I have set up an e-petition urging the British Government to recognize the Genocide inflicted upon the Kurdish population by the former regime of Saddam Hussein.

If we get 100,000 signatures than they will debate this cause in the British Parliament, thus please sign and pass on your petition.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/25526

I would like to thank you all for the support and for being a friend to Kurdistan.

Laween Atroshi

Nobody really knows, but it probably can probably be rooted in Pre-Islamic middle east. Women in that society were considerably stronger, emotionally and mentally than other women of that time. (Do you think there would be female business women like Khadija now??… I dont think so). It has been postulated before that women would often initiate sex with their husbands and would have very satisfying sex lives, but this increase power in the bedroom could perhaps lead to increased power in society. Now this is merely my own speculation (but how it happened isnt really that important because its undeniable that women were more powerful sexually and mentally in pre-islamic middle east) but i think that in an attempt to lower women’s status in society and make them weak and subservient, the big players during Islam’s early days created rules, some of them added to the Quran perhaps and others said by scholars that became part of regular life for women and men….and thus we are now in the 21 century.

This has huge implications for Arabs and people in the middle east as it always has. This sex phobia has created a society of super horny 17 and 18 year olds that jump at the intital chance to get married to anybody just because they are dying to have sex. I have a female cousin (she hasnt told me that sex was the reason but its pretty obvious) who got married at 18 and then divorced a year later because she said the guy was an asshole. There are other women (and men) who went through the same thing. They hold of sex their whole life, dying to have physical contact of any kind with the opposite sex, they marry, have sex, and within 2 years they are divorced because they actually had the ability to think now that they werent superhorny anymore. Sexphobia also leads to an immense obession with sex. Yes..OBSESSION. These people are so sex deprived that they are looking for any excuse to talk about sex, usually ways to make it less noticable and more haram, but nonetheless, they are looking for any excuse to talk about sex. This is not the way to raise a healthy society, and it does not “honour” women, it degrades them by covering them up and making them afraid of men, it destroys their intellect since they are not taught to be independent at all and it leads to generations of 21 year olds who are already divorced and living in their parents’ flat.

* The idea of the strike
- The hunger strike, which is clear from the English phrase, is a “strike of hunger”, any type of challenging hunger for all its pains, not for several hours only (as what happens in fasting) but for days, weeks and months… The normal person bears the hunger strike from 50 to 70 days, afterward he enters the stages of death… The ill person bears a shorter time… In a hunger strike, the person can take anything that won’t eliminate hunger feeling as long as it’s not food, in other words, drinks, medicines and water don’t conflict with hunger strike, though some strikers abstain from some or all these things in order for their strike to become stronger.
- The thirst strike, is a “strike of thirst”, in other words challenging thirst (multiplying hunger, of course), in it the person abstains from eating or drinking anything… The normal person bears from 3 to 5 days, afterward he suffers renal colic or coma. The idea is to challenge the fatal pains of thirst… Of course, the person’s bearing period of time could become longer than 5 days if solutions were transfused for him.
- The idea of the strike in general is objecting and resisting injustice, it is one of the means of non-violence struggle… Instead of resisting injustice with violence, resisting by the peaceful means, one of which is the hunger strike. The strike’s significance is that the person is ready to die but he won’t continue living under injustice… Of course, the included message is that if the person on a strike dies he didn’t committed suicide, but was killed, because the person on a strike would have stopped his strike if the injustice was lifted from him, but the unjust continued in his injustice so the result of injustice was death for the one on a hunger strike, therefore the one who is considered responsible for the injustice is the killer of the one on a hunger strike.
- Of course there are many types of strikes in which the person can add-up together with hunger strike, as strike action and medicine strike and the strike against buying a specific product or a specific newspaper or from watching a specific TV channel.

* The person who dies while doing a noble action
- Resisting injustice is a noble action in most of religions, civilizations and cultures, here comes the question: if the person dies while making a noble action, would that make him seem as if he committed suicide?
- If someone fasting died, would it make him seem as if he committed suicide? If a Muslim died of fasting during Ramadan in summer as a result of the loss of water, would he seem as if he committed suicide? If one of Christian saints, who were fasting for weeks, died, would that make one of them seem as if he committed suicide? If the one fasting died as a result of his fast he won’t be considered as having committed suicide, because the fasting person (in the eyes of religion) is doing a noble action, and the person who does something noble won’t be considered to have committed suicide.
- If the person who volunteers to defend his country died, would that make him seem as if he committed suicide? No one forced him to go to war, but he willingly volunteered subjecting his life to danger, but if he died we don’t consider him to have committed suicide, even though he went to death on his feet, but defending the homeland and standing against the unjust aggressor is a noble action, and if the person died while doing a noble action won’t be considered to have committed suicide.
- If the fireman risked his life and entered a burning house to save another person, would he be considered to have committed suicide if he died? Even though he willingly entered the burning house, no one forced him to do so, but if he died no one considers him to have committed suicide, because he was doing a noble action (saving a person from perishing), and if the person who does a noble action died he wouldn’t be considered to have committed suicide.
- The Christian martyrs in the era of persecution (according to the Christian history) who heard of one of the rulers killing Christians, they went to him on their foot to die martyrs, why did the church consider them martyrs and not to have committed suicide? And did the church refuse to make a prayer on them? Despite that the unjust ruler didn’t arrest them and didn’t ask them to leave Christianity, maybe the wali/governor would have intended to ignore them and not to make persecution decisions on them, but they were the ones to have come to him on their feet and mandated that he make persecution on them and kill them… The church doesn’t consider them to have committed suicide, but martyrs, because in the point of view of the church those persons are doing a noble action and its the martyrdom for believing in Christianity, and the person who dies while doing a noble action isn’t considered to have committed suicide.
The examples are many, all are summarized in that the religion promotes resisting injustice and the person who dies while resisting injustice or during doing a noble action didn’t commit suicide, but some religions and cultures consider him a martyr… Exactly as we consider the martyrs of 25 January Revolution as martyrs not to have committed suicide, despite that all of them would have lived if they hadn’t participated in the demonstrations and stayed home, but because they were resisting injustice and tyranny, which is a noble action, for this reason no one looks at them as if they have committed suicide.

* When your death changes the lives of others
- Despite my belief in the “right to death” as one of human rights, and that the person has the right to choose when he leaves life… Here, I don’t discuss this idea, and I don’t want to be considered by any means as if I promote people to commit suicide. However, what is undeniable, that when some persons sacrifice their lives or when they are subjected to death, their death leads to results changing the fate of millions of humans to the better, therefore their suicide or their assassination is a noble action which we have to appreciate.
- The most prominent example on this idea is the incidence of “Mohamed Bouazizi” committing suicide… The Tunisian youth who was subjected to injustice, so he set his body on fire in front of the building of the municipality of his Tunisian city, so his death erupted the revolution in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and the rest of Arab countries, to the extent that only Qatar and Emirates of the Arab countries were the ones where big demonstrations didn’t happen after the suicide of Bouazizi… The Egyptians who have suffered of Mubarak injustice, and who lived for decades in Mubarak’s prisons, all those owe their freedom for Mohamed Bouazizi suicide… If there were a god, I don’t imagine that this god would throw Mohamed Bouazizi in hell, because god is benevolent and likes benevolence for people, and the religion came for the benevolence of mankind, so why would god sanction a person for bringing goodness for the tortured mankind?
- Also, Christ is a religious model for committing suicide who brought goodness for mankind by his death (according to the Christian belief)… So, Christ had known that there is an intention for his arrest and killing, and he knew of Judah betrayal, despite that, he went to a quiet place to make the task for his arrest easier, then during his trial he deliberately brusquely answered the ones who tried him, replying to Pontius Pilate, “you say” and speaking to the chief of priests in a way which made one of the slaves of the chief of priests hit Christ. Of course, it is obvious that speaking in this manner with rulers in this tyrannical era, has no result but death. But, Christianity looks to the death of Christ as a salvation to mankind. Christianity as a whole is based on the cross, resurrection and the death of Christ. If it wasn’t for his death and his redemption, there wouldn’t have been something called Christianity… This is another example on a death incident which changed the history of mankind to the better (in the point of view of its believers).
- A third example is the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. Benazir resisted the military rule in Pakistan for long years, and the general Musharraf, the coup d’etat ruler who imposed his dictatorship and his injustice on his Pakistani people, Benazir was subjected to prison and exile because of her struggle for democracy, but all that didn’t lead to the fall of the regime of Musharraf… In one of her rounds in Pakistan to mobilize the people in favor of the idea of democracy, Benazir was subjected to assassination in an operation in which general Musharraf was the most prominent ones to be accused of… This incident was the one to lead to the resignation of Musharraf under popular protesting pressure which were erupted objecting the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, and by that, Pakistan got rid of the military rule… The Pakistani people owe their country to the death of Benazir Bhutto, if not for her assassination the military rule would have continued in Pakistan till that day.
- The same thing is said on the assassination of the Egyptian youth “Khaled Said”… Egyptians who suffered of Mubarak rule for nearly 30 years, and who didn’t make a popular revolution against tyranny and despotism, because of the picture of Khaled’s crushed face and his touching story, they started a series of demonstrations, continued from mid summer 2010, and reached its peak in 28 January 2011, and these are the demonstrations to overthrow Mubarak and transferred Egyptians to a new era… Egyptians owe the death of Khaled for their liberation from Mubarak and his inheritance of power project.
- What was said on Khaled Said and Benazir Bhutto, can also be said on the assassination of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Yitzhak Rabin, Jeanne d’Arc and others of the characters whose death caused change in the future of mankind to the better.

Epilogue:
I hope that our usage of religion and philosophy be in the interest of humans not against them. In the interest of equality not for the interest of despots and tyrants. In the interest of human progress not their regression. Let’s start from now a movement reforming religions that would purge religions of jurisprudence experts of authoritarian authority, from the jurisprudence of tyranny, and to upgrade the interpretations of religions to a humane standard going along the interest of humans. Life isn’t a goal in itself, but we are living to enjoy in it, if we were to suffer in it, why live? If death is going to come whether we like it or not, why not die with our dignity instead of death coming to us to find us alive in humiliation? So, let’s stop fearing death, our courage in challenging death would lead to our victory, exactly as our courage challenging death in Tahrir square at the beginning of our revolution was the reason for our victory over Mubarak.

Maikel Nabil Sanad
El-Marg general prison – prison hospital
2011/9/29

as some of you might know, members of the Baha’i community in Iran continually face discrimination from the Iranian Government. One of the many adversities faced by Baha’i youth is the inability to attend Post-Secondary Education in Iran.

In recent news, the Islamic Republic of Iran has carried out a series of raids out on 20+ homes where Baha’i Instructors were offering education to those whom still yearn to learn. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Baha’is have been systematically deprived of higher education. With nowhere else to turn, the community initiated its own educational programs.

“This action demonstrates the lengths to which Iran is willing to go in its campaign to demoralize Baha’i youth, erode their educational hopes and eradicate the Baha’i community as a viable group within their country,” said Bani Dugal, the Principal Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations.

This action is also an abuse of International law, under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, “everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”.

It appears as though the government’s hope through such policies was to see Iran’s 300,000 Baha’is vanish into obscurity. A memorandum, signed in 1991 by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, specified a series of repressive measures against Baha’is, including expelling students from universities if they are discovered to be Baha’is.

It is a shame than this far in our existence as humans we still find ways to harm one another, and not just physically. I hope to see a day where we look back into history and say “I can’t believe the Baha’is were treated like that”, just as we say the same when we read about the Slave Trade.

Peace,

Pezhman

For further information on the event please visit Here

Unfortunately, now our society deems the word extremism in only religious radicalism. On the other hand, word liberalism has become almost a cliché and everyone likes to be called one. You can witness this thing on any public online discussion forum whether it is a social network, blog or newspaper website. Everyone wants to jump into the discussion and say, “hey, you Mullah, you close minded! You need to get rid of your fundamentalist beliefs”, without realizing the very fact that liberalism is also an extreme on the opposite end on fundamentalism. It’s bipolar.

In fact now we do not argue instead we indulge in tagging each other with labels of fundamentalist/extremist and liberal. We never try to convince by logically arguing and never try to listen what counterpart has to say about it. We go like, “Oh you, believe me or get ready to be labeled as an extremist”. Liberalism tag has become so attractive that everyone wants to wear it. The tag itself is very dictating, and one who wears it unconsciously tries to protect it by whatever means possible.

There is a universally accepted rule that when one accepts any religion and enters into any faith he/she have to accept all the corollaries that accompany. Religion cannot be customized to our political, social or individual needs. When you accept it, then you have to accept it fully.

View of liberals is they have the right to question, to think freely, to have freedom of expression and unrestricted free thinking. Yes, indeed they have the right to think freely and have freedom of expression but religion tends to put a restriction at it. Suppose for the sake of argument you are a liberal living in a liberal society will you allow freedom of blasphemy, free sex out-of-wedlock, homosexuality, theft, robberies and murders just because you think you have the right to express what you want to express.

Indeed most of you will say No, a Big No to it, and that’s where religion put limits and these limits drag liberals to the moderation i.e. to a real comfort zone.

In the words of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal (Rehmt. A);

People who have no hold over their process of thinking are likely to be ruined by liberty of thought. If thought is immature liberty of thought becomes a method of converting men into animals.

You may argue that Allama said “Immature thought” but may I put stress on the last part of preceding sentence “to be ruined by liberty of thought” which shows that liberty of thought without any hold would at least ruin you and if the thought is immature it would lead to“converting men into animals”. One can see the least and most consequences of having liberty of thought. We as a nation and modern western world unfortunately have lost the sight of this extreme.

On the other hand confining the thought to a smaller territory will bring one to other extreme i.e. conservatism/fundamentalism a.k.a religious radicalism or extremism. The question may arise; which type of extremism is more dangerous? If you ask me I would say “Liberalism” (though my facebook profile says ‘approaches to liberal’ in religious view column). There is a reason behind my sweeping statement; and that is Liberty of thought have no barrier and hence have uncontrollable and far-reaching consequences, which will destroy the very fabric of any society and social institutions.

Social institutions being the building block of society if affected by these extremes can affect the most important social institution i.e. family. Once family system is ruined, the process of “converting men into animals” begins. If we go by this speed we’ll be not very far from it. What we need is a middle ground and that is moderation.

Originally Posted: I’m No Superman!

The father was 12 years old when Israeli soldiers shot him in the head with a rubber coated steel bullet fragmenting his skull and damaging part of his brain. Ten years later, Israeli army officers severely beat and tortured him.He got married to his cousin immediately after.

Palestinians kicked out of their home in 1948

The family originally comes from Al-Walaja village, the village along with some 530 Palestinian villages, was destroyed and ethnically cleansed in 1948. Most of this village land came under Israeli rule. The part that came under Jordanian rule was used to build a new Al-Walaja where some of the relatives returned and built homes in the early 1960s.

After having their first child, the young couple received a blessing in the form of a donation of a very small plot of land from their uncle and they built a humble one room house (literally one room) in Al-Walaja. Both had jobs.

They moved out of the refugee camp and lived in this house for 3 years during which time, they delivered their second child who then died at 18 days of age (by SIDS.) Then the Israeli army demolished the home saying that it was built without permit (Israel gave no permits for any houses in the village since the occupation began in 1967.) The family rebuilt the house but Israeli threats forced them to not live in it (Israel wants also some NIS 20,000~ US$ 6.000 for the cost of destroying the home and wants to levy other fines on the family.)

So the young family came to live in a small dwelling underground and without windows (bought with money from selling the wife’s wedding jewelry) in the refugee camp of Dheisheh. There, the third child (second who is alive) was born and they named him Mohammed. He turned out to have Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (a genetic disease characterized by obesity, eye problems, kidney problems, hexadactyly or six fingers and toes, developmental delay etc.) An uncle and an aunt of Mohammed (refugees in Jordan) died before age 20 with this condition (we took blood samples from the family for genetics study at Bethlehem University.)

The first snow in years came and the roof of their dwelling collapsed. The husband had developed a psychiatric disorder and was treated at a local hospital. Both he and his wife were unable to hold jobs anymore. They had one more son (healthy) and she is now pregnant. Thankfully, UNRWA rehabilitated the home in the refugee camp, and the home in Al-Walaja remains unoccupied and unfinished (and no water or electricity).

The family is loving, hopeful and steadfast (we call it sumoud in Arabic). We spent a few hours during Eid Al-Fitr together and visited the home in Al-Walaja. I personally witnessed how the family cares for each other. Their eldest son Khaled (in 5th grade) is simply brilliant and very loving for his two younger brothers. A short video is at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd17icOsDdo

This is one of millions of Palestinian stories of tragedy and persistence after ethnic cleansing and under colonial occupation.

Mazin Qumsiyeh,

PhD

A Bedouin in Cyberspace, a villager at home

http://www.qumsiyeh.org

Professor, Bethlehem and Birzeit Universities Chairman of the Board, Palestinian Center for Rapprochement Between People,

http://www.pcr.ps

That was one of my best friends whom I invited for Iftar at the beginning of this Ramadan. He works as a manager of a PA owned website that promotes the PA propaganda. They are launching a wide campaign to beautify the PA image to the Arab, israeli and even West audience !! “So, what are you doing now?” I asked just to know and probably to use in my writing. “We have just launched an English and Hebrew Website and need writers and editors.” he explained. “So, what am I supposed to write?” I asked again knowing that I would never get into that game. “everything against Hamas, even use spices, and exaggerate,whatever you like!” and knowing that I would never be able to write “whatever I like” at their site, I said: “No, my head is so precious, besides, I cant live without a head!”

In a hopeless and helpless attempt to attract the (ever heading right) zionist audience, some of the top PA personages are waging a campaign in the main zionist newspapers. Who would like to please his eyes with the faces of such personages in the zionist media, can see some of them at this link. This happens at the time the PA are waging a police campaign against its opponents in the West Bank (who oppose going unconditionally to direct talks with the zionists), and a fierce campaign against their “enemies” in Gaza…. polite to attract the zionists, but fierce with their own people !!

In the zionist jail, when I was barely 20 years old, there was a top leader of our party with us, some 50+ by then (was deported to France, later) . He was so much adored by all the prisoners as an intellectual who had a strong charisma. In a way I adored him as we all used to listen attentively to what he was saying. Usually, we used to sit tens around him and listen as if listening to a reverent saint breaching about Jesus !! One day, We were sitting by him as he talked of the Muslim Brothers, ie Hamas (and it took the Palestinian parties a long time to recognize Hamas as a legitimate party or movement other than what they were described to be the Paletinian branch of the global Muslim Brothers)… he talked a lot, but what I didnt like is when he said: “These people are bastards (Safileen, in Arabic) …. they are savages.” I was shocked to hear the word bastards because I never used it to describe anyone, then I told him shyly: “It is not good to curse others and use bad words… you can criticize them and their actions logically, but not to curse.” “because they are bastards, and I described them of what they deserve.” He repeated again. I didnt reply but that trigged an alarm sign in my little head.

Later, I decided to study the literary (narrative) of the other factions through borrowing their pamphlets in the jail, or at least what they allowed me to borrow and read. I was reading silly writings, foolish arguments and a history of much of fights between the Palestinian factions since the beginning of our catastrophe, our plight. Every party is trying to justify his narrative, to denounce the others, as if it is the only right party and all the others are sinners and evil doers !!

Two years ago, I started to see and say repeatedly that the “national reconciliation” is unattainable dream and the gap is deepened. Both of the parties, since the fight in Gaza (and even before that, ages ago, when the Islamists were a minority) are waging an endless and fierce campaign against each others. Fateh is composed of “corrupt immoral mafia” people (for Hamas) and Hamas, in turn, is a bunch of terrorists who live in the dark ages (dzalamyyoun, in plain arabic). This continuous fight is spoken and fed with and in every single medium; TV, Radio, songs, conferences, sessions, pamphlets, handouts, Youtube, Facebook and all what can you imagine of forums. The gap is not only so deep, but fierce and brutal. Every party is trying to attract the simple people (as if people are foolish) by his own narrative of hatred…. and here I am bargained to sell my head and fight within this circle of hatred… facts are irrelevant, you can use spices, lies and exaggerate or even invent what has never happen in order to beautify your ugly and bloody face.

national unity or annihilation

National Unity will never happen within the current discourse, within and by the current tools, within and by the current “mediators” of Arabs and non-Arabs. National unity can only be achieved by the defeat of one of the two projects: The American-Feudal-Arab project of Fateh (the PA) which serves (or at least coexist with) the zionist project of the “chosen people” to occupy the whole of Palestine and segregate the Palestinians in concentration camps… or the Islamic “revolutionary” or “Terrorist” resistance of Hamas of the Utopian society of Allah!!

There is no intermediate or middle solution that can gather the two “fierce enemies”. Both parties are sunk deep each in his own discourse of hatred, that generates more hatred. Shall I sell my head? No, never… my head is more precious and cleaner than their discourse of HATRED !!

Sami, the bedouin.

………………………………………

originally posted at my blogsite @:

http://samibedouin.wordpress.com/

I looked up into the extensive sky were the Sheikh was extending his hands, but I saw nothing, nothing at all but the endless roof of the cell opening into a narrow armoured hole. I dazed into the roof, dived into the endless extension, the roof disappeared, I got into the clouds, and crossed the seven skies. I opened my eyes widely, inhaled the humid celestial air until it washed my soul. I saw God finally, by Jove I saw Him; I saw Him, I begged Him, I kissed His feet wetting them with my tears but he didn’t pay attention to me. He was standing as if delivering a speech, frowning, foaming as he shouted, waiving His hands angrily, knocking on a table before Him; was He protesting the lost world or threatening a harsh punishment ??? I tried to catch a word of His speech, Oh God, just one word!, but I couldn’t, it all was but a silent god.

Silence, utter silence!! Why all this brooding silence! Am I deafened? No…no, I cant believe !!! THE WORD OF GOD, has to boom like a thunder strike in this lost world! Why? Why is this silent protest? To whom God is speaking? Isn’t there any listener? I looked toward where God was heading his speech expecting to find the endless crowd of audience. I expected to see the face of Kifah there looking directly into the eyes of God, demanding him to revenge!! I turned my head nervously to see the crowd but I was astonished to see nobody, nothing at all but the endless extension of the desert. Oh, no!!! To whom God is speaking, casting his word? I wondered who echoed the Word? No, not the desert… no… never !!!

“There’s no god but Allah!!… Oh revengeful Allah!!” I was startled to hear that hoarse voice and turned my head to see Sheikh Buddha still muttering his prayers. I looked around the cell… Damn it, where is Kifah? Did he ascent to heaven? I cant believe!! I jumped standing and looked at Buddha wondering:

-“ Where’s Kifah, Sheikh?”
-“ They took him back.”
-“ How? When?”
-“ Half an hour ago, you were asleep.”

“Shit!!”… I mumbled and looked up at the hole in the ceiling but it was futile to guess the time. It was very dark, but I bet it was dawn or a bit before that.

I am sure they will start their dirty game soon, they will not wait until the morning; they would take one of us for interrogation, to fabricate the usual story of suicide, or they might accuse one of us of killing him for collaborating. They will wash their hands perfectly and spread them to dry up from the blood of Kifah. Bastards!! Surely they are scheming their plot now but whose turn will be the next?

Kifah died, killed, nothing remained from him but his memory. He used to lean his thin lean body against the wall and talk for long hours without stopping. A childish simple talk. Sometimes he irritated me with his consecutive question, those naïve questions about interrogation; how long would it last? When we will get out? What shall we do?… He thought that I am a big store of answers, and that I knew all that he didn’t. He used to end his questions and wait a little, looking at me: “Ha!… what do you think?… surely you know…. You have been into jail several times and have a long experience….” … Oh! What can I tell you, Kifah? How can I answer you? Is there a law for their eccentric behavior? No, no… there has never been a law but it is absolute nonsense, utter tyranny!! You, yourself told me once that your life is the chaos of mere haphazard chances, those crazy chaotic chances of being shuffled, plucked out of your place to be thrown in the middle of nowhere!! Is there a law for chance? Can you predict the grand lottery?

We didn’t wait for a long time. The sound of feet came stamping on the floor, getting closer every further step to stop finally by the stubborn door. The sound of the keys and the chain clanged ominously. A short jailer opened the door. I got ready to stand, I felt that my real battle had started, every thing is over now, nothing remained but bare confrontation. I will face them with my teeth, spit in their faces. I stood up on my feet but the jailer overtook me saying: “No not you”, then headed toward Buddha who stood up sluggishly. He handcuffed him and dragged him out by his shirt and closed the door.

The stamping feet went away slowly. I heard Buddha’s feet rapping at the floor confusedly. The sound perishes to die out finally. Silence enfolds me to wait the ghost of the unknown. I dazed at the wall which looked like a great giant spreading his hands to block my way, my vision.

To be continued- Part Three

Sami, the beouin

Is it true? Those who say he leads a simple life point to him having come from a poor background and to his great faith, but neither of these are inconsistent with having a lot of money. He may have started out poor and have great faith, but like so many leaders, he may have become corrupted by the huge powers given to him. As the Supreme Leader he controls much of the Iranian economy through the IRGC, the religious foundations and other organizations. It would not be surprising if he decided to use a small part of this to better himself and his family.

Maybe that is natural and we should not accuse him of something we might do ourselves, but there are two things that make this situation different. First, Khamenei claims to live a simple life, so it would be dishonest. Second, and much worse, the economy is Iran is in a terrible state because of bad management. In this situation, to take so much money while so many of his own people are in desperate need is no defensible. And if more economic sanctions come as a result of his decisions, will he show himself to be a great leader and give up his money to suffer alongside his people? I cannot imagine him doing so.

Noam Dolgin is a Jewish environmental educator and the executive director of the Green Zionist Alliance (GZA). Based in Vancouver, Canada, he travels regularly around North America teaching about Jewish
environmental values and Israel’s environment.

Green Prophet sits down with Noam to learn a little more about the Green Zionist Alliance and what it does.

What are your organization’s core activities, when was it founded, why?
The GZA was founded in 2001 to be the first environmental party at the World Zionist Congress. Our original goals where to green the Zionist movement and its constituent agencies, such as Keren Kayemet L’Yisrael (Jewish National Fund), through our involvement with the Congress. In 2006, when we became a 501(c)3 nonprofit, we expanded our scope to include educational programming and become the full-time Diaspora voice for Israel’s environment.

Why green Zionism? What’s the connection?
Zionism is green at its core because the Land of Israel has always been central to the Zionist philosophy. When the Uganda option was debated, it became clear that there could be no Zionism without Zion. To that end, many early Zionist pioneers came to Israel to work the land the way our ancestors did.

I believe that protecting the land continues to be a central value of Zionism. Without an intact ecosystem, access to drinking water, agricultural land and clean air, both Israeli citizens and their economy are threatened. Moreover, solving these environmental challenges is essential to creating a lasting peace in the Middle East.

What is the role of the Jewish Diaspora in this organization?
We are a Diaspora-based organization. While we have members in Israel, and we do work in Israel, the majority of our members are in the Diaspora and one of our main missions is to connect Diaspora Jews to Israel’s environment.

What role do you see for religion in general (Islam, Judaism, Christianity) for helping improve environmental awareness in the Middle East?
Jewish ethics have much to offer when it comes to building a modern environmental ethic. Values such as ‘Bal Taschit’, (not wasting) ‘Tzaar Baalei Chayim‘ (animal welfare) and a general care for creation are as relevant today as they have ever been.

Since the Land of Israel is core to Jewish values and it is important in Islam and Christianity as well, it is our collective moral and religious obligation to protect the Holy Land.

Tell us about one of your organization’s biggest successes.
Through appointing leading Israeli environmentalists, such as Dr. Alon Tal, to the KKL board of directors, we have had a direct impact on Israel’s environment, including making sustainable afforestation the top KKL priority, declaring new nature preserves, and implementing the Trans-Israel Bike Trail and the Kinneret Circumference Trail.

Faith-based groups from all religions are getting more involved in using their religion as means to educate about the environment. To learn more about the Green Zionist Alliance visit their website.

[image via Green Zionist Alliance, Chanan Getraide and klezmercuise]