Because it is censored in the United States

Thoughts and two poems: of sheep, stones, madness, and a night a Nablus as Beit Sahour - Connecticut writer Mazin Qumsiyeh says, "Because it is censored in the U.S."

Thoughts and two poems: of sheep, stones, madness, and a night a Nablus

(this is the time to initiate/build resolutions and actions for divestment,
boycotts and sanctions)

Israeli children were instructed and proudly photographed writing messages
on tank shells that are to destroy Lebanon and kill hundreds of civilians
(leaving half a million as displaced persons). See these and other pictures
of war crimes and crimes against humanity here
More...
We read the incredible description by Robert
Fisk on how the Children's bodies lie like rag dolls
More...

Azmi Bishara explains from the inside the Israeli thinking in "Blackmail by Bombs"
More....

An Israeli soldier Arik Diamant explains how the kidnapping of Palestinians
is carried out
More....

Such are just four samples of thousands of images and millions of words
censored in many US mainstream media.

I just came back last night from the crime scenes (although only from the
now forgotten West Bank). I did share with fellow Palestinians many of your
messages of solidarity, news of inspiring actions around the world, prayers,
and tangible support. We all look with incredulity at the non-sense spouted
by the criminal gangs of Bush, Rice, and Olmert claiming the rapist and
murderer has a right to "defend" himself by making more victims. We look
with incredulity at a press conference for Condaleeza Rice were she claimed
"the troubles started when Hezbollah kidnapped two soldiers." Does she
really think that the public is that gullible to not know the history of
Israeli militarism, massacres (e.g. Sabra and Shatila in 1982), kidnapping
etc (actually Hizbullah was merely trying to trade the two soldiers for
Lebanese held by Israel illegally, some for decades).

Many of you have written to ask specific questions about the current
violence and I am sorry that I am behind in reading all the emails. Perhaps
the following reflections would be of use in the mean time.

In the 1960s civil rights movement, there was this expression among African
Americans: free your mind and your ass will follow. This occurred to me
repeatedly in the past few days. I recalled it when I saw news of Jewish
community centers hosting events to "support Israel in its fight". It also
occurred to me after I saw the murdered corpses of International law and
human rights used to mask the hypocrisy and the genocide. Modern day slavery
is alive and well and needs its victims (both present and future) to adopt
the mental chains that come with it. I also recalled this phrase after
seeing demonstrations in solidarity with Palestinian and Lebanese victims
barred from Jordanian streets. I recalled it when I saw how my American
passport was treated like a king by Jordanian security and like a useless
piece of paper by the Israeli occupation army. It is easy to dismiss such
behavior as policy of states made subservient to imperialism. Reality is
always more complex. Jewish leaders rally in support of murder. Arabs
watch Al-Jazeera and Almanar and are well aware of the destruction wrought
on three Arab countries to serve the elitist narrow interests in the US and
Israel. Yet, many flood to McDonald and Burger King, drink Coca Cola, and
smoke Marlboro. We must recognize the unsung heroes who daily resist (even
by simply being there they resist) and those in the international community
who are supporting them in deeds (e.g. by divestment, boycotts, sanctions,
media work, lobbying, writing, demonstrating etc). But we must not let the
complicit (by silence or direct participation in atrocities) off the hook.

One can study and challenge the racism that fuels Zionist and imperial
designs on the Arab World. One can understand the anger of the victims in
Lebanon and Palestine and the potential victims in Jordan, Egypt etc. We
should however, have less sympathy for despair or inaction especially from
those for example in Arab countries and in the west (especially when such
massive human rights violations are perpetrated on such a large scale, some
using our taxes).

A colleague (Anisa) reminded me of a hadith where it is reported that the
prophet Muhammad sent two men to the same place. When they returned, he
asked them what they had seen. The first said all of the people in the town
were mean and evil, and hateful, etc., the second one said that there was
love everywhere and that the people were kind and generous. The prophet said
that each man had seen what was in his own heart. We must look for the
goodness in our hearts and build on the goodness in the middle of pain,
hate, and suffering.

Corrupt leaders thus stroke fear and racism and ignorance while leading
their people like sheep to slaughter. It is precisely why Bush proclaimed
to the American people right after 9/11 to be afraid, "trust us", and "go
shopping". Consumers don't question and don't participate in
decision-making, citizens do! But maybe we are unkind to sheep, they do baa
once in a while in protest. Maybe we need to write of stones:

On stones
7/20/06

Amid the misery, injustice, loneliness and pain
How can we find a way understand let alone explain
How the baby from the cradle between the river
Grew up in Western lands to come back and kill his parents
How 19 dictators watched it rape and murder the three sisters
Among the people, some whispered, some approved, some turned away
How do we explain
How the lion ate the three bulls
How "laws" (of the jungle) migrated, twisted, returned to kill
How they then covered the censored torn children's limbs
How the Goddesses of sustenance and love were also murdered
by a jeolous rapist who crowned himself as the chosen one
How do we explain
How children going to school are beaten by someone who believes
that the blood of Jews is redder than Goyims'
That a merciful god became a real estate agent writing land deeds in holy
books and ordering annihilation of women and children
How do we explain, how we the Canaanites became stones
to be cleared
Silent Arab stones
echoing the wind
Endless in numbers
some stacked neatly on the edge of the field
some sometimes return
Relentless summer sun bakes them
Some sink in the sands
others worship the Bethlehem stars
Rains dissolve some of them
Into younger stones
While others hide scorpions
Some precious stones
Some Hard enough to make fires- Suwwan*
Others Soft enough to etch- Huwwar**
Big and flat make good headstones
Round and small make good tools for slingshots
To vent the anger
But even as we strain to classify the stones
we hear the heartbeat among the silence
See the farmer till and seed what remains of his rocky soil
behind the apartheid wall
and wait for the rains
and the awakening

(*Sowwan: Flint stone, **Huwwar: lime stone)
----------------
A night in Nablus
7/20/06

A hotel named Yasmina (jasmin) on a street with no name
A full moon silently observes
The city that never sleeps
The chatter of gunfire
The thud of a large explosion
Muffled words in the hallway

I walk out to the lobby
Where Aljazeera is always on
Telling us neighborhoods demolished
Tyre, Beirut, Gaza, Khan Yunis
But not Nablus
"3adi" (normal) I am told
not to worry.. it is not this street
I am not reassured

I go back to the room with a fluttering curtain
I only hear a dog and a cat in the alley
I think of the treachery of Arab leaders
I think of the baby found on his mother’s corpse suckling the blood dripping
down from her forehead
I wanted to scream but the parasites, jackals, and vultures would not hear
I go to the bathroom and throw up

The lump in my throat now becomes bitter
I take a sip but the water tastes worse
I think of soldiers, colonial settlers, and refugees
I think of facing Ma7sum Huwwara*
And the container* Why do we reject the creeping madness
to suffocate on the bitter reality?

Dawn dials up the life of the city. And nourishes the flowers in the growing grave yards. The home demolished the night before receives little talk. There is talk of a funeral and weddings. And new babies born the night before. The price of fuel and the sweetness of Knaffe

They know there is another night waiting but need to tend to ordinary lives in extraordinary circumstances. Visitors can leave take their pity and tears with them. We have no time to opine. Life does not wait even when we continue to hope for a better day in Nablus, Palestine

* These are permanent Israeli checkpoints faced in traveling from Nablus back to Bethlehem (this is the time to initiate/build resolutions and actions for divestment, boycotts and sanction not only from Israel but all those who support these racists) Educate yourself on this crisis (see especially FAQs on Hizbullah)
More...
Support those who stand up for the truth. We can win

Donate to Cynthia McKinney for her runoff elections
More....

Spanish PM in scarf scandal Madrid - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has come under criticism for posing with a Palestinian scarf on his shoulders after accusing Israel of using force "abusively" to defend itself, press reports said on Thursday.
Zapatero commented on the Middle East conflict at an international Socialist youth festival in Alicante, which was attended by more than 3 000 people including Palestinians and Israelis on Wednesday.
More....

Mazin Qumsiyeh
More...