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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Eid Mubarak from palestine (exclusive!!) |
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| ahmer |
| 02/27/02 at 08:56:55 |
| exclusive from my dearest best friend who is in the heat right now :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( Eid Mubarak... Or at least it should be. Eid is a great holiday when people usually visit family and freinds and pray and eat a lot and have fun... there is not much of that going on in Ramallah... or anywhere in the West Bank. My roomate and I were trying to prepare some Ma'maoul, a 'holiday cookie'. We never finished, becasue we have been trying to aid our roomate, who is being held now at gunpoint by the Israelis. Today at Calandia checkpoint, a woman and her husband and their child were shot by the Israeli's... they were only trying to turn their car around because the checkpoint was closed... and people wonder why the checkpoints have been the target of recent attacks (I'll get back to this) Huwaida (my roomate) and Adam were videotaping IDF soliers make Palestinians strip naked near the Calandia checkpoint... that's why the soldiers have them now... on the ground, at gunpoint. They don't want the ABC corespondent who is also nearby, to take the tape and air it...they do not want the world to see what they are doing to the people here. OK... so things in general have been bad lately. THey have bombed my neighborhood this morning, last night and the night before... the Isreali's have also attacked many other civilian areas in the last 48 hours. Why the escalation.... what's changed? Well.... the Palestinian armed resistance, has finally adopted a viable strategy (or so it seems for the last week) They have attacked ONLY settlements and military checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza. Why is this different/ significant? Are the lives of soldiers any less valuable? This is significant because these kinds of attacks, while no less tragic in the scope of pain caused due to loss of life, is a major shift. These kinds of attacks are directly protected under international law and in accordance with the 4th Geneva Convention which gurantess the right of an occupied people to resist. They are soldiers, or settlers in place my military protection and with the intent of permanently appropriating land that is acknowledged as belonging to the Palestinians... IT IS NOT PART of the state of Israel and the checkpoints are NOT in Israel, they are in Occupied Palestine. The issue of checkpoints is a bit complex...I have attached and excellent article written by an ISRAELI paper about this. There is a good map for this online at www.haaretzdaily.com Also... lots of media outlets are saying that the IDF is escalating due to the loss of 6 soldiers at a checkpoint near Ramallah (oh, by the way all access out of the city is closed and it looks like I'll be here for a while) But one should also realize that motivation for such attacks is not without cause. I have also attached a picture of two palestinians that were beaten for an hour at a checkpoint near Ramallah... this happened the day BEFORE the 6 soldiers were attacked and killed. The picture is legit... I was there, my freind took the photo, I saw the bootprints on their backs and head. They were university students on their way to school, unarmed and not bothering anyone. If I had to bear this kind of treatment on the way to school everyday, and it is a daily occurrence, I might be driven to violence too... just a thought... not a justification for anything. But check out the photo. So where does that leave us? Well.. if you are Muslim, enjoy your Eid, I guess. Try not to forget about the people here, and the fact that their Eid will be one spent under occupation. For everyone... try and tell people and write and learn about what's happening here... particalarly international law... something that Americans are woefully ignorant of (its not our fault, it's by design) and PLEASE... don't believe what you see on T.V. the Palestinian struggle is not terrorism, it is a struggle for national self determination and freedom from occupation... something all people have a right to. Something we should support, Insha Allah. I am alive, for now and I hope to see you all again. peace. [Graphic photo removed by Admin] |
| 02/27/02 at 12:44:47 |
| jannah |
| Re: Eid Mubarak from palestine (exclusive!!) |
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| BUSHRA |
| 02/28/02 at 08:34:11 |
| [slm] TO ADMINISTRATORS: Why was the photograph removed, we have a right to see and decide for ourselves. BUSHRA :-) |
| Re: Eid Mubarak from palestine (exclusive!!) |
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| jannah |
| 03/02/02 at 02:11:46 |
| slm , perhaps not all our citizens realize this but the constitution has CHANGED with the switch between boards. hopefully you all read it when you clicked on "I agree" when registering. please note that there are some new rules and changes. (ie note the new rule about not posting sensitive photographs and more changes in rule #11) please click on "City Constitution" to read the constitution carefully, jazakallah khair |
| 03/02/02 at 02:12:11 |
| jannah |
| Re: Eid Mubarak from palestine (exclusive!!) |
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| ahmer |
| 04/03/02 at 01:31:31 |
[slm] Sharing an exclusive email from palestine from my friend, May Allah protect him and give him himmah. ameen. What an awesome bro he is.. masha'Allah. [wlm] ahmer Wow Salaamz. I am alive and well for now, though the situation here has fallen apart and appears to be continuing in that direction Earlier in the week, I was shot at with live ammunition by Israeli soldiers at Qalandia checkpoint, I was then assaulted by three of them who beat me with their rifles and choked me (yes I was unarmed and no I was not being antagonistic) I was then detained pending arrest, they thought I was Palestinian which I am not. Only after contacting the U.S. Embassy and waiting for a LONG time, during which I was under guard and continual harassment by Israeli soldiers who proceeded to tell me that All Arabs are s*** Americans are s***, etc and they uttered far worse I assure you, only then was I released and allowed to return to my home. A few days later, I was assaulted by another soldier at the same checkpoint along with another activist, Sofia who was assaulted and detained by 4 soldiers for having a camera which they tried to take; we were there to help another friend, an Irishwoman named Coimhe (qeva). Coimhe was attempting to pass through Qalandia to visit some friends and saw the Israeli soldiers beating an old man, she tried to intervene and she was beaten fiercely by the soldiers and detained for several hours. Coimhe was released that day, though today her situation is far graver Yesterday, Coimhe and an American Citizen, Adam Shapiro, were volunteering to provide medical aid to Palestinian civilians injured during the Israeli Army's recent invasion of Ramallah. During the afternoon they attempted to escort a doctor into the Presidential compound to treat the injured there, they were shot at by Israeli soldiers while trying to assist wounded and remove bodies of the deceased. They remain in the compound, trapped in the last standing building with Yasser Arafat and the remaining Palestinian security forces, wounded and dead. The Israelis have cut the phone and power and are threatening to bulldoze the building with all the people inside and of course refuse to allow anyone to leave. A delegation of international activists from France led by Jose Bove, as well as a group of Italians including an Italian Member of Parliament, and several others numbering around 40 in total are attempting to reach the Pres. Compound and retrieve Coimhe and Adam as well as any wounded Palestinians that they may get out, it is not likely that they will be successful. Myself and another activist attempted reach the group en route and re-supply them with Cellular Phone Batteries, so they could keep in contact with media and medical support, we were cut off by several APCs and a Tank while only two blocks from the group. There was heavy firing by the Israelis in the area and we were forced to withdraw. The situation for the civilian population of Ramallah is no better. The Israeli Army is going house to house breaking down doors and tearing apart homes. International witnesses have reported mass arrests and detention, with civilians being bound and held in torturous positions; the number of arrests is not known at this time. The destruction to the city and the infrastructure is extensive, and most of the city is without power. Many people are without food and there is no opportunity for most people to obtain food or medicine/medical care under these conditions. Aid workers and reporters have been continually targeted by the Israeli Army, one reporter was killed a few weeks ago and several others have been wounded. Money well spent. As Americans we are paying for this, and it is important to note that there are nearly 10,000 American citizens living and working in the Ramallah area many whos lives are in danger just being in their homes, let alone trying to do something to come to the aid of others. Please call your local representatives and demand that they urge the Israeli's to exercise restraint on the Palestinian civilians and American Citizens and other internationals trapped in Ramallah. All checkpoint have been closed, no one is being permitted to leave; the U.S. Embassy has been contacted- do not believe their false reports that they are trying to remove people for they are not. IF the people lead, the leaders will follow. PS- There may be live coverage of Adam and Coimhes situation, as well as a general report, by CNN who has been in direct contact with them, as well as other news organizations. Keep you eyes peeled and you voice raised please do whatever you can. Shukran, masalaam. |
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