands for a job and for dignity fell on deaf ears. He was trying to make a living by selling fruits and vegetables but he was often prevented from that by the police who asked for a bribe and confiscated his produce. December 17, 2010 was just another tough day. Unable to pay the bribe, a policewoman slapped him on the face and three policemen beat him. They took the scales he borrowed from his friend and the fruits and vegetables. Mohamed Bouazizi, desperate as he was, went to the town hall pleading for the scales back as he was unable to buy others for his friend. Nobody listened to him and as usual he was turned away. A burning sense of injustice pushed him to douse himself in petrol and put fire to himself in the middle of the road, in front of the town hall. Mohamed Bouazizi’s act of public protest started the Arab revolution. People in sidi Bouzid took to the streets denouncing social injustice, corruption and oppression. Thanks to social media, they could break through the media blackout imposed by the state and people across Tunisia supported them in an unprecedented solidarity movement and anti-government uprising since 1987. Pan-Arab media reported on the events using Facebook videos. Soon after, Egyptians took to the streets in spectacular nation-wide protests calling for the end of the regime. Slogans similar to those heard in Tunisia resonated throughout Egypt expressing similar social and political problems and similar yearnings for freedom and dignity, reminding Arabs how similar their societies were. The call for the end of dictatorship resounded across the Arab world and voices of dissent were heard in many countries including Algeria, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain, Morocco, Jordan and Syria. Those opposition movements were peaceful but were all answered with extreme brutality from security forces. As they were protesting, many Arabs expressed solidarity with other Arab countries, recognized the legitimacy of the demands, and called for Arab unity. The collective Arab soul was somehow revived.

A scene from Proud to be an Arab

Mohamed Bouazizi’s symbolical act and the uprising across the Arab world inflamed the imagination of Egypt’s youngest Filmaker Safwan Nasser El Din who is only twenty, and his team of gifted young people. They have subscribed to the Arab nation’s peaceful efforts to put an end to dictatorship and used art as their weapon. They have produced a very fine piece of art which conveys Arabs’ sufferings and longings and Arab youth’s determination to change their reality into a better one through peaceful movements. The short movie Proud to be an Arab was posted on YouTube yesterday for everyone to watch. Young activists are using social media that helped spark the Arab intifada to encourage people to dream on and fulfill their dreams.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOp_xXsB8m4[/youtube]

Director Safwan Nasser El Din says, “بصوت واحد..بقلب واحد..و بقلم واحد.. نسطر تاريخا جديدا لنا-نحن العرب-ونلفت أنظار العالم إلينا بأننا لسنا كما يريدون أن يشاهدونا, ولكن كما نريدهم أن يعرفونا, ونقولها بكل فخر..أنا عربى و أفتخر” which translates to, “with one voice, with one heart, with one pen, we Arabs, will write our new history and draw the world’s attention to who we really are, a people whose image is different from the one that has been painted about us. We’ll show them who we are through our own eyes and we will each say with much pride, ‘I am an Arab and I am proud of it’” Safwan Nasser El Din refers to Western media’s portrayal of Arabs who are often demonized, vilified and usually represented as violent extremists. He believes that committed art can change this. The popular uprisings which shook the Arab world proved that the vast majority of Arabs did not opt for violence and did not even answer violence with violence. They are claiming universal rights such as freedom, justice and democracy and denouncing human rights violations. In this short movie Proud to be an Arab, Safwan Nasser El Din voices the Arab street’s demand for justice, self-governance and unity. His ingenious use of symbols imparts a greater understanding of the story of Arab uprisings and delicately expresses youth’s feelings, dreams and hopes. He skilfully blends staged scenes and extracts from poignant moments of the major popular protests that took place in various Arab countries. The movie is laden with meaningful symbols and though their power actually lays in their obvious connotation, like any work of art they are open to interpretation. I would like to comment on some symbols which raised a few questions on Facebook. The man clad in taditional Arab clothes (i.e. the white dress and head cover) stands for Arab despots in general and not for a particular dictator in a particular country or region of the Arab world. I find the actor oustanding and the first scenes very powerful in their juxtaposition of the images in which the man in white is drinking red wine and devouring meat and the images in which the giant is bleeding and sreaming out in pain at every bite, suggesting that the detainer is sinking his teeth into the detainee’s skin. This metaphor is very telling and its significance is doubled as the detainee’s screams are echoed a few minutes later by Mohamed Bouazizi’s screams. In the movie, the cart of Mohamed Bouazizi, symbol of the vendor’s own life, was taken away from him by the policeman who demamnded a bribe. Corruption is rife in the whole Arab world and the scream of one man found an echo in millions avid for freedom, equality and a dignified life. It is noticeable that the only woman in the movie represents Tunisia. My own reading of this symbol is that the Arab intifada was like a foetus in the womb of Tunisia or simply because Tunisia helped midwife the angry giant that is the Arab people. It is worth noting that this giant is wearing the peace emblem. This film is a journey into the Arab’s psyche, dreams and hope for a just world. I invite you all to enjoy watching this fine work of art produced by a team of very talented young people!

A scene from Proud to be an Arab

A scene from Proud to be an Arab

Director Safwan Nasser El Din with an actor

Human rights are being violated every day in the Arab world! Support peaceful Arab movements for Freedom and Justice! Support a better world for tomorrow!