Born to a Jewish mother and an Iraqi father. She recently put her medical career on hold to visit with family members in Iraq, and recently returned from a three-month stay in Basrah and Baghdad. Dr. Wasfi described her experience in Iraq and discussed the life of Iraqis under occupation on April 27, 2006 in Washington, DC.
This is a brillaint op-ed in the Guardian by author George Monbiot, giving some excellent context to the current escalation in Lebanon.
Here's the lead: "Whatever we think of Israel's assault on Lebanon, all of us seem to agree about one fact: that it was a response, however disproportionate, to an unprovoked attack by Hizbullah. I repeated this "fact" in my last column, when I wrote that "Hizbullah fired the first shots". This being so, the Israeli government's supporters ask peaceniks like me, what would you have done? It's an important question. But its premise, I have now discovered, is flawed."
Oren Ben-Dor, who teaches philosophy of law and political philosophy at the University of Southampton, calls Israel a terrotist state which needs to perpetuate it's vicitim status to cover up the truth about itself. To preserve this impression of victimhood, he wrote, Israel must breed the conditions for violence against which it must "defend itself".
A friend emailed a copy of this letter. It's sad that sane voices like these Israeli filmmakers are probably considered traitors. It was still heartening to read that there's some humanity left...or at least that some people refuse to be brainwashed. When you read that an Israeli poll shows 90% of the population supports the military operations in Lebanon and Gaza it makes your skin crawl.
This is a consolation:
A letter to Palestinian and Lebanese filmmakers to coincide with the opening of the Arab Film Biennial in Paris July 22nd.
We, the undersigned Israeli filmmakers, greet the Arab filmmakers who have gathered in Paris for the Arab Film Biennial. Through you, we wish to convey a message of camaraderie and solidarity with our Lebanese and Palestinian colleagues who are currently besieged and bombarded by our country's army.
We unequivocally oppose the brutality and cruelty of Israeli policy, which has reached new heights in recent weeks. Nothing justifies the continued occupation, closure, and oppression in Palestine. Nothing justifies the bombing of civilians and the destruction of infrastructures in Lebanon and Gaza.
Allow us to tell you that your films, which we try to see and circulate among us, are extremely important in our eyes. They enable us to know and understand you better. Thanks to these films, the men, women, and children who suffer in Gaza, Beirut, and everywhere else our army exercises its violence - have names and faces. We would like to thank you and encourage you to keep on filming, despite the difficulties.
For our part, we will continue to express through our films, with our raised voices, and in our personal actions our vehement opposition to the occupation, and we will continue to express our desire for freedom, justice, and equality among all the peoples of the region.
Nurith Aviv / Ilil Alexander / Adi Arbel / Yael Bartana / Philippe Bellaiche / Simone Bitton / Michale Boganim / Amit Breuer / Shai Carmeli-Pollack / Sami S. Chetrit / Danae Elon / Anat Even / Jack Faber / Avner Fainguelernt / Ari Folman / Gali Gold / BZ Goldberg / Sharon Hamou / Amir Harel / Avraham Heffner / Rachel Leah Jones / Dalia Karpel / Avi Kleinberger / Elonor Kowarsky / Edna Kowarsky / Philippa Kowarsky / Ram Loevi / Avi Mograbi / Jud Neeman / David Ofek / Iris Rubin / Abraham Segal / Nurith Shareth / Julie Shlez / Eyal Sivan / Yael Shavit / Nimrod Kamer / Eran Torbiner / Osnat Trabelsi / Daniel Waxman / Keren Yedaya
This short documentary describes the glorious rule of Muslim Moors in what is now Spain. A forgotten history is remembered.
Compare this to what's happening now in the Muslim world. The part about how mercenaries where behind what was falsely written down in history as a war between two religions is chilling considering how the war on terrorism is being spun.
The parallels between modern-day democracies and the Inquisition as well as the ethnic cleansing of Granada by Isabelle and Ferdinand are really stunning.
I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible, but I refuse to be blown off my feet by any one of them. - Mahatma Gandhi
About Me
Name: anguishedmuslim
I am a: Woman, Egyptian, Arab journalist. My interests are: Middle East politics. Religion. Media. Censorship. Culture. I seek to: know myself so I can understand others.
