Meaning Within Words

Celebrate the old while embracing the new

2012-02-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/celebrate-the-old-while-embracing-the-new-1.971760

By Ghada Al Atrash, Special to Gulf NewsPublished: 00:00 January 27, 2012

As an Arab raised in the US, the question of identity played an important role in my formation as an individual. My parents' relentless struggle was to make certain that their culture and beliefs were part of my makeup and identity in a foreign western society.

The West ignited a deep fear in their hearts. Their concern lied in the uncertainty of what could become of their children who neither fully shared their old beliefs nor were completely a part of the new culture, but were part of a third culture, an amalgam of the old and the new, one that could perhaps be thought of as a hybrid product engendered by the fusion of the different cultures.

However, it is often the case that this hybrid product is frowned upon by immigrants, regardless of nationality or background, as it insinuates the denial of traditions of their pasts to continue. Indeed, there are certainly legitimate reasons for immigrant parents to shrink away from the new culture, the Other that threatens to envelope them.

And, as they begin to realise that they are in danger of losing their old identity, many react by becoming uncompromisingly determined to preserve and renew old traditions and customs, and rigidly demand of their children to embrace convictions and practices of a past they themselves have left behind in their homelands.

Such reactions also leave negative impressions on the natives of the host country, where they are often misinterpreted as disrespectful to a local culture and as looking down on its ways of life, consequently yielding tension and misunderstanding on both sides.Certainly, all parents, immigrant or non-immigrant, naturally long to instill their views and family traditions in their children. But when it comes to immigrants especially, this effort is acted upon on a conscientious level and at times with a vigorous approach — a much more complicated task as the once familiar convictions and traditions are nowhere to be found in the new surroundings.

Yet, the reality of the matter is that evolution and change are destined to happen regardless of how much we resist them — so, the question is then, why resist them? Why not accept and celebrate the new evolved product as refined and reformed?

Resisting change

Our effort as parents to recreate and forcefully impose the past in the present is a hopelessly failed effort. Moreover, resisting change might lead to negative and reverse reactions on our children's part. We must come to terms with the fact that home to our children is belonging and familiarity.

It is not the abstract cultures of our pasts that once existed in a world very far away from their own, narrated through stories and tales, but is rather the tangible, concrete and multicultural reality in which we live at present. Our children's identity is one that agrees with their today, not with our yesterday.

Why not look at the hybrid product, the fusion between the different cultures, as something beautiful, as a rich blend of cultures, taking the best from both worlds? Why can't we perceive it as a continuation of the mutual development of the old and the new, as cultural diversity that preserves the pre-given cultural components acquired from one's past and intermixes those components with present ones yielding a collective identity in a multicultural humanity?

The message here is not to imply the shedding of the past or the denial of its continuation. On the contrary, we should teach our children to take pride in their heritage and encourage them to celebrate their history — to bring their unique, original ingredients into the new mix of cultures.

Indeed, we should advance the continuation of traditions but, at the same time, while partaking in the building of bridges that can connect our own cultures with the universal human culture in which we exist today, a mosaic that celebrates the old while embracing the new.

An excerpt from Khalil Gibran's The Prophet sums up my thoughts. Without reference to a specific nationality or identity but to humanity in general, Gibran writes: ‘Your children are not your children / They come through you but not from you / And though they are with you yet they belong not to you / You may give them your love but not your thoughts / For they have their own thoughts / You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you / For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday'.

So, let us make a genuine effort to understand our children's new identities, and let us savour the myriad of rich flavours that come with the multicoloured global humanity in which we exist today.

Ghada Al Atrash holds a Master's degree in English.

gulfnews : On the deficiency of love in politics

2011-12-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

gulfnews : On the deficiency of love in politics

On the Deficiency of Love in Politics

2011-12-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/on-the-deficiency-of-love-in-politics-1.951817

Socrates once wrote, “One word frees us / of all the weight and pain in life / that word is Love.”

Ever since the beginning of the beginning love existed, and despite all other efforts to break it down, it has insisted on finding its way into the callous hearts of some people just as grass can find its way in between arid rocks.

Yet there are places in which it is seems extremely difficult for love to grow, and the most infertile of all happens to be in political fields and specifically in the hearts of politicians. For not only do the hearts of most politicians seem to be devoid of love, but they also happen to be blinded by downright self-interest and utter imprudence about the rest of us in humanity.

If we were to step away from the desiccated political fields, it becomes easy to stumble across love in every corner of our world. For love comes in all forms and shapes and has made the hearts of people its dwelling place!

Take a mother’s heart for example, a place that happens to be an endless spring of love tirelessly and eternally streaming devotion, compassion and forgiveness.
And how delightful is the love that comes in a romantic setting and flourishes in the hearts of two who are “in love”— the sort of love that led to the death of Romeo and Juliet and to the insanity of Qais, Majnun Leila.

It is the kind of love that was written about by Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani, a love illustrated “on the walls of caves / and on potteries and clay vessels long ago / and ...engraved on the ivory of elephants in India / and on papyrus in Egypt / and on rice grains in China.”

There is also the patriotic love for one’s country and homeland — a love that has its roots entrenched across the lands regardless of the countless human made borders that have divided our world’s map, a love that is pronounced in every national anthem and embodied in the colours of our flags.

Yet, time after time and throughout history, one can easily note that the higher world leaders climbs their political ladders, the more love they have to shed on the way, as if the weight of love hinders their rise in politics. And later, what is shed of love is gradually transformed into tears shed by humans.

As Che Guevara put it, “Cruel leaders are replaced only to have new leaders turn cruel.” Why is it that such phenomenon insists on repeating itself? And with whom can humanity entrust its hopes when few are the ones who have proven to be worthy?

Will there ever come another Mahatma Gandhi who can act upon the concept of love and reject violence and killing, someone who can truly act as the “change” that he wants to see happen in the world? Gandhi insisted that we “must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” But one asks, how can we not lose faith in our leaders in the midst of today’s depressingly grim political reality?

Of the multitude of passages that have been written on love, one especially comes to mind: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” The Bible 1st Corinthians.

If only it were possible to clone some of the materials that make the emotion of love and implant it in the hearts of those who run our world, for it seems as if their hearts have become hollow cavities with a very noticeable deficiency of love.
The Dali Lama said “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. declared, “At the centre of non-violence stands the principle of love.” And Buddha preached, “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.”

One wonders why such quotes are not parts of our political ideology, and why they are rarely practised by our politicians!

So let it be said to every politician sitting on his/her throne, and to everyone whose decisions can alter the hopes and dreams of his/her people, and especially to those who are to become our future politicians, we plead in the name of love for you to help stop the killing and bloodshed, to stop the breaking of a mother’s heart, to stop the shattering of a bride’s dream, and to stop the tear shed by our children.

We beseech you to help release the world of the weight of pain and to retrieve a love that once existed in your hearts before you took on your positions of power! Unearth a love that undoubtedly is buried deep within, and allow it to play a part in your decisions, ones that could ultimately decide the course of history and prevent avertable wars of agony and destruction.

Ghada Al Atrash holds a Master’s degree in English.

Let us learn to pause the 'Now' and breathe it in

2011-09-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

By Ghada Al Atrash, Special to Gulf News
Published: 00:00 September 9, 2011

http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/let-us-learn-to-pause-the-now-and-breathe-it-in-1.863298

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away — a powerful statement that has the potential to change the meaning of one's life, if only put into practice.

As humans, we are on a constant search for meaningfulness, for a sense of gratification and fulfilment. But it is often the case that our daily responsibilities, our routines, our drive to succeed, take over and deprive us from the simple enjoyment of the moment — a feeling that can only be attained when we stop and take in the ‘Now'.

However, this act requires a conscious effort on our part to train our minds to meditate and to reflect on the present, for we as humans seem to, more often than not, be living in the past or in the future while the ‘Now' simply slips through our fingers.

Eckhart Tolle, voted by the Watkins Review as number 1 in a list of ‘The 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People', delves into the farthest ends of what he calls the ‘Now' and examines the power and the sense of fulfilment that dwells in its depths.

In his books The New Earth and The Power of Now, he teaches: "Realise deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life" — a very simple thought rarely contemplated in our chaotic daily lives. He adds, "What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time — past and future — the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is."

Simple pleasures

I believe it is of critical importance that we apply this powerful philosophy to our daily lives, and in practical ways. The future does not ever guarantee an extension of the ‘Now'. Let us learn to pause the ‘Now' and breathe it in. We can begin to do so at the simplest levels — by simply expressing our love to our mother, daughter, sister, wife, or friend as the opportunity is only certain in the ‘Now'. The truth is that life could only be lived to its fullest if we can learn to live in the present.

Indeed, a kiss on a child's cheek takes on an entirely different meaning when it is a pensive act instead of a passive habitual one, and it is ultimately bound to yield a much deeper sense of fulfilment for both parties involved.

Habit kills meaning! We must fight our human tendencies of turning our lives into habitual routines. For instance, food is something that we often take for granted; yet, if we can become aware of its precious presence in our lives and take a moment to reflect on this fact, then it becomes not only nourishment for the body but also for the soul. Moreover, it could become an act of enjoyment instead of a basic act of survival. This also applies to our health, to our children, to our family and friends, to our beloved, and the list carries on.

Many spiritual teachers and gurus have preached the significance of the Now and the importance of its application in our daily lives. This act is to be first carried out by becoming aware of the present moment.

Then, gradually, all that remains becomes to train oneself to continue living in the moment. With time, the formula becomes obvious — the more the Nows, the more sense of fulfilment in life. Of those who are most aware of the Now are the terminally ill who become alertly conscious of the importance of the present as each day could be their last. Their Now becomes exceedingly precious while the rest simply becomes trivial.

Uncertain future

Yet, an irony that must be taken into consideration here is that whether we are healthy or sick, the future is equally insecure and our tomorrows are never guaranteed — a most perplexing irony, indeed.

The art of meditation is one effective method of evoking the Now and inducing a state of consciousness of the present moment. It is with meditation that one is able to delve into the depths of her/his soul, and it is only at the depth that the ultimate sense of internal peace is attained. Tolle uses the lake as an example to better illustrate my point. He explains that when times are turbulent and storms approach, it is only the lake's surface that is affected by the external forces regardless of how vigorous they are, while the lake's bottom always remains calm and unperturbed.

In the same way, the closer one is to the depth of her/his beings, the less affected s/he is by external factors. And it is only by stillness, by physical and conscious awareness of the Now, that our depths are reached and a meaningful life is lived.

The saying "life is too short" happens to be a common thread that runs across all cultures. My father-in-law once paraphrased it in a most charming way when he quoted a few lines of an Arabic poem he once heard his mother reciting: Get up and dance ye girls and forget about sleep / for life is like the moon, and you'll never get your fill of it! So, let our focus be on the Now and savour life and dance our hearts out before it is too late!

Ghada Al Atrash holds a Master's degree in English.

gulfnews : Don't thank me for good deeds, just pay it forward#.TfG4m9Fw2aw;twitter#.TfG4m9Fw2aw;twitter

2011-06-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

gulfnews : Don't thank me for good deeds, just pay it forward#.TfG4m9Fw2aw;twitter#.TfG4m9Fw2aw;twitter

As I was walked my son to his KG morning class a few days ago, I came across a young boy (about eight or nine) struggling to lift his heavy backpack up the stairs. With my free hand, I picked up his bag while he followed a few steps behind. Upon reaching the end of the staircase, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the boy had also decided to help carry a kindergarten pupil's bag just as I helped him!

The young boy's counter-gesture left me lost in thought for the remainder of the day and brought to mind the movie Pay it Forward, a production inspired by the national-bestseller novel by American author Catherine Ryan Hyde. For those unfamiliar with the phrase, ‘pay it forward' — it is an expression used in English to describe the concept of asking that a good deed be repaid by passing it forward instead of returning the favour, hence ‘pay forward' instead of ‘pay back.'

In Hyde's story, an 11-year- old boy, Trevor, is asked by his teacher to complete an assignment for a social studies class in which he is to devise and put into action a plan that would change the world for the better. Consequently, Trevor formulates a pyramid scheme in which he is to do a favour that helps someone and then tells that person not to pay him back, but to pay the favour forward to three other people, who in turn, each pay it forward to three more, and so on and so forth. Clearly, when one does the maths, the numbers proliferate rapidly!

More so than ever, there is an urgent need for such a message to be re-invented and acted upon. The concept is powerful and no doubt has revolutionary potential. And with the numerous social media tools available at our fingertips, we can spread our theory at an incredibly accelerated speed across borders in our humanity. We hear of all sorts of conspiracy theories that aim to destroy and kill humankind. Counteractively, let us also conspire; but how about we conspire against conspiracy theories, and bring together all of our acquaintances, colleagues, friends, teachers, students, and most importantly, our children to conspire against hatred, to help one another, to build and to heal.

Let the ball start rolling! We can begin with re-introducing the idiom ‘pay it forward' into our daily language, and perhaps substitute the conventional and worn-out replies to a ‘thank you' with ‘pay it forward.' In turn, each time we perform a favour for someone, we should reply to their thankful expressions with ‘pay it forward' and, more importantly, ask them to pass on the idea. We can plant the seeds of this concept within our families and social circles and at our schools and workplaces so that, with time, we can smell the fragrance of its flowers perfuming our world with goodness and love.

Vicious cycle

I have personally introduced this concept to my college students, and on multiple occasions I have received ‘pay it forward' as a reply to my ‘thank you.' Needless to say, the moment was priceless! It is imperative that we take immediate action as the vicious cycle of hatred is storming our humanity at a violently rapid pace and devouring everyone in its path, young and old. Its hatred gives birth to violence, and in turn, violence leads to pain and suffering, pain and suffering to revenge and revenge to violence once again. Regardless of religion, performing a good deed is preached by each prophet and by every religious leader.

In the Quran it is written: "The parable of those who spend their substance in the way of God is that of a grain of corn: it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains..." (Surat Al Baqara 261). The Old Testament of the Bible teaches: "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:24-25). And, the New Testament preaches: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35).

Moreover, Buddha teaches: "The thought manifests as the word; the word manifests as the deed; the deed develops into habit and habit hardens into character; so watch the thought and its ways with care, and let it spring from love born out of concern for all beings as the shadow follows the body, as we think, so we become."

The opportunities for performing a good deed are countless. However, it is also essential that we do not confine our deeds to any geographical, social, or religious boundaries. Goodness must resurface in a world torn by manmade barriers. But efforts cannot stand alone — integrated joint action is needed to topple barriers, overcome hatred, sweep away suffering and alleviate pain. Eckhart Tolle says, "Awareness is the greatest agent for change" — so let us start today by spreading awareness of this revolutionary concept and by asking someone to pay our good deed forward.

gulfnews : Rebooting Facebook generation

2011-05-21T03:12:00.000-07:00

gulfnews : Rebooting Facebook generation

By Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Special to Gulf News
Published: 00:01 May 20, 2011

It doesn't take a psychiatrist to note the narcissistic outbreak that has spread among Facebook users. I was quite struck by the apparent severity of this sickness as I sat next to my teenage daughter and skimmed through comments posted by her Facebook friends.

Needless to say, it was quite disturbing to observe how narcissistic an environment Facebook has become where narcissism is abysmally manifested in the utterly ridiculous photos and pointless comments of its juvenile users, ones whose only purpose is to inflate one another's egos, and more importantly, to find ways to inflate their own egos.

By no means is this phenomenon only confined to teenagers as many Facebook users of all ages seem to have been sucked into this narcissistic vacuum. But for the purposes of this article, let us especially focus our attention on today's younger generation that is severely afflicted with this alarmingly debilitating epidemic.

According to Greek mythology, a young man named Narcissus was a pathologically self-absorbed human who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. Consequently, psychiatrists use the term ‘narcissistic personality disorder' when referring to people with an exaggerated sense of superiority who expect to be treated with admiration and reverence.

Affected people are characterised by an obsession to be admired. They further possess a strong sense of grandiosity and an exaggerated feeling of self-importance.

When applied to Facebook, many of the above-mentioned characteristics seem to be dominant among its users where a Facebook page becomes the narcissistic mirror that displays one's self-reflection and elicits the sought-out attention, recognition and admiration from others.

Granted, it is human nature to possess narcissistic traits. Many psychoanalysts believe that we all need a bit of ‘healthy' narcissism in our personalities which they define as a real sense of self-esteem and self-confidence. When based on true self-worth, these characteristics act as the driving forces towards innovation, success and achievement.

However, the case is different when it comes to Facebook. The younger generation has become obsessed with everything that has to do with the ‘self' and with drawing attention to it.

Millions of adolescents and college students spend, or rather waste, countless hours of their time posting meaningless comments with lots of ‘lols' and ‘smileys', remarking on each others' photos, liking futile statuses, joining one cause or another, following celebrities, poking, tagging, and so on and so forth.

Even more worrisome is the false sense of self-esteem that is being generated in the process. The more the comments and higher the number of friends, the grander is the feeling of self-importance! But as the elicited feedback is often false and undeserved, it fails to satisfy its users and leaves them empty with the need for more — sort of like the feeling of eating in one's dream! One of my female Emirati students who happens to work at the National Library in Abu Dhabi expressed her concern about how they seldom receive visitors at their main branch. She went on to state that most of the books on the shelves remained new and untouched, hopelessly and indefinitely collecting dust!

Parents' responsibility

The truth is that today's children are less educated, more self-centered, extremely preoccupied with superficiality, and are emptying their brains on to their Facebook screens! In the meantime, parents seem to be sitting back and watching as this incapacitating obsession is absorbing their brain cells and denying them the time to educate themselves. According to many surveys, students who use Facebook spend less time studying and consequently have lower averages than those who do not use Facebook.

Regrettably, the young generation is unprepared for the difficult times ahead. The world is becoming increasingly competitive, demanding highly-skilled and competent individuals. Children should be preparing themselves academically and developing their communication skills instead of spending their time on mere nonsense in front of a computer!

I strongly believe that the blame falls on us as parents and mentors. We need to find other avenues to busy our children with. Sports is an option, reading is another. Children could also be encouraged to volunteer, intern or take active part in an infinite number of causes.

As many psychologists advise, realising and admitting to the problem is half the battle won. Perhaps spreading awareness on a personal level, on a school level, and on a community level can create a state of alertness and consciousness that can help our children steer clear of being sucked into this vacuum.

Why not teach our children to use Facebook in a constructive way — by posting a critical thought, a meaningful song, a humanitarian message, an innovative idea, or a link to a good article?

Facebook is a powerful social media tool that can mobilise revolutions as seen in recent months — if only our children can also learn to use it in a way that can make a positive difference.

A Bob Dylan song goes You don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows — I am afraid that, unless something is done to change the course of how things are going, the wind is bound to blow our future generation southwards, to a place void of education, innovation, or any sort of intellectual merit.

It is our responsibilities as parents, educators and mentors to help find a way out of an abyss that has left future generations dumbed-down, in a state of loss, and in desperate need of direction!

Another place like home

2011-04-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

By Ghada Al Atrash Janbey, Special to Weekend Review
Published: 00:00 April 29, 2011

Lebanese-American poet Yousuf Abdul Samad's heart is split into two halves, one dwelling in the East and the other in the West. "I am made of a blend of the two worlds; when I am in one place, I always find myself longing for the other," the poet says.

Abdul Samad was born in the pinelands of Lebanon, in a beautiful green village named Ras Al Maten. In 1969 he left his country for New York City, seeking education and experience.

Ever since, he has been travelling back and forth between the two worlds and the story of his life happens to be engraved on the trunks of the oldest Lebanese pines trees and written on the walls of the tallest buildings in New York.

But Abdul Samad's travels were not only confined to the geographical boundaries drawn on the world map. The poet describes, with an unperturbed sense of calmness, how he has flown on the wings of poetry to spiritual worlds, to "secret hidden places of the soul" and to "the very bottom of things".

"Poetry awakens the deepest feelings in a human soul. Poetry is the language of the nightingales. It is the silence that is heard in the most profound discourse of nature. Poetry is the first rose we present to a beloved and the last we plant on the grave of the departed," he says.

Closer to pain

Yet the poet makes clear that poetry has also pulled his spirit down to the most wretched of places, in which the suffering and pain of humanity dwell. He recounts how, many a time, as the moments of pain became unbearable, he asked himself, "Why was I born a poet and not a shepherd for the sheep or a fig tree on whose branches the birds of the skies can build their nests?"

But whether transcendent or raw, Abdul Samad's feelings were continuously transformed into sensational poems. The poet has published five volumes of Arabic poetry, in which he has taken up a diverse range of topics, including politics, spirituality and love. He has dedicated many poems to the different women who have influenced his life — his mother, his wife, his daughters and his female friends and teachers.

"The most beautiful of existence is a woman. Mountains end in summits and oceans in depths but a woman has no end. A woman is the mother, the sister, the daughter, the wife and the lover," the poet says.

At present, Abdul Samad is working on the publication of his first English-translated collection of poems.

At the time of his arrival in the United States, Abdul Samad explains that there was a very wide gap between the East and the West, where there was "no connectedness and no bridges to connect the two civilisations".

He recounts his first encounter with the West. "I left Ras Al Maten carrying in my heart the warmth of my village, the greenness of the pines, the redness of the Mediterranean sunsets and the melodies of the nightingales. When I first arrived in the US, I was deafened by the loud noises of New York City, dizzied by its rapid pace and suffocated by its crowded buildings. I was a stranger amid strangers.

"At that time, many obstacles stood in the way of Arabs living in the US — an anti-Arab media in all its forms, the unresolved Arab-Israeli conflict and America's agenda behind it, and also the prevalent Orientalist discourse."

However, despite the obstacles planted in an Arab-American's path at the time, Abdul Samad, along with a group of other Arab-American intellectuals, joined hands and set off on a mission to build bridges between the two civilisations. They specifically concentrated on the realm of literature and arts, for, as put by the poet, "the West needed to be introduced to our stories and poems, ones that spoke of our human experience, and most importantly, ones that were told by native Arab voices and not narrated by Western reporters".

Hence, cultural meetings and social gatherings were held at universities and community venues, which helped in crossing cultural boundaries.

Also, in an effort to counter the West's negative discourse on Arabs, the New Pen League (NPL) was established in 2005 as a secular, non-political and non-profit organisation, with a mission to "express cultural literary and artworks of Arab-Americans in the United States".

The NPL was a modern attempt at revisiting and reviving the golden era of Kahlil Gibran of the early 1900s, in which the original Pen League was a source of identity and pride for every Arab living in the West.

Today Abdul Samad is the acting dean of the New Pen League.

In the past few years, the NPL has held a number of their annual celebrations at Miller's Theatre in Columbia University, where Arab heritage and civilisation were showcased through literature, songs, music and dance.

This year, on May 8, the NPL's annual activity will be held again at Columbia University in celebration of the 99th birthday of the Lebanese poet Saeed Akel. Another tradition initiated by the NPL is the planting of Lebanese cedar trees on Broadway (New York City's main avenue) dedicated to the likes of Kahlil Gibran and Edward Saeed.

The idea was first inspired in 2008 when a cedar tree was planted and dedicated to Abdul Samad by his own community in the US.

Taste of the East

In another realm, Abdul Samad happens to be the owner of many restaurants in New York City. "It all started when I realised I was able to touch the hearts of Westerners not only via their eyes and ears but also through their mouths!" he says light-heartedly. And it was on that note that he opened his first 40-square-metre falafel shop in 1971 in a neighbourhood adjacent to Columbia University, "at a time when the word falafel was rarely part of the American menu".

"But it was more than just a passion for cooking; it was about building an identity for Arabs in the West. Only a few years later, my tiny shop became a gathering place for Arab students, a haven in which they could reminisce about, smell and taste their homeland."

Abdul Samad's tiny shop has since fathered many other branches on Broadway, ones that were once described by the late Edward Saeed as "pieces of a homeland".

In the early Nineties, a photo of one of Abdul Samad's branches, Ameer Al Falafel, was hung in a museum of the city located on 105th Street and 5th Avenue as one of the "cultural marks" of New York City.

In 1995, Samad Deli (another of the branches) burnt down. The heavy-spirited poet arrived the next morning only to find roses and letters at the door of the deli and to later read in The New York Times issue of February 11, 1996: "Love letters are not what you expect to find taped to the front door of a waterlogged neighbourhood deli. But love letters are what you find stuck to the glass of Samad Deli, on Broadway between 111th and 112th streets, which has been shuttered since a fire shortly before New Year's Day."

http://gulfnews.com/life-style/culture/another-place-like-home-1.799415

Arab Street Sweeps Away Prejudice

2011-04-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

By Ghada Al Atrash, Special to Gulf News
Published: 00:00 April 1, 2011

I can vividly recall when Michael J. Fox's notorious movie Back to the Future was first released in the mid 80s in which Libyans stormed through the movie screen in their Volkswagens, firing at the main characters with their machine guns, and shouting blurred phrases in Arabic.

As we are all well aware, these sorts of Hollywood scenarios have for long played on Western movie screens, not only targeting Libyans, but Arab-Muslim people as a whole. More disturbingly, those recurring images have become crystallised into widely accepted stereotypes amongst people living in the West whose only source of information has been a biased media delivering news that happens to serves its political and imperialistic motives.

However, the recent revolutionary storms in the Arab region are not only managing to sweep away some of the old frames of Middle Eastern and African regimes, but are also tearing down stereotypes and stripping off many false conceptions that have for long existed in the western mindset.

Empathy

Recently, I attended a lecture by professor Mustafa Bayoumi at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair. An Arab-American teaching at a college in Brooklyn, New York, Bayoumi emphasised the importance of bringing the West to "not only sympathise, but also empathise" with the average Arab person — where empathising is more than merely feeling sorry for Arabs but also identifying with and vicariously experiencing their struggle as humans.

As a result of the recent events, the prevalent negative narrative on Arab/Muslims has been disrupted. Throughout the past few months, the West has come to see that the majority of Arab-Muslims happen to be victims living under the rule of mad tyrants and dictatorial regimes.

As people march on Arab streets asking for freedom, dignity, and liberation, a Westerner is better able to draw a distinction between the corrupt politicians and the victimised population.

The Arab world is no longer perceived as ‘the source of evil', as has especially been the case for the past decade under the previous George W. Bush administration. It has become apparent to the West that within each Arab country exists a population of courageous Arab people who could no longer bear the weight of the oppressive regimes under which they live.

I asked professor Joshua Landis, Director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, if he thought the recent uprisings have changed Western views of Arabs for the better.

He replied, "The uprisings gave westerners and Arabs alike a view of Arabs as united, liberal, and freedom loving — all characteristics that are admirable and respected. After years of watching civil wars in Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine as well as living through the troubles of jihadism and Islamic unrest, westerners, like Middle Easterners themselves, had begun to view Arabs in terms of chaos, anger and destruction rather than order, happiness and creativity, or the fairer qualities of humanity."

From a Canadian perspective, Jennifer Osmar, Constituency Assistant to the Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia said: "I believe that coverage of the events in the Middle East is having a unifying effect here. Although we don't share a direct experience with Arabs, we see fathers, mothers, grandparents, children — people who want the best possible life ... yet they must fight for it, die for it, appeal for it. We take our freedoms for granted and think we can judge people who live outside of this reality, the only one we have ever known."

Unbiased media

Most definitely, the change in awareness of the people in the West is directly related to the availability of an unbiased media reporting footage of actual events as they happen on Arab streets.

This has allowed the West to become better connected with the Arab world, not only in images but also in emotions as they have been able to hear real stories about the struggles, the passions, and the dreams of the Arab people.

Lydia Wright, a British citizen living in Canada, said: "With the latest events we have come to see a new representation of the life of an average Arab enduring an unbearable state of oppression.

"The lack of human rights and social freedoms has now come to light and has shocked many of us in the West!"

Political walls of division and injustice are being knocked down, and the world is witnessing a painful labour of a new era in the Arab world. Many hopes are attached to the birth of the new Arab regimes; however, unless the new governments are true democracies worthy of the respect of humanity, all of our dreams may go down the drain.

In other words, unless the new regimes are constructed by true and sincere individuals free of any form of extremism and radicalism, we are bound to face worse time as Arabs, and when it comes to the eyes of Western media, our image will remain disfigured for generations to come.

A little solitude won't hurt

2011-03-10T22:48:00.000-08:00

By Ghada Al Atrash, Special to Gulf News
Published in Gulf News : March 11, 2011
http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/a-little-solitude-won-t-hurt-1.774460

The definition of space in Arab culture is one difference that sets it apart from western cultures. Indeed, the most beautiful qualities about our makeup as Arabs are captured in the intense emotional ties and relationships that weave our lives on a personal and social level, ones in which our cultural habits and traditions breed an enduring sense of loyalty and responsibility towards one another in a family and as a community. We are passionate people (and we express our emotions loudly), we walk the streets hand in hand or arm in arm, we kiss each other with or without occasion, and on and on.

While on an evening walk in my neighbourhood on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi, I couldn't help but notice the grand size of Emirati homes in the area. After inquiring about the reason behind the need for the massive space, Emirati women explained that many of them (but not all) live with their father/mother/brothers/or sisters-in-law in one home.

The structure of homes is divided into suites where each family unit occupies a private 2-3 bedroom suite. And, when it is dinner time, all children and adults in the home gather to commune and feast together.

Emiratis express a sense of warmth and connectedness that is generated with such traditions, where a joint meal becomes a tangible means to develop the principle of sharing amongst their children, and cousins brought up together under one roof provides concrete materials for building up family ties from a young age.

And as for the Emiratis who have broken away from these practices and have declared their need for their own private space in an apartment or a villa separate from their parents/in-laws, their weekends serve as the time and space designated for family gatherings and festivities.

Such traditions are certainly not only Emirati, but are part of our Arab culture as a whole. While in Syria, an American friend once asked me about the reason behind the Syrian homes' vacant flat roofs with only cement columns standing on top.

Strong bond

I felt a sense of warmth in explaining that the columns were waiting to support the homes of the next generations, where the second floor (and sometimes third and fourth) were to become future homes for members of the family.

In Arab culture, it is rare to find nursing homes. It becomes intuitive of a child to assume the responsibility of taking care of their elderly parents until their last breath of life, a form of reciprocation and gratitude for the many years of love and heartache that the parents endured on their part.

Having said all this, there is also something to be said about and learned from western culture. Living in the West has taught me to hold my own space sacred. Practising any form of solitude is considered a style of meditation where it is common to see one walking in nature, taking a trip, watching a movie, reading a book in a coffee shop, or attending a yoga class, on his/her own. Such practices are encouraged for the sake of a healthy mental and spiritual state.

I find it important to integrate this style of life into our Middle Eastern way of living, and perhaps find ways in which we can also designate some form of marginal space into our busy days where there is no scribble but mere whiteness, a tree under which our spirit can seek refuge from the endless storm of responsibilities and commitments.

We must admit that despite the many positives that come with our Arab culture, we can often find ourselves in each others' space, lacking space for ourselves. Life can become burdensome when the chaotic and entangled social lifestyles begin to intrude on our personal space at times, denying us the room to think and evolve.

Assertiveness

This task is not an easy one for Arabs to act upon — we are people who like to please, to accommodate, and to keep our doors wide open at all times, all of which are indeed characteristics worthy of praise and pride. But we must learn to become assertive, at times, and demand a narrow space in time to spend with ourselves, separate from the in-laws, the spouses, the children, the family, and the friends.

Lebanese-American poet Khalil Gibran was very proud and committed to his Lebanese origins and culture. I believe he represents the ideal blend between East and West. Each time he returned to his home country, his fantasy was inflamed by his cultural surroundings and environment.

Yet, his writings profoundly reflect the importance of space in our lives. He writes, "Solitude is ... a companion of spiritual exaltation." Perhaps a pinch of solitude is what we all need in our rich social lives as Arabs to help us delve into the spiritual, and to absorb and better savour the moment.

Ghada Al Atrash holds a Master's degree in English and teaches at a college in Abu Dhabi.

Reflection of soul in strings

2011-03-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

By Ghada Al Atrash Janbey, Special to Weekend Review, Gulf News
February 25, 2011
Abu Dhabi, UAE

It was not only her hands that stroked her beloved oud but also her heart and soul. As she sat to play Abdul Wahab's famous Ya Msaafer Wahdak ("You who are travelling alone"), she ascended on the wings of her melodies to brighter horizons where musical notes chirped and butterflies danced to a symphony conducted by the musical instrument.

Sherine Tohamy is the first female oud soloist to graduate from Bait Al Oud (The Arab Oud House) in Egypt, where she has served as professor since 2002. Today she teaches at Bait Al Oud in Abu Dhabi, which was launched by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage in the UAE.

Renowned Iraqi musician Nasser Shamma said about Tohamy: "After my first encounter with Sherine, I told her colleagues in Bait Al Oud that this woman is bound to make important contributions and invite more female participation into a field that has for long been hoarded by men."

You are an Arab Muslim woman who has chosen to play a musical instrument that has for long been associated with men. How was your decision received by your family and friends?

You see, I grew up in Egypt, a country whose heart beats to the sound of music. Music flows in our blood. It is part of the Egyptian spirit. Every Egyptian is born and raised to the voice of the late Umm Kalthum. Hence, my choice of pursuing music was not as challenging as it might have been for women in other conservative Arab cultures. My family was especially persuaded after they accompanied me to a concert for Mr Nasser Shamma, where they witnessed, first-hand, the respect and admiration bestowed upon this man and his oud.

However, everyone expected that marriage was bound to alter, to take away, from my relationship with the oud. But my husband has proven contrary to everyone's belief. My husband has been the backbone of my career.

When I was asked by Mr Shamma to relocate to Abu Dhabi's Bait Al Oud, it was my husband's energy and enthusiasm that helped paved a way free of any hesitation or complication. And today with my family back in Egypt, he has not only been a husband but also a father and a babysitter, and most importantly, my anchor.

Why isn't the West familiar with the oud and why doesn't it have a distinct place on their stage?

We are to blame for falling behind. We Arabs have not been diligent in introducing our civilisation and musical instruments to the Western audience. The oud happens to be one of the oldest stringed instruments, dating back to 2350BC. It played an important role in Arab Islamic civilisations and was considered their most important musical instrument. And since the Arab conquest of Andalusia, the oud has had a distinguished presence in the development of Western music.

I truly believe that in the same way that we enjoy Mozart and Bach, the West would also enjoy Abdul Wahab and Sunbati. We should learn from one another and enrich our symphonies with each other's histories and civilisations.

As an Arab woman who has seen her dreams materialise, what advice do you have for your fellow Arab women?

I advise my fellow Arab women to follow their dreams and, principally, believe in them. Moreover, it is of crucial importance that a woman does not exhaust herself by trying to convince others of her beliefs — this drains the energy of many women in our societies. We are in dire need of more women to take part in all aspects of our society and the fact is that women are no less capable than men.

Any advice for men?

I pray that they keep an open mind, especially the Middle Eastern men. I plead with them to give women a chance. They can begin on a personal level, by unfolding the wings of their wives, their sisters and their daughters, and helping them fly and follow their dreams.

But if men fall short of our expectations and do not recognise our potential as women, we must resolve to create our own opportunities. My professor Nasser Shamma has played an exemplary role in this matter. He has taught others by example not to differentiate between men and women.

He assigns female students to teach men and continuously attempts to break the cultural barriers that for long have deprived women of the right to play a musical instrument. He passionately applauds the performances of his female students. Today in Abu Dhabi's Bait Al Oud, there are 11 women and 30 men, seven of whom are Emirati men and one happens an Emirati woman.

What are your aspirations?

I am working now on my first CD, a collection of heartfelt pieces that I have composed. My aspiration is for other women to gain the courage and help push the doors open for more female composers to set foot on stage.

The common belief is that the oud is an instrument made for the man. However, I see the oud as an embodiment of women, an instrument full of expression and emotions, impregnated with love and feelings. When embraced in a woman's lap, the oud becomes an expression of the tender feelings of a woman — of a mother, a wife, a sister or a daughter.

What can you say about the recent adverse incidents that have taken place in Egypt among Muslims and Christians?

I have my own story with Christianity. I was raised in an old Egyptian neighbourhood where both Christians and Muslims lived side by side, in harmony. Across the street from a mosque stood a church. I attended a school of nuns, which was made up of a group of women who embodied the true meaning of sisters-in-humanity. During Ramadan, no one would eat when I fasted and during the Christmas season, I sang their hymns of celebration. Under the roof of their church, I was taught to be humane, to treat others as I wished to be treated.

As for the recent horrendous crimes committed against Christians in Egypt, it is critical that we stand resilient and not allow our hearts to be infected with the toxic hatred spread by such evil-doers. We must stand united, not divided.

What message would you like to leave our readers?

Music softens the heart, heals the mind and frees the soul. A human being can be moved to tears by a musical note. Music carries us to finer levels where we can be in closer touch with our senses. It speaks one language, a language that can only be sung, and has the potential to unite people, to bring them to sing together.

http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainment/music/reflection-of-soul-in-strings-1.767144

Ghada Al Atrash Janbey holds a masters degree in English and teaches at a college in Abu Dhabi.

Arabs must actively challenge stereotypes

2011-02-12T04:27:00.000-08:00

By Ghada Al Atrash, Special to Gulf News
Gulf News
Published: 00:00 February 11, 2011

Why is it that each time I speak about the Oud to a western friend, I find myself resorting to synonyms like ‘the lute' or the ‘big-bellied-guitar'? Why isn't the West familiar with a most celebrated instrument in our Arab culture, one that dates back to 2350 BC and continues to embody the essence of our heritage and traditions?

And why is it that we Arabs are not only familiar with, but also play the West's musical instruments, speak their languages, read their literature, watch their movies, listen to their singers, enjoy their orchestras, etc, while the opposite rarely holds true?

While studying at a high school in Texas, I vividly recall the time when my English class came across a Khalil Gibran poem in our textbooks. At the sight of an Arab name, I was overcome by a sense of pride and nationalism as this poet's name happened to be the closest to my Syrian heritage, and one that was obviously worthy of being taught in western schools. Regrettably, this occurrence seldom took place again in my subsequent academic years.

Yet, as I went on to pursue my graduate studies in literature, my anthology texts were packed with names from all parts of the world except ours! The Norton Anthology of Masterpieces included names like Voltaire (French), Rousseau (Swiss), Tennyson (English), Dickinson (American), Tolstoy (Russian), Ibsen (Norwegian), Yeats (Irish), Pirandello (Italian), Kafka (German), Eliot (English-American), Garcia Lorca (Spanish), Borges (Argentine), Narayan (Indian), Mishima (Japanese), Garcia Marquez (Colombian), Soyinka (Nigerian), etc.

Yet there was never any mention of our literary figures like Taha Hussain, Gassan Kanafani, Nagib Mahfouz, Ghada Samman, Hanna Meena, Ahlam Mustaghanmi, Nawal Al Saadawi, Tayyeb Saleh, Mahmoud Darwish, Abdul Rahman Munif, Mohammad Al Maghout, Elias Khoury and the list carries on and on.

One of the reasons attributed to this imbalance is explained by Palestinian-American literary theorist Edward Said. In his book Orientalism, Said contends that the West's knowledge about the East has been for centuries presented with an underlying western colonial, imperialist, and political agenda.

Furthermore, he explains that "very little of the detail, the human density, the passion of Arab-Muslim life has entered the awareness of even those people whose profession it is to report the Arab world. What we have instead is a series of crude, essentialised caricatures of the Islamic world presented in such a way as to make that world vulnerable to military aggression."

Indeed, Said's works provide much insight behind the prejudiced and distorted western system of knowledge, one that has been fed with many false representations about our culture. Even more disturbing, although Said's Orientalism was written decades ago (1978), it still rings true today as anti-Arab, anti-Islamic rhetoric continues to dominate western discourse.

Misrepresentation

However, I firmly believe that we Arabs are also to blame for this imbalance. For centuries, we have stood silent in the face of the accusations and false misrepresentations, often complaining, without taking any active participation in providing a counterpart for our distorted image in the West.

Regrettably, much of the West sees us as tribal, backward, violent, terrorists, fundamentalists, uncivilised, and mere oil suppliers. But what action have we taken to defend and to represent our sacred history and our passionate, modern traditions?

The truth is that we have not worked diligently to deliver the true essence of our human civilisation to a western audience who is willing to listen. Our languor has only done us a disservice and has played a part in the disfiguring of our image.

The western media has definitely played a significantly negative role in the spread of misrepresentations and false information. But again, the blame also falls on us for the almost total absence, as Said asserts, of any cultural position in the West to help either to identify with or dispassionately discuss our side.

It has only been in the recent few years that Al Jazeera-English has provided the West with the other side of the story. Our movies are slowly finding a place on western screens, and some of our literature is being translated into western languages. But there still remains much work to be done, and it cannot be accomplished at the depressingly slow rate it is going, nor without the active participation of all.

We have the brains, the history, the civilisation, the funds, but we are lacking in strategy and most importantly, we lack initiative.

Gandhi teaches us to "be the change" we wish to see happen in the world. We need not take his advice lightly and we must amplify our voice and announce the beauties of our Arab culture, our principles, our generosity, our communal values, our passions, our music and arts, our novels and poems.

We need to actively participate in the building of bridges across cultures so that we can help offset the misunderstanding that has resulted from misinformation and misrepresentations done by others. This becomes exceedingly critical in an era where the Other is working vigorously to disfigure our image and our civilisation.

Perhaps the day will come when, as African revolutionist Amilcar Cabral pleads, a "universal culture" will emerge based on "the critical assimilation of man's achievement in the domains of art, science, literature, etc," with the objective of "constant and generalised promotion of humanism, of solidarity, of respect and disinterested devotion to human beings."

Let's not only dream of, but also work towards materialising the day when Abdul Wahab's Oud is played on a western stage as Mozart's concerts are played on our stages in the East.

Ghada Al Atrash holds a Master's degree in English and teaches at a college in Abu Dhabi.

http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/arabs-must-actively-challenge-stereotypes-1.760280

Melodies for a better world

2011-02-12T04:23:00.000-08:00

By Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Special to Weekend Review
Gulf News
Published: 00:00 January 14, 2011

Yolla Khalife is a woman of many parts — wife of artiste Marcel Khalife, a mother, a grandmother, a dreamer and an artiste in her own right. The worlds she straddles are disparate no doubt, but she seems at ease playing all the roles with equal elan.

Love, says Khalife, forms the foundation on which all her worlds find common ground. And she gives the artiste in her the credit for the balance she has managed to strike. According to her, an artiste "is the most fortunate being in humanity because they are constantly inventing something beautiful. Art can tap into the core of the human spirit and touch the most sensitive chords of our feelings."

In an interview with Weekend Review, the singer recalls how life shaped her for the responsibilities brought on by family and art, and expresses her thoughts on how the world could be made a better place.

Tell us about your childhood

I was born in Jezzine, a village in southern Lebanon which is fenced by mountains and carpeted with forests of pine trees. My childhood was full with liveliness, innocence and snow. And within this charming existence I lived in a world of my own, detached from reality — a beautiful world I often escape to from the ugly and harsh realities of our world today.

When did you begin to sing?

It all started in the forest! My friends would ask me to sing while I was out in nature. And there was nothing like it — to sing in the forest and hear nature echo back my songs is a euphoric experience that is only felt by the spirit. It was a feeling of connectedness with nature, with creation. And as I matured, I nurtured this feeling by study and education; I studied piano for three years and then pursued singing classes to take my voice to a professional level.

Art has always been part of my life. It is a genuine expression of my feelings. An artist's soul can fly — and when I sing, I can feel my soul fly to realms full of love, of giving, of music and song.

The soul of an artiste speaks a language of spirituality. Whether expressed by the stroke of a brush, a word in a poem or a note in a melody, art can tap into the core of the human spirit and touch the most sensitive chords of our feelings.

After living for years in France, where do you feel your home is now?

My home is not geography — it is my family, my friends and my feelings. It is an ideology that has evolved throughout a life spent between the East and the West. It is Lebanon's sea, mountains and trees. Home is my mother. And it is 20 years in France and the lessons of life I have learnt while living there. I once visited Macedonia and felt like I must have been born there at some point in my past. Home, in other words, is every place where my spirit can feel.

Palestinian writer Gassan Kanafani once wrote: ‘Man is a cause.' What is Yolla Khalife's cause in life?

My cause is love. When I sing, I try to use my voice to communicate a message of love. I believe that if each of us could find a means to generate the energy of love, perhaps it could help bring balance and harmony to humanity. Perhaps it can sweep away the demoralising and soul-destroying energies of hatred, jealously and hostility creeping around the world today.

You have a beautiful voice. What message would you sing to us here in the East and in the West?

How I wish we didn't have to differentiate between East and West! Sure, we may have our unique cultural and historical backgrounds and our unique stories, but they should not be looked at as differences, nor should they separate us. I believe we are all cells that are interconnected in the make-up we call humanity. We all share the same feelings of delight and happiness, of pain and sadness. If only we could love one another, all conflicts would be resolved. "Love" is my message, summed up in one word!

You are a Middle Eastern wife, a mother, a new grandmother, an artiste and a woman carrying a heavy cause. How do you balance such weight on your shoulders? And what must you have had to give up to keep balance in your life?

I never had to give up anything, because I lived each stage to its fullest. I experienced the deepest feelings of motherhood, of femininity and of art. I am one woman who has lived as many women. I believe in stages of life. Each day takes us to a new place. At one stage I allowed my voice to rest so that I could achieve a balance and, more importantly, enjoy the moment to its fullest. As I look back at the decisions I have made throughout the years and reflect on the feelings of fulfilment that have accumulated as a result of embracing and living each stage to its fullest, I have come to discover the source of the inner peace that dwells in my heart and serves as my fuel today.

What advice would you give to your fellow Middle Eastern women?

I have been blessed to live two experiences, one in the East and the other in the West. The Middle Eastern woman has an amazing store of feelings, of giving, of love. Most importantly, she is strong, a woman who can carry a lot of weight on her shoulders. In the West, there is a sense of equality between a man and a woman, something we could learn from and teach the younger generation. We need to plant the seeds of equality into the minds of our boys, so that the product is an ideology based on the fact that a man and a woman are two halves that make a whole. There is no perfect paradigm and I truly believe the ideal is a balance between the East and the West.

Let's talk about your new CD. Can you provide us with a little sneak peek? What is special about this CD?

This is my first CD! I took a very, very long time to reach this point in my life, a stage I can sum up in one word — rebirth. This CD has allowed me, as a grandmother and a woman with years of life behind her, to be born again. It is a collection of songs which express my journey of happiness, love, pain and struggles. It is an interpretation of my feelings and thoughts, carried out through song and art. It is a wedding, a marriage between my voice and music.

My intention was never to invent or change the song but to simply touch people's hearts. It is a collection of the old and the new, songs I have sung before and new ones I have fashioned. It will be released in mid-January and distributed in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

If you had a few extra minutes in the day, to whom would you listen?

I listen to all kinds of music. When it comes to Arabic music, I enjoy the old, the Tarab, Umm Kalthum, Laila Murad and Fayza Ahmad. Of course, I love Fairuz. I listen to Turkish music, gypsy and some jazz. I like music from the desert, from Morocco and from Mauritania. I also find pleasure in the contemporary. I like styles and colours such as in Fado and Flamenco. I enjoy the Khaleeji, their claps and dances. And classical, in my opinion, is medicine to the soul; it penetrates every cell in the body. In short, I like the soft and the peaceful, and I try to stay away from the loud, the empty and the cheap, which seems to be common in our modern times.

Please tell us about Marcel Khalife, your children and grandchildren?

Marcel is passion. Passion lives in his heart and the universe can hear its beats through his music. He projects, through his music and song, an energy empowered with love, one that the world is in dire need of today.

Ghada Al Atrash Janbey holds a master's degree in English and teaches at a college in Abu Dhabi

Dumbing-down of society

2011-02-12T04:17:00.000-08:00

By Ghada Al Atrash Janbey, Special to Gulf News
Gulf News
Published: 00:00 December 31, 2010

As I listened to Time of My Life, the Black Eyed Peas' newest hit broadcast on a local radio station, I couldn't help but reflect on the dumbing-down of our society and the demise of everything poetic and meaningful.

The song will instantly catch one's attention as it begins with lines from the famous 80s Golden Globe and Academy Award song (I've Had) The Time of My Life. However, the new song has been transformed, or if I may say deformed, into a ‘dirty-bit' version, a version far from the aesthetic and the beautiful.

Here are some of its lyrics: ‘Dirty bit / Dirty bit / I-I came up in here to rock / Light a fire, make it hot / I don't wanna take no pictures / I just wanna take some shots / So come on, let's go / Let's lose control / Let's do it all night / ‘Til we can't do it no mo'

What is most unsettling here is that our children, the future generation, are bound to recite and sing such vulgarity, and what is yet more disturbing is that most parents and mentors are standing helpless while their children's minds are being poisoned!

Regrettably, in the modern age and time, the sanctity of poetry has faded. How many of the youth who happen to be receiving an education of first-world-standards can recite a Shakespeare or T.S. Elliot poem from beginning to end, or a poem of Abu Alaa' Al Ma'arry or Mahmoud Darwish?

Shamefully, the future generation is one that employs smiley faces to express its emotions where all ‘contentment', ‘happiness', ‘bliss', ‘ecstasy', ‘elation', ‘jubilation' and ‘euphoria' are amalgamated into one computerised smiling yellow face!

Even more disconcerting is the fact that although children cannot recite a poem, they most definitely can sing every word from a Black Eyed Peas song. Why aren't children interested in downloading, for example, a song like Nikki Yonofsky's I Believe, the theme song of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics?

Here is an excerpt of its lyrics: This is the moment we've dreamed of all our lives / We'll be the change we wish from others / We'll stand tall for what is right / ...The arms of the world will come reaching out / And embrace me to be all that I can be / Now nothing can stop me / From a world brought together as one / I believe together we'll fly / I believe in the power of you and I.

The song calls for the togetherness of humanity, for each human to be the change they wish to see happen, to reach out, to embrace, to dream, to believe ...

A different period

Once upon a time, a poetry-reciting game was played in our Arab culture. The rule of the game was that once a line of poetry was recited (it could be chosen from any poem ever written, past or present), then the last letter of the last word in the line was to be used as the first letter in the next one.

Hence, the players had to be capable of reciting a poetry line that begins with any letter from A to Z (or in Arabic, from Alif to Yaa), because they would lose the game if they ran out of lines. If this game were played in English, for example, player one could recite from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam:

Oh, come with old Khayyam, and leave the Wise / To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies / One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies / The Flower that once has blown forever dies.

The opposite team could reply with lines from William B. Yeats' Down by the Salley Gardens.

She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree / But I being young and foolish, with her would not agree.

And so on and so forth.

Sadly, the future generation will most probably not be able to recite a line of poetry, much less a poem — a phenomenon that has permeated all cultures across the globe, sparing none!

If one must come to terms with reality, shouldn't parents and mentors interfere and try to bring in balance to the deteriorating trends that are invading children's minds and culture? Can the educational system be of help, and could it employ better effective measures to help future generations keep upright?

Can reciting poetry be as encouraged as an activity as the other arts at school? Can those in power, and perhaps with money, create a radio station, for example, that will only play the aesthetic and the poetic? Can we come together to find a remedy for the ‘dumbing-down' plague that is sweeping society?

Gibran Khalil Gibran once wrote, "Give me the nay [flute] and sing, for singing is a fine prayer, and the sound of the nay stays even after life has vanished."

Gibran's words were sung by Fairuz and the music was composed by Najib Hankash. Perhaps we can still find a way to revive such poetry and breathe life into it with the voices of the next generation.

Ghada Al Atrash Janbey holds a Master's degree in English and teaches at a college in Abu Dhabi.

http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/dumbing-down-of-society-1.738557

A Nation Worthy of Admiration

2011-02-12T04:09:00.000-08:00

By Ghada Al Atrash Janbey, Special to Gulf News
Gulf News
Published: 00:00 December 2, 2010

Earlier this week, I was charmed by the sight of a kindergarten (KG) boy struggling to position a bandana on his head woven with the Emirati colours of green, red, white, and black. Behind him walked a few KG girls decked out from head to toe with the colours of the flag embroidered on their hair ribbons, jewellery, scarves, socks, and anything else they could fit on their tiny little figures.

As a new resident in the country, as happens to be my case, one quickly learns that this is the UAE's way of setting the mood for their National Day's festive celebrations.

When asked to describe her feelings about National Day, Fatima, a young Emirati woman, patriotically declared, "It's like a grand wedding that every Emirati is invited to attend, and the bride happens to be our country, the UAE. It takes us at least a week to embellish our beautiful bride and to show her off to the world." And with a cheerful smile she added, "We Emiratis know how to celebrate a National Day."

And indeed, they do! On December 2 of every year, the UAE, a desert-tanned bride, emerges on her National wedding day in a dazzling gown woven with the national colours, and is carried on every young man's shoulder, sung on every child's tongue, and cited in every mother's prayer — a bride who dwells in a palace whose rooms are the hearts of a nation.

What one witnesses here in the UAE is different from any other national celebration — I am talking competitions for the best decorated cars, towers and palm trees illuminated with lights, bands marching in colleges and schools, windows of cars tinted with photos of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his sons, and on and on.

Colours

And, I truly believe that if the Emiratis could have come up with a way to dye every golden grain of sand on their land with the colours of the flags, they would not have come short of it. Emirati or non-Emirati, one can't help but get into the mood and spirit of celebration.

I asked another Emirati woman, Saffia, about how she personally celebrates the day, and she nostalgically replied, "It brings back the fondest of memories. When we were young, I recall how my mother would wake us up on National Day and blow-dry her daughters' hair while we all complained of our scalps being burnt. But, she would insist on it because we had to look good for the occasion."

And another woman, Wadima, explained, "The one who celebrates most in my household today is my husband. It is like a competition between him and his friends on who can better decorate his car, down to every inch of it.

"The police often end up stopping him because of the excessive amount of decorations. But, between you and I, everything goes on National Day, even when it comes to our police."

And unique to this country, when asked about the UAE's National Day, an Emirati never fails to ask God to bestow mercy and bless the soul of the bride's father, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who along with the late Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, materialised their dream of establishing one nation, and together they united the seven emirates of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Umm Al Quwain.

Birth of a nation

Today marks the 39th anniversary of the birth of a nation who is indeed worthy of admiration. The UAE is a nation that works for the best interests of her people, and in correlation this has given birth to a unique feeling of patriotism that is exceptional to those countries whose birth gave life to their people.

Yousuf Abdul Samad, a Lebanese-American poet once stopped in the UAE for a few days. His station was the city of Al Ain, which means "the spring" in Arabic. While on his visit, he was awestruck by the greenness he saw in the desert, and was inspired to write a poem which he titled, Al Ain.

I found it timely to ask the poet's permission to pick a few lines, translate them into English, and present them in a bouquet, with much admiration and respect to this nation and its people:

Abdul Samad wrote:

"I was enchanted by her [Al Ain's] green eyes like that of a gazelle,

And I was captivated by their glare.

I rested in their shade and laid aside my worries

For when I first arrived I was drained and weary.

But the memories of the desert brought back her celebrated past

And told a glorious history of a homeland.

How her charm is ceaselessly streaming in my arteries and veins

And the call to prayer at her dawn is eternally living in my ears."

Bless a country who is an earthly paradise for her people, and may God keep her glorious and free.

(Ghada Al Atrash Janbey holds a Master's degree in English and teaches at a college in Abu Dhabi.)

http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/a-nation-worthy-of-admiration-1.721598

Emirati women choose to get a good education

2011-02-12T04:03:00.000-08:00

By Ghada Alatrash Janbey, Special to Gulf News
Gulf NewsPublished: 00:00 November 19, 2010

Nelson Mandela once said, "Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world."

Twice a week, for two hours in every meeting, I stand before a group of young Emirati women and teach them skills to pass the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), a test of English that stands as a requirement for them to continue with their education or to apply for employment.

Most of the students in class happen to be mothers and wives who have found the time and space in their lives to continue with their education. They come charged with a unique type of energy, an energy that has a forceful drive advancing them to learn and to fulfil their ambitions.

Moreover, many of the students in Continuing Education programmes in the UAE are Emirati women who were not able to earn an education earlier in their lives due to reasons such as early marriages, pregnancies, lack of choice of institutions, or dilemmas in transportation.

However, today, as those obstacles and circumstances have changed, these women have made the decision to jump on the train heading towards a world of education and new learning adventures.

Teaching such motivated group of women has unveiled an inspirational reality. One discovers that underneath their modest black headwear are determined minds hungry for an education.

One woman in class asked in Arabic for the English word "insist", and once provided with the word, she enthusiastically declared: "We insist on learning English, and we will learn it."

When asked for the reasons behind their desire to continue with their education, one student explained: "We want to study so that we can help our children in school. If we don't know English, we find ourselves helpless when it comes to teaching our children and helping them with their homework. Our children will respect us more if we have an education. And, by seeking our own education, we can teach our children by example. They see us studying and they follow our example."

Another student said: "It is about self-respect. We can feel that education brings along more respect from others, and, more importantly, we are gaining more self-respect. We truly can feel a boost in our self-esteem."

On a pragmatic note, one mother said: "The teachers of our children seem to have more sympathy and respect for us as mothers who are learning and genuinely desiring to help our children."

Contributing to society

Lastly, another woman added: "We are able to contribute more to our society by obtaining an education. Many women seem to be wasting their lives away by choosing to stay at home and watch TV or go shopping. They are never going to be fulfilled. We choose otherwise".

While these replies were being generated, there was a change in atmosphere of the classroom. It was charged with zeal, dynamism, and a vigorous passion that will most definitely drive these women to scale the highest peaks of success, or as this group of women happen to live in the UAE, perhaps to fly above the highest sky-scrapers and the tallest towers!

To further support what was voiced by this group of Emirati women, studies have repeatedly shown that with education, women gain confidence and self-respect. They delay marriage and childbirth, and they are more likely to educate their own daughters.

However, the responsibility lies not only with women to make the choice of continuing their education, but also with those women in power who must help spread awareness, open doors and create opportunities for their fellow women.

One noteworthy example is that of Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, wife of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. She has played an exemplary role in the empowerment of Emirati women as the head of the women's federation promoting training, education, and the advancement of the status of women. Today, the UAE is a country that stands as a leader in the Arab world on women's rights.

Queen Rania of Jordan has said: "The best advertisement for empowering women is an empowered woman ... I am moved by the image of a reverse domino effect in women's empowerment. Instead of falling because of being pushed down, every woman lifts another up and passes the gift of strength on. In this way success breeds success".

Queen Rania's words most definitely depict the reality of these Emirati students. A few students have shared with me that not only have their friends and colleagues of their age decided to continue with their education, but so have their mothers and aunts — a phenomenon that is contagious, opening the minds of Emirati women and unfolding their wings to fly.

As Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, once said on the cause of women and education: "Progress has been made but there are many challenges ... women will prevail … I often remark that the cause of women is inseparable from the cause of humanity itself. A society that is without the voice and vision of women is no less feminine — it is less human."

http://gulfnews.com/opinions/columnists/emirati-women-choose-to-get-a-good-education-1.714071

An interview with Dr. Eva Olsson, A Holocaust Survivor

2010-06-08T06:16:00.000-07:00

Ghada Alatrash Janbey
Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
June 4, 2010

The wrinkles on her face were not like those of any other eighty-year-old woman—they cut in deeper; they looked like concave rivers carved by tears of pain and anguish on a face that embodied far-away geography and years of history. She began her talk with these words: “Sixty-six years ago, I was in Auschwitz. The war started in 1939 in Poland, and within six years, 6 million Jews were murdered along with another five million non-Jews. Today, I am here to speak for those whose voices were silenced by hate.”

Dr. Eva Olsson travels across Canada to tell her story to school students of all ages. I sat in the audience and was spellbound by Dr. Olsson’s words as she narrated her ghastly experience in the Nazi camps under Hitler’s regime. She recounted events one after another, of how she was mercilessly separated from her mother and other members of her family, of the underground pits in which she was cast along with other Jewish slave labourers, of the hay that served both as a bed and as a place for defecating and urinating, of their lack of water and of their need to drink their own urine, of the humiliation, of the mass graves, and of the horror. But Dr. Olsson’s message was different—it was not political but humane.

I also had the opportunity to sit across the table from Dr. Olsson and hold a personal interview with her. Indeed, it was quite moving to look into her eyes, ones that are permanently stained with a red color from the many endless tears shed in her lifetime. Yet there was strength to Dr. Olsson that was captivating, one that allowed her to relive the pain and horror again and again as she recounted her story. I asked her about the source of her strength, and her reply was, “I cannot allow my pain to control my life. I have to control it. I’ve had to deal with it. But I still cannot deal with the fact that 11,000,000 people were massacred because of hatred.”

She explains, “I am not out there to speak only for myself, but for everyone of different religion, race, or color, and to teach our children about the crimes that have been committed against humanity. I am here to speak to the students about hate, how it is like a disease, how it makes people sick inside.” And, most importantly, she cautions her audience against the danger of becoming “bystanders.” With a forewarning undertone in her voice, she says, “Bystanders are not innocent. Hitler couldn’t have done what he did without the bystanders of Eastern Europe. Bystanders are just as guilty as the perpetrators.” She painfully remembers and scoldingly describes how “bystanders were watching as the Jews were shipped out in trains, in the same way people watch the passing of a Santa Clause parade.”

On the topic of hatred, Dr. Olsson shared a common question she is asked by students of all ages-- “When you see a German, do you hate him?” And her reply is: “No! I don’t hate Germans, not even Nazis! For, one cannot fight hate with hate, nor anger with anger. It doesn’t get you anywhere. Hate does not bring my family back. There is no room in my heart for hatred.”

I insisted, “But then you must be angry!” Determined, she replied, “No! I am not angry, I am very sad. I am sad to look into the eyes of the dark side of humanity and to see the recurrent crimes against humanity. We all belong to the human family—all divisions are made by man. God did not build Auschwitz, man did! Auschwitz was a killing factory.” Then, she sadly laments, “We were not put on our earth to kill one another!”

Awed by her immunity against being infected with hatred and anger, I said, “How I wish for your wisdom to detoxify the poisoned hearts in our humanity.” And she painfully answered, “But, after 50 years, I still have not found the wisdom to answer one question—What was the crime of the children. Having a different religion was not a crime, it does not give an answer to my question.”

Dr. Olsson’s sister is the only other survivor from her whole family, and she currently lives in Tel Aviv, Israel. When I asked about her thoughts on the inhumane crimes and massacres that continue to take place in Israel, she replied, “I’ve never been there nor do I want to go there. I do not wish to be in the midst of all of the hatred found there. I’ve seen enough pain and hatred in my lifetime. I’ve found my peace in Canada.” She further explains, “I came from a very fundamentally religious environment. My sister doesn’t want anything to do with me because I didn’t marry a Jew. But it’s about what is in the heart, not the skin color or race. I love God, and I pray every morning and night. Religion is written by man and is taken out of context in order to justify the objective. I did not raise my children to be religious, but to be spiritual, to be kind, compassionate, respectful and tolerant. I taught them not to care where one comes from and to practice the Golden Rule. For, we are all humans from one family, the human family.”

I asked her of any advice she would like to leave my readers with and she replied, “To parents: help your children eliminate the word ‘hate’ from their vocabulary. Teach them never to be afraid of someone different but to fear becoming indifferent.” And she grimly reminds us that “A child isn’t born racist. Racism is a learned attitude. We are all products of our environment.”

Dr. Olsson also lays a responsibility on the shoulders of educators and grieves over the fact that the younger generation is illiterate when it comes to the horrific crimes committed throughout the history of man, and she affirms that “Man who denies history has no future.”

As the interview neared an end, I wished I could bring a smile to a face whose features were washed out by the unimaginable and endless tears of grief and pain. So I asked, “Who is your favourite politician?” And her immediate reply was: “None!” Thankful for the ironically humorous reply, I continued, “And what about your favourite writer, and she answered, “Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl and his book Man’s Search for Meaning.” “And, your favourite song?” I asked, and she smiling replied, “Frank Sinatra’s ‘I did it my way’” And, with a laugh that softened the wrinkles on her face, she declared, “And, I sure did do it my way!”

It was on that note that I left Dr. Eva Olsson, a woman whose wings were broken by hatred, yet a woman who has been determined to fly and to sing her song of peace to a humanity whose hearts seem to have been plagued by deafness... And it is my sincere hope that perhaps our children might listen and sing along...

A Deeper Look at the Meaning Behind Messages in Media: Quentin Tarantino vs. Anna Maria Tremonti

2010-05-14T05:48:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Alatrash Janbey
Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
June 1, 2010

Ghandi teaches us to “be the change” we wish to see happen in the world. If only carried out today, Ghandi’s teaching could truly revolutionize our world. Yet, whereas some have definitely embodied the meaning of being the change they want to see happen, many others seem to have drifted far away from such an ideology and have allowed their self-seeking aspirations to blind their eyes and poison their minds, and, more dangerously, the minds of many others.

Last week I listened to CBC’s The Current hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti and was exceptionally inspired by the humane and most poignant message brought forth by her program—one that was especially uplifting after watching Quentin Tarantino’s Academy Award nominated film Inglorious Basterds.

Before sharing my thoughts on Tarantino’s film, I would like to first ask of my readers to focus their thoughts on the critical importance of Tarantino’s and Tremonti’s influential roles in the media, and of the moral responsibility they carry on their shoulders to bring about constructive change and to make a positive difference in a humanity that is in dire need of being pulled together.

To begin, I am ghastly appalled by Quentin Tarantino’s recent film Inglorious Basterds, and moreover, I am sickened by those who nominated it for an Academy Award. Revoltingly, the film grossed $320,351,773 in theaters worldwide, making it Tarantino's highest-grossing film to date. It has received multiple awards and nominations, including eight Academy Award nominations.

For those who have not watched the film, Tarantino basically rewrites history on Nazi-occupied France during World War II. He perversely makes up a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" sent from the U.S. to spread fear and to slaughter Nazis throughout the Third Reich. The movie is saturated with hatred, revenge, and violence. In his film, Tarantino makes art of anger and turns it into hatred mixed with brutal violence. And, he ends the movie by creating a reverse holocaust where all Nazis are burnt to death by a Jew.

Every main character in Inglorious Basterds is drenched in hatred-- the Jewish-American Basterds, the Nazis, and even the Jewish young girl whose family is painfully massacred in the opening scene of the movie and who matures into a woman blinded by an exasperated aspiration to take revenge, one that is horrifyingly materialized as Tarantino allows her to triumph by burning the Nazis alive while her revengeful laugh bellows behind the blazing fire.

Moreover, if one must choose the most disturbing role in a movie inundated with evil, merciless, and heartless characters, it would undoubtedly be, in my opinion, Eli Roth who plays the role of one of the American Basterds, and who is an American-Jew in background. Roth’s most notorious act in the movie is that in which he grotesquely beats and slaughters a Nazi officer with a baseball bat on the head. Yet, what is most upsetting to me is not the role he takes on as an actor but the comment he makes in an interview with HitFix's Drew McWeeny. When McWeeny asks Roth, “As a Jewish American watching this film, what is your response?” Roth’s immediate and heedless reply is, “It’s everything you’ve ever wanted to see. It is everything that I’ve fantasized about, visualized. It’s like, it’s exactly what you would do. It’s like this dream that you had and you’ve realize that somebody else had that same dream, and now you’re sharing it with all these other people...”—a reply that has left my heart horror-struck!

Yet, the film has received mostly positive reviews from critics. The general consensus is that the movie was successfully entertaining, “a thrill ride.” Critic James Berardinelli gave the film his first four-star review of 2009, stating, "With Inglorious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino has made his best movie since Pulp Fiction," and that it was "one hell of an enjoyable ride.”

I am truly flabbergasted by such reviews for I don’t understand how people can be carelessly oblivious to the blatantly dangerous and grave messages of the film, one that leaves its audience with a warped and distorted version of history, a gut wrenching feeling of emptiness and hopelessness, and worst of all, it glamorizes violence, makes it into an art, and delivers a message of hatred, of meeting violence with worse violence, justified by the desire to take revenge.

Shifting gears, but also on the subject of hate, a segment of an episode aired last week on CBC’s The Current hosted by Anna Maria Tremonti was titled “Refusing to Hate.” Tremonti begins her program with the following words: “Izzeldin Abuelaish has every reason to be full of anger, vitriol, and hate; the fact that he is not is impressive. It is especially true when you consider the unimaginable pain he endured less than 18 months ago in a moment that changed his life forever.”

On her show, Tremonti hosts Palestinian Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish who lost three of his daughters and a niece on January 16, 2009 after Israeli tank shells hit his house during the military assault on Gaza. On the show, Dr. Abuelaish was accompanied by his two surviving daughters, and all three mourned their loss, but most importantly, spoke about their refusal to hate.

Tremonti explains that since the attack, Dr. Abuelaish has been trying to come to terms with the death of his daughters and niece and has written a book titled, “I Shall Not Hate.” Tremonti poignantly transmits to her listeners the anguish, the unimaginable pain, and the human suffering of this Palestinian family as we hear the father’s desperate cries in a recording aired on an Israeli TV channel and broadcast throughout the country on the day of the attack. Frantically, he screams in Hebrew “Oh Shlomi...Oh God... Allah... My daughters, oh God, Allah, oh God, Allah...they are dead...they were hit in the head... They died on the spot, on the spot, Shlomi, oh God...”

Yet, despite everything, Dr. Abuelaish continued to work for an Israeli hospital...
In the interview, Dr. Abuelaish affirms his refusal to “take this and turn it into a moment to hate.” He explains, “Hate is a fire that burns and eats from the inside” leaving one empty. He declares, “It is a shame that we are in the 21st century and people are suffering by other human beings.” When asked by Tremonti, “How do you define hate?” his reply was: “It is blindness. Hate leads you to irrational thinking and behaviour...It is a chronic, severe, and destructive sickness.” She then asks, “What is the difference between anger and hate?” And he answers, “Hate is blind and it may be irreversible, but anger, we have to be angry, we have to feel angry, we must be angry about what’s happening in this world and not to accept it and to act, that’s the anger that I am urging everyone to feel it which is accompanied by a change for better.”

Tremonti also transmits to her listeners the voice of one Abuelaish’s deceased daughters who once travelled alongside Israeli women and partook in the making of a documentary named “Dear Mr. President,” in which she declares, “To meet terrorism with terrorism or violence with violence, doesn’t solve anything.”

It is powerful to hear Dr. Abuelaish in this interview demanding that leaders take the responsibility to help humanity to get to know the Other, and ends by announcing that he too has “a moral responsibility” to talk and to share the excruciating pain he suffered with “everyone who belongs to the human family, to every human being who cares about others, who can help, who can mediate, who can save, who can do something.”

My utmost respect goes not only to Dr. Abuelaish, but also to Anna Maria Tremonti who employed her show to amplify the voices of humans in suffering and to counterpart revenge and hatred by hosting someone who refuses to hate. Indeed, the contrast between the messages of Tarantino and Tremonti is astounding for whereas one concludes his film with a horrifying image of a reverse holocaust, the other leaves her listeners with a moral responsibility to contemplate!

The Demise of Poetry and Society's Dumbing Down

2010-03-04T15:28:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Alatrash Janbey
Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
March 5, 2010

“Poetry was, and still remains, the finest flavour of a nation and the symbol for its rich, unique knowledge ... Poetry is... the companion of music to the depths... it is what stirs the buried sadness and what awakens the innermost feelings in the human soul.”—Youssef Abdul Samad.

It is an astounding, and furthermore enchanting, experience to witness a poetry-reciting game played in our Arab culture, mostly by my generation and the older generation. The rule of the game is that once a line of poetry is recited (it can be chosen from any poem ever written, past or present), then the last letter of the last word in the line is to be used as the first letter in the next recited poetry line. Hence, the players have to be capable of reciting a poetry line that begins with any letter from A to Z (or in Arabic, from Alif to Yaa), and once they run out of lines, they are simply disqualified!

For example, if this game were played in English, player one would recite:
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.
[From D.H. Lawrence’s “Piano.”]

And the next player would have to reply with the last letter of the last word which is an “S”:
She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree;
But I being young and foolish, with her would not agree.
[From William Butler Yeats’ “Down by the Salley Gardens.”]

Then, the next player would have to come up with a line that begins with the letter “E” and so on and so forth.

Regrettably, in our modern age and time, this game could not be played by either our generation or, most definitely, not by the generations to come, regardless of language and culture. Our modern-day lives seem to have little time for poetry! How many of our children who happen to be receiving an education of first-world-standards could recite a poem from beginning to end from D.H. Lawrence or William Butler Yeats? Shamefully, our children’s generation is one that employs smiley faces to express their emotions where all of f “contentment,” “joy,” “happiness,” “bliss,”
“ecstasy,” “elation,” “jubilation,” and “euphoria” are amalgamated into one computerized smiley yellow face! Would it be an overstatement to say that our children are regressing to primitive codes?

Even more disconcerting is the fact that although our children cannot recite a poem, they most definitely can deliver every word from a song for the likes of Brittney Spears! And, if only the words to such songs (for I cannot call it poetry) were not so nauseatingly repulsive! What are we teaching our children with a song like Brittney’s so called “3”:

“Everybody loves ????
What we do is innocent
Just for fun and nothin' meant
If you don't like the company
Let's just do it you and me
You and me...
Or three....
Or four....
- On the floor!”

What has happened to Yeat’s advice of taking love easy “as the leaves grow on the tree?”

Tragically, this deteriorating theme amongst popular culture has permeated all cultures, universally across the globe. It is by no means only a Western phenomenon, for all across the Arab world for example, young men and women have come to also recite by heart songs to our Arab version of Brittney who happens to be the Lebanese Haifa Wehbe. Here are some of the hideous lines she sings:

“See the owwyy, kiss the owwyy, make the owwyy get better
When you kissed the owwyy, you took it away, now the owwyy is poof!
...Tonight is the best night with my lover which means I gotta wear my best clothes (x2)
For your eyes my love, I will wear everything brand spanking new.
... and my last concern is what they say is wrong or right.”
[I will refrain from taking the credit for translating this piece.]

Sung in with a filthy erotic undertone, this song offensively strips away, down to the last morsel, all female dignity and self-respect. In fact, what is sung in the above piece stands against every feminist principle I am endeavouring to teach my daughter.

On the flip side of things, one of my favourite Arab singers happens to also be a Lebanese named Marcel Khalifeh. This particular singer’s majority of songs are poems for one of the most beloved Arab poets, the Palestinian Mahmoud Darwish. Although the latter part of my life was spent in the West, I am nonetheless able to recite Darwish’s poems by heart simply because they happen to be words to songs that I listen to. One example is a song named “Rita.” In this poem, the Palestinian poet is addressing his beloved “Rita” who happens to be a Jewish Israeli, and is sorrowfully lamenting the fact that what happens to separate the two is a “rifle,” representing the war and conflict between the two nations:

“Between Rita and my eyes,
Is a rifle
And, whoever knows Rita,
Bows and prays
To a divinity in those amber eyes.
... Ah, Rita!
There are millions of sparrows and images between the two of us,
And many dates
Fired at by a rifle.”
[My translation]

In the very few lines above, not only is poetry recited and sung, but also politics, history, religion, passion, love, pain are themes bursting from in-between the words and lines!

And, on the Western hemisphere, one rejuvenating song hopefully being downloaded onto our children’s iPods is the Vancouver 2010 Olympics Theme song “I Believe” sung by Nikki Yanofsky, both in English and French. Here are some of its lines:

“This is the moment we have dreamed of all our lives
We'll be the change we wish from others
We'll stand tall for what is right
And in my heart there'll be no doubt
The arms of the world will come reaching out
And embrace me to be all I can be
Now nothing can stop me
From a world brought together as one
I believe together we'll fly
I believe in the power of you and I.”

If only our children can be reciting such words, calling for the togetherness of humanity, for each of them to be the change they wish to see happen, to reach out, to embrace, to dream, to believe...

I will end by putting forth a few questions hoping that they serve as food for thought--Let us for a moment think about our children’s national and cultural symbols, and if one must come to terms with reality, shouldn’t we as parents and mentors interfere and try to bring in balance to the deteriorating trends that are invading our children’s minds and culture? How can our educational system be of help, and could they employ better effective measures to help our future generations keep upright? And, can we perhaps help conceive better venues to celebrate the teachings of the likes of Mohandas Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Dali Lama, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, T. S. Eliot, Khalil Gibran, VirginiaWolf and select others? Can we come together to find a remedy for the “dumbing-down” plague that is sweeping over our society?

On Space and Solitude

2010-02-22T01:30:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Alatrash Janbey
February 17, 2010

The article below was originally written for an Arab / Arab-American audience. However, a number of my Western friends identified with my thoughts, and, furthermore, encouraged me to share my article with you (my Western audience):

***

Someone once wrote, “A candle flowers in the space of the night.”

Let us take a moment and reflect on the word “Space.”

The definition of space in Arab culture is one difference that sets it apart from Western culture. Indeed, the most beautiful qualities about our makeup as Arabs are captured in the intense emotional ties and relationships that weave our lives on a personal and social level, ones in which our cultural habits and traditions breed an enduring sense of loyalty and responsibility towards one another in a family and as a community—we are passionate people (and we express it loudly), we walk the streets hand in hand or arm in arm, we kiss each other often (when we wake up, and every other hour throughout the day, and before we sleep), we drink from the same straw of matte tea, we expect unexpected visitors around the clock, and the list carries on. Yet, on the other hand, we must also admit that we can often find ourselves in each others’ space, lacking space for ourselves!

In the midst of the intense social and cultural gatherings and relationships, I find it is of critical importance that we take time out, that we find space to reflect, to meditate, and to nurture our spiritual needs. We must search for that marginal space in our lives where there is no scribble but mere whiteness, a tree under which our spirit can seek refuge from the endless storm of responsibilities and commitments, a corner where we can sit still and allow our minds to indulge in discovering our hidden spiritual secretes and our hearts to feel the warmth of our inner cores.

The quest to discover the hidden is sought after by many different religious practices. One of those religious communities in the Middle East known as Druze, an off-shoot of Shi’a Islam and found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel and Jordan, also calls for the discovery of the hidden—one of the pillars on which the Druze faith stands. Meaning, as per the Druze teachings, is found in what they call “Al Batin,”—the hidden, the esoteric. Al Batin is that which refers to the inner meaning or reality behind all existence, in contrast to Al Zahir which represents the world of form and apparent meaning. Their most esteemed leaders are ones who have discovered the esoteric meaning of life as in the example of the late leader Kamal Junbalt whose words were, “The kingdom of heaven is in your inner self, don’t search for it outside.”

One place that is familiar to the Druze is the Khalwat (hermitage), a place visited for solitary retreat. Durze Lebanese-American poet Youssef Abdul Samad wrote a poem named “Khalwat Al-Shqaif,” referring to a hermitage located in his hometown Ras El Maten, Lebanon. Here is an excerpt from his poem:

... O How I wish I could have a rock out of Her rocks / A cave, with two doors, in which I could live
One that overlooks the green meadows / And the second open to the secrets of the soul
A place where I could flee, not in escape but in return, / From the extrinsic to the introspective world
Where I could live on that which could not be bought nor sold / Nor could be placed on a scale
[my translation]

The poet is very fortunate to live nearby Khalwat Al-Shqaif. However, it is important to be reminded that one does not have to travel to mountains in order to find his/her cave, his/her “Khalwat.” Each of us can find our own place of solitude, of space, by simply outlining borders of space within our journey in time and attributing this defined space to mere reflection and meditation, to discovering our inner- selves, to unearthing the hidden, and to finding the path to the spiritual in the midst of the maze of the social and traditional, the physical and intellectual. Throughout our lives, the chase for the materialistic begins from the moment we wake up and until we sleep, from our beginning and until death. It is a race that exhausts our physical bodies and hollows our souls. Therefore, let us find a way to dance in harmony with the tides, retreating with the ebb into the deep sea of our souls, and returning with the flow onto the shore of our lives.

Ironically, one of the people in my life who comes to mind as an example of reflection and prayer is my mother-in-law in Sweida, Syria. Her fate did not grant her an academic education, and her old age has taken away many of her physical strengths, but it has rewarded her with the time and space to discover the pleasure of solitude. Today, as she sits in that same room where her six children once ate, studied, played, and slept, she spends her time reading the Druze books of al-Hikmeh, sailing into the hidden places of her soul, and returning each time with another bundle of gained wisdom, a solid sense of peace, and a smile that reflects an unperturbed serenity—all of which I long to attain.

I will end with the words of Gibran Khalil hoping that we can learn from his wisdom and from those like him, and that we allocate the necessary space to stand alone and find ourselves, to take deep breaths in the crowded lives we lead, to look at the stars in the sky, and to hear the heartbeats of our soul:

Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and the nights.
But your ears thirst for the sound of your heart's knowledge.
You would know in words that which you have always known in thought.

"المعنى الأعمق للكلمة العربية " غربة

2010-02-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

بقلم /غادة الأطرش جانبيه
المصدر: تعريب: سوزان سعد

Original English Article: The Deeper Meaning to the Arabic Word "Ghurba"
Written by: Ghada Alatrash Janbey
Translated by: Susan Saad,
"Al Binaa" Newspaper, Beirut, Lebanon
Monday 1 February 2010 Issue NO 224
http://beta.al-binaa.com/uploads/8120_3597_5120.pdf

لقد اكتشفت أن هناك كلمات لا يمكن ترجمتها الى لغة أخرى وهذا ما اتضح لي أثناء ترجمتي من العربية الى الانكليزية حين وجدت أن من جملة هذه الكلمات هي كلمة ”غربة” التي تشتق من كلمة ”غريب” والتي لم أجد لها مقابلا ”مناسبا” في اللغة الانكليزية ولا في القواميس العربية-الانكليزية التي تشرحها بجمل لعدم وجود مقابل اصطلاحي واحد لها مثل قاموس هانز فير الذي يفسر كلمة”غربة” على أنها الغياب عن أرض الوطن والانفصال عن البلد الأم والنفي والعيش أو التواجد في مكان بعيد عن الموطن والشتات. ولكن كلمة”غربة” تعني أكثر من ذلك بكثير وتحمل دلالات عاطفية زاخمة بالشوق والحنين والحزن بسبب الانسلاخ عن الوطن والتوق الى العودة للديار حيث كان القلب ينبض, لا بل يرقص على أنغام صوت الأم والأب وحكايات الجدة والدربكه والدبكة والبائع المتجول في الأحياء وسكينة تراب الوطن.

تجدر الاشارة هنا الى أني لا أقصد فقط حنين الشخص ”المغترب” الى الماضي بل أيضا الى ماضيه في بلاد بعيدة وثقافة أخرى غير تلك التي يعيش فيها وتحيط به وتظل تشعره بأنه غريب عنها ولعل عدم وجود مقابل لكلمة”غربة” في اللغة الانكليزية سببه عدم اضطرار الانسان الغربي وبالأخص الأمريكي والكندي الى الابتعاد عن أرضه الغنية التي يرحل عنها طوعا ومن أجل المتعة الشخصية مما يستبعد وجود فكرة الغربة والبؤس الذي يرافقها عن القاموس اللغوي والثقافي الأمريكي.

الا أنه يجب استثناء الجندي المحارب في بلد غير بلده من هذه التجربة الأمريكية الفريدة لأنه يفهم معنى الغربة ويشعر بقسوتها ويحس بلوعتها في قلبه الذي يتوق للعودة الى الوطن ويرتعب من فكرة العودة محملاً في تابوت. لقد اخترت قصيدتين لأفسر معنى الغربة من خلال الصور الشعرية وغالباً ما يستعمل المغترب الشعر والقائه كعلاج لتخفيف ألم غربته حيث تصبح القصائد جسور للتواصل مع الوطن البعيد ونوافذ للهروب من الواقع الموحش.

ان القصيدة الأولى التي اخترتها هي بقلم الشاعرة الفلسطينية فدوى طوقان ومن صميم تجربتها الأليمة وغربتها عن بلدها الأم الذي ما عاد وطنها:

يكفيني
يكفيني أن أموت على أرضها
وأدفن فيها وأذوب بين حبات ترابها
وأنمو كوردة ليقطفها طفل من أهلها
يكفيني أن أبقى في حضنها
وكحفنة غبار وكمشة عشب وباقة ورد في يدها.

أما القصيدة الثانية التي سأختم بمقاطع منها فهي للشاعر اللبناني يوسف عبد الصمد الذي هاجر الى نيويورك في العام 1969 وتميز بشعره الذي يجسد معنى الغربة بطريقة مؤثرة حين يتكلم عن الشوق الذي يعتريه تجاه أمه وبلده الأم.

ضيَّعتُ وجهكِ يا أُمِّي
أنا قدري ...
الضياعُ من صِغَري
وغربةٌ قلبها أقسى من الحجرِْ
مُذْ غابَ وجهكِ عنْ عيْنَيَّ عُتِّمتا
حزناً على صورةٍ من أجملِ الصوَرِْ
وخفتُ منها رياحِ الموتِ إنْ عصَفَتْ
تُسِيْرُني بين أشباحٍ من البشرِ
تكونُ ما بيننا الابعاد شاسعةً
وأنتِ أدنى إلى عَيْنَيَّ منْ نَظَري
ردِّي عليكِ قميصَ العيشِ وارتجعي
ما غابَ في زحمةِ الايَّامِ من عُمُري
أقولُ أمي...
فيشفى الجسمُ من سَقَمٍ
والروحُ من غربةٍ
والقلبُ منْ ضجَري
خذوني إلى قبرِها .. أنتحبْ قربَها .. وأغفُ على صدرها
الغفوةَ الرائعة
خذوني إلى”رأس متنِ” القرى قريتي
من فمِ الغربةِ الذئبةِ الجائعةْ
إلى الكادَ أن يُنْتَسى بيتِنا
خلفَ شُرفَتِهِ الواسعةْ
أنَمْ هادىءَ البالِ في الظلِّ
في ظلِّ عوسجةٍ فارعةْ
وأحزنْ على العمْرِ ضيَّعتُهُ
في المنى الخادعةْ
خذوني إلى ضيعتي الضائعةْ
إلى حضنِ أمي خذوني...
لطيفاً كظلِّ الغمامةِ ... كي لا أنفِّرَ أحلامَ أُمِّي
خذوني إلى قبرها..
أنتحبْ قربَها..
وأغفُو على صدرها الغفوةَ الرائعة
ضياعي ...! نهايتُهُ ضيعتي
خذوني إلى جنَّتي
ضيعتي ... جنَّتي الضائعة .

Rotary Awareness Month

2010-01-25T05:54:00.000-08:00

Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Cranbrook Daily Townsman
January 22, 2010
Cranbrook, BC, Canada

There are days when I find myself feeling guilty for the life I live in Canada—when I think of a child’s mother buried under the rubble while my home stands on a mountain, and when I think of a little boy who will never learn to read his ABCs while my children’s educational opportunities are as vast as our open horizon, and when I think of a little girl robbed of her childhood while my children dream of Santa’s visit next year, and when I think of the health my family enjoys, and of the uncontaminated and ample supply of water we drink, and of the lavish food we eat, and of the countless blessing we live in this part of our world.

It is important to realize that with our privileged fate comes a responsibility toward our fellow brothers and sisters in humanity that we must carry on our shoulders, but one that could never weigh as much the 5-liter-water buckets carried daily on a little girl’s shoulder in Zimbabwe as she fetches drinking water from miles away. Indeed, our humanity is direly lopsided, but perhaps one way to bring about balance is by reaching out to the millions whom are either hungry, thirsty, sick, uneducated, and, in many cases, orphaned.

Although much is yet to be accomplished, there are millions of people today trying to alleviate the pain of others, people who have become oxygen for those suffocating in our humanity. One of the many humanitarian organizations actively taking part in helping bring about change in our world is Rotary International. And, as it is Rotary Awareness Month, I am writing my article today to inform my readers about Rotary, not only for inspirational purposes, but also in the hope of motivating each one of us to follow their example and to reach out to a humanity that is desperately in need of our help.

Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide who are volunteers working locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio, all under the motto “Service Above Self.” Rotary’s 2010-2011 theme is “Building Communities -- Bridging Continents." Moreover, Rotary is a non-political, non-religious organization, open to all cultures, races, and creeds.
On an international level, here are only a few example of the ways in which Rotary is contributing in our world:

--Eradicating Polio: Rotary International has vowed to rid the world of polio. And, after 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease. Rotary’s goal is to raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The money will directly support immunization campaigns in developing countries where polio continues to infect and paralyze children. In 1988, polio infected nearly 1,000 children every day. In 2008, fewer than 2,000 cases were reported for the entire year.

--Fighting Hunger: A “Health, Hunger, and Humanity (3-H)” Grant is awarded to fund large long-term international self-help and grassroots development projects that use an integrative approach to address humanitarian needs. For example, in Romania, orphans and sick children have eggs, milk, and meat because of a 3-H grant awarded to benefit local farmers. The farmers are able to buy everything from animal feed to packaging materials, but there is one stipulation: They must donate a portion of their products to children’s hospitals, schools, and orphanages.

--Fighting Child Mortality: One of the many examples is that of the Rotary clubs of Western Province, Sri Lanka, and Tamil Nadu, India, who are helping to reduce child mortality by providing improved sanitation facilities for 15 families in a small community in Sri Lanka. With a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant, the clubs have built 14 toilets, helping to prevent diarrhea and other diseases related to poor sanitation. According to the World Health Organization, 1.8 million children die of diarrhea every year, making it the second leading cause of death among children under five. Proper sanitation can reduce the rate of child mortality in many communities by up to a third!

--Promoting Peace and Conflict Resolution: Rotary Peace Fellows are leaders working to promote national and international cooperation, peace, and conflict resolution. One example is that of Rotary Peace Fellow Kouame Remi Oussou who once watched civil war tear apart his homeland of Côte d'Ivoire and is now working for the United Nations Development Program in the Central African Republic, a country that weathered periodic internal fighting before a comprehensive peace accord took effect in 2007.

Furthermore, Rotarians have used grant money to bring sight to those blinded by cataracts, bought wheelchairs for those who could not use their legs, put a smile on the faces of children with cleft palates, gave clean water to those made sick by contaminated water, and opened up new worlds by helping people learn to read and contributing towards buildings of schools across our world.

Rotary is also very dedicated to the youth sector emphasizing leadership, citizenship, and personal growth. They have established a number of different programs to achieve their goals as in the example of Rotary Interact clubs in which at least two community service projects are completed, one of which is to further international understanding and goodwill. Today, almost 200,000 young people are involved in Interact. Rotary Youth Exchange is also another way in which student are encouraged to understand other cultures and mindsets while also taking on the role of being ambassadors of their own countries.

On a local level, our Cranbrook Rotary Club has taken part in many projects over the years. Some of their most recent activities include: Contributing toward the Shelter Box Project to deliver immediate relief to disaster areas (currently to Haiti), pledging $50,000 toward the Arches Project in Cranbrook as part of their 2010 community project, completing the bandstand in Cranbrook’s Rotary Park, sponsoring exchange students, holding an Annual Seniors’ Christmas dinner, and on a larger scale, Cranbrook Rotary took part (in collaboration with other partners) in a 3-year partnership in raising money for our East Kootney Regional Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit which resulted in approximately $69,000 allocated for the purchase of new ICU beds. Individual contributions are also collected from Cranbrook Rotarians for different projects including World Neighbours, the Market Children Program (which sponsors children in schools who can’t afford uniforms and books and helps contribute toward their education), the construction of a trade school in Honduras (in collaboration with other clubs), and most recently each Rotarian was asked to contribute personal funds toward building a school for girls in Afghanistan.

I will end by asking my readers to contemplate on a quote taken from the diary of an 8-year-old girl in Zimbabwe who has to fetch water for her family. She writes, “My teacher emphasises we always keep ourselves clean so I have to make sure I use my water for my personal hygiene. But on the other hand my mother is under pressure to feed the rest of the family and I as a girl child has to do all I can to assist her. Fortunately we do not have a toilet to flush but a latrine that I help to clean 2 times a week (during weekends). Given a choice I would like to use all my water for bathing.”

--If only the world can act upon the advise of Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Glenn Estess Sr.: "We must do what we can, where we are, with what we have.”

Merry Christmas, From Cranbrook

2009-12-24T14:29:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman
December 24, 2009
Cranbrook, BC, Canada

They asked me to tell them about Cranbrook
About a town that seems to be at the farthest end of the world for so many,
But a place that is very close to my heart,
A place that has become another homeland
For my ever-wandering immigrant soul.
***
So I sat to tell them about Cranbrook
And I spoke of the stillness of her majestic Rocky Mountains,
Whose colors change from white to pink during the days,
And from grey to dark green throughout the years;
I spoke of how those Rockies have been standing on their feet
Since the beginning of life,
And will remain loyally standing for the rest of time,
Like the Queen’s Royal Guards,
But charged with an order from above
To keep watch over Cranbrook’s people and territory.
***
I spoke of the clouds of rain and snow
Whose drops must be of the same chemical makeup
As the legendary “Fountain of Youth”
That has kept the millions of Christmas trees insight
Evergreen and eternal.
***
I spoke of the sledding and skiing on her winter’s fluffy white dress,
And of the flushed red cheeks of children
Who not only sing
But can also build
A Real “Frosty the Snowman!”
And I described that feeling of a mother’s heart
Intoxicated by the noise of her children’s laughter
Awakening the tranquil snow from its quiet slumber.
***
I told them about the experience of our six senses in Cranbrook;
How our eyes can see above the clouds on a winter day,
And watch a midnight sunset on a summer eve.
And how our noses can smell the aroma of the pine needles burning in chimneys,
How our tongues can taste the redness of the grapes in the wine,
How our hearts can feel a comforting warmth on a cold snowy day,
How our ears can hear the frozen silence of the snow,
And of how our minds can imagine the flamboyant colourful spring tulips hiding underneath the whiteness.
***
I explained to them how in Cranbrook
No one seems to be afraid,
Not even the deer defiantly staring in people’s eyes while grazing their gardens!
I spoke of how our doors are left unlocked at night,
How there is never a mention of war,
How in Cranbrook people celebrate differences.
For in fact,
Had it been a Canadian-born from Cranbrook
Speaking to you, instead of me,
She would have finished her story
By asking you to teach her
How to say “Merry Christmas”
In your native language;
And then she would have asked you to repeat the words
Again and again,
Until she had the courage to re-pronounce them,
And from then on,
Each Christmas she ran into you,
Instead of saying “Merry Christmas,”
She would greet you with a
“Eid Meelad Saeed,” or “Chag Sameach,”
Or “Geseënde Kersfees,” or “Joyeux Noël,”
Or “Feliz Navidad,” or “Frohe Weihnachten,”
Or “Kala Christougenna,” or “Buon Natale,”
Or “S'Rozhdestvóm Khristóvym,” or “Krisamasa kī śubhakāmanā'ēm̐”
Or “Shèngdànjié kuàilè,” or “Meri Kurisumasu,”
Or simply in whichever phrase your mother greeted you with when you were a child!

"Think of Others."

2009-11-19T01:29:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey

Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman

Cranbrook, BC, Canada

November 16, 2009

Our humanity is indeed satiated with bleak ironies, for, as our voices echoed songs of peace and slogans of freedom last week in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the loud construction of another wall, 8 meters high, takes place on Palestinian land.

This wall is referred to by Israelis as the “separation fence,” “security fence,” or “anti-terrorist fence.” Palestinians refer to the wall as the “Racial Segregation Wall” or “Apartheid Wall;” others describe it as “the wall of torture,” and “the wall of humiliation.” And, to avert political connotations, BBC journalists use “generic terms,” as per their style guide, referring to the wall as the “barrier,” “separation barrier,” or “West-Bank Barrier.” Within the context of this article, I will abide by the code of the International Court of Justice and refer to it as the “Wall.”

However, if we can tunnel a bit deeper, past the trivial discrepancies of a name, we will come face to face with the concreteness of a wall! There is yet another dismal and most poignant reality of a separation in our humanity that is being allowed to take place by the construction of this wall. Today, in our 21st Century-Obama-humanity, a wall is being erected, one that is up to 8-meters-high in places, with barbed wire and sophisticated surveillance equipment and watchtowers, and is anticipated to be more than 750Km-long by the time it is completed!

What is most exasperating is that five years ago, the International Court of Justice ruled that the Wall is “contrary to international law,” and that Israel should cease construction, dismantle the wall, and pay reparations to affected Palestinians. But today the Wall stands over 400Km-long, double its length at the time of the court ruling.

It is reported by the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel that upon completion of the construction, the Wall would prevent over 130,000 Palestinian children from being immunized, and deny more than 100,000 pregnant women (out of which 17,640 are high risk pregnancies) access to healthcare in Israel. In addition, almost a third of West Bank villages will suffer from lack of access to healthcare, and some may lose complete access to emergency care at night. In towns near Jerusalem, for example, average time for an ambulance to travel to the nearest hospital has increased from 10 minutes to over 110 minutes.

Furthermore, in a 2005 report, the United Nations stated,
“...it is difficult to overstate the humanitarian impact of the Barrier. The route inside the West Bank severs communities, people’s access to services, livelihoods and religious and cultural amenities. In addition, plans for the Barrier’s exact route and crossing points through it are often not fully revealed until days before construction commences. This has led to considerable anxiety amongst Palestinians about how their future lives will be impacted...The land between the Barrier and the Green Line constitutes some of the most fertile in the West Bank. It is currently the home for 49,400 West Bank Palestinians living in 38 villages and towns.”

Moreover, the Wall has separated many farmers from their lands, consequently obliterating the only source of income they once had. Palestinians are also cut off from any job opportunities on the other side of the Wall, which leaves many of them with no income to support their families.
And, a report by Stop the Wall, a Palestinian coalition of NGOs opposed to the wall, said that in 2007 alone, Israel demolished more than 160 houses and appropriated more than 3sq km of land in the Palestinian West Bank in its construction of the Wall.

Here, I ask of you, my readers, to come to a halt and for one moment try to imagine yourselves in the place of a Palestinian. Try to imagine your homes bulldozed coldheartedly, your beloved homes that once housed your memories and past. Try to envision your treasured trees (olives, lemons, apples, oranges, figs, and on and on), ones that were planted one by one and quenched with the sweat and pride of generations, pitilessly uprooted and destroyed—Try to see in your minds’ eyes the shattered dreams of a Palestinian!

I truly believe that our minds here in peaceful British Columbia, Canada, cannot fathom such a scenario—not when our trees and forests are mainly threatened by climate change or pine beetles instead of bulldozers and heartless humans, and when our homes are protected and warranted by a stack of legal papers, titles, permits, etc. In this part of the world, there exists a definition for human rights that is simply not applied in other places!

Israeli politicians claim that the Wall is being built in order to protect Israelis from “terrorist” activities. But regardless of political argument, one should ask: Would the division of peoples with yet another “Apartheid Wall” contribute to a peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis?

The Berlin wall, and what remains of it in the memory of the world, was erected on our TV screens this week reminding millions of viewers of the will to destroy a concrete barrier to freedom. But in Palestine, in a country forgotten and erased off the world’s conventional map, only tens of Palestinians and foreign activists took part in demonstrations against an 8-meter-high concrete wall—ones whose screams and pleas for justice don’t always make it to our TV screens as they are often dismissed by a media satiated with ironies and paradoxes.

I will end this article with an excerpt from a poem by the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, asking our humanity to “think of others.” The Berlin wall is history, but the “West Bank Barrier” is a present stark Palestinian reality. Hence, let us remember the Palestinians in the midst of our toasts and celebrations. And, let us become active participants in the fall of another wall, not for the sake of Palestinians only, but also for the sake of Israelis who are as trapped in the vicious cycle of hatred created by the hands of those who are dividing and separating our humanity.

From Mahmoud Darwish's poem “Think of Others”
(My translation)

As you prepare your breakfast, think of others.
Don’t forget the food for the doves.
And, as you conduct your wars, think of others.
Don’t forget those who seek peace.
And, as you pay your water bill think of others,
Think of those who only have clouds to drink from.
And, as you return home, to your own home, think of others
Don’t forget the people of the tents.
And, as you sleep and count the planets, think of others,
For some have no room to sleep.
And, as you liberate yourself with metaphors, think of others,
Of those who have lost their right to speech.
And, as you think of the distant others, think of yourself,
And say, “I wish I were a candle in the darkness.”

Western and Middle Eastern Families: Independence at 18 vs. Eternal Dependence

2009-10-23T12:17:00.001-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman Newspaper
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
October 23, 2009

As a teenager growing up in the United States of America, I envied every American for the freedom that was bestowed upon them as they celebrated their 18th birthday! Their natural course in life would gradually grant them freedom—their independence from their parents and home. Their 18th birthday was awaited with full anticipation, even by their parents who seemed to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment as their children ascended onto independence and self-governance.

But that wasn’t the case for a Middle-Eastern Arab female teenager raised in the United States of America. Leaving home was simply unheard off—my father thought it absurd to let his only daughter off to a distant university on her own at the vulnerable age of eighteen, especially given that our hometown (Abilene, Texas) provided grounds to three universities. When I proposed (or to be more truthful, begged) that he would give consideration to the idea of living at a dormitory as in the case for the overwhelming majority of American students, my father was sadly disappointed with my “Westernized” way of thinking, and furthermore, he seized the opportunity to thoroughly re-lecture me on the countless positive outcomes to conforming with our Arab traditions and practices.

You see, an Arab will remain living in his parents’ home until marriage, even if it is only at forty years that he/she meets his/her destined life-partner. One factor that could interrupt a home-residency is the absence of a university in the hometown; however, once education is accomplished, and until the date of the jolly wedding occasion, young men and women will unquestionably return to live with their parents after achieving their academic goals. Another factor that may force a son/daughter to leave their home is an offer of employment far-off from their hometown and not within driving distance.

However, what is most beautiful about this Middle Eastern way of life is that it is most-welcomed by parents and children alike—a way of life in which a family unit is weaved with intense passion and affections. Even the architectural structure of Middle Eastern homes, especially in the smaller town and villages, depicts this reality as the roofs of Syrian homes are left flat with a few columns to support awaiting homes of generations to come. These homes-to-be are to become the homes of the children whom are traditionally expected to live on a new 2nd floor, and sometimes 3rd and 4th, depending on the number of children in the house.

Today, as a mother of three, my heart longs to instil the Arab meaning of a family unit into the minds of my children. My daughter is only six years away from turning eighteen and O how I wish I could keep her in my embrace until she turns forty!

Some may argue in favour of the Western way of life where autonomy and self-reliance are engendered by early independence, and rightfully so. However, the counterpart to the Western approach happens to be a bond with parents that, most importantly, leads to a tireless commitment on the children’s part and until their parents’ very last breath of life.
In our Arab culture, it is rare to find nursing homes, as children intuitively assume the responsibility of taking care of their elderly parents. It is unprecedented to place a father or a mother in a nursing home, as siblings compete to recruit the blessed presence of their parents as they become old and fragile. It is a commitment that is dutifully fulfilled as a form of reciprocation and gratitude for the many years of love and heartache that the parents endured on their part.

My brother-in-law happens to be one of the many who has taken on the honour, and moreover, the pleasure in serving his two dependant elderly parents. At 42 years-old, my brother-in-law continues to live in the same building in which he was raised as a child. He resides on the second floor, along with his wife and children, one story below his parents’ apartment. Every morning, before departing to his workplace, my brother-in-law pays a visit to his mother and father inquiring about their health and needs. His mother, awake since 5:00 a.m., patiently awaits her son’s 8:00 a.m. visit with a detailed list of requests including groceries, errands, etc. She also prepares her diabetes kit so that he can measure her blood sugar, a rite that must take place before she can have her morning breakfast! I have witnessed this sacred ritual many times—upon his entrance, my brother-in-law is welcomed with a kiss and a smile of relief that softens the deep wrinkles on his mother’s face, and once the routine is completed, her voice follows him out of the door asking God to keep watch over her son and thanking Him for blessing her with such a son!

Moreover, this sense of commitment is often, if not always, carried on by Arab immigrants living in the West as it remains taboo in our culture to place our parents in a nursing home. My brother, a medical student and a medical resident in the U.S. at the time, along with my mother, cared for my father who was bed-ridden for a number of years. Nothing in life, medical school or otherwise, would have deterred my brother, who was raised in the United States and married to an American, from making this honourable choice carried forward by our Syrian heritage.

Today, as I reflect on the make-up of my heart, I feel my father’s words engraved on its walls, I hear them vibrating in my pulse, uttered in my voice, and re-lectured to my children ... wishing for my destiny to be like his—cradled, at my last breath of life, in the arms of my children.

A Sweida Wedding

2009-10-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

Photos: Wedding of Mamdouh Al Atrash and Linda Saraya

Sweida, Syria, 2007

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman Newspaper
October 5, 2009
Cranbrook, BC, Canada

Today’s globalization has certainly turned our world into a much more integrated place; however, the fact is that our world nonetheless remains to be a mosaic of unique, individually rooted cultures and traditions that are as different from one another as East is from West!

One of those traditions I have chosen to write about today is a Syrian wedding. It is important to note that even within Syria, wedding ceremonies and rituals differ from one town to another, and my article will specifically address the weddings of my hometown, Sweida, located in Southern Syria.

Today, tens of thousands of the people of Sweida happen to be immigrants dispersed throughout the world, many of whom journey back to visit their families and friends during the summers. In turn, the months of June, July and August become precious moments of togetherness and celebrations. And, as members of the families are united, wedding celebrations are scheduled throughout the summers where it certainly is not an overstatement to say that at least two or three weddings take place on a daily basis during that time of the year in Sweida!

However, the wedding ceremony in itself is only a final step to many previous steps that first have to take place! In this article, I will escort my readers on a journey of the itemized steps to be followed in order for a Sweida wedding to take place, just in case one were to find him/herself in such a position one day!

In order to document the intricately elaborate details (ones that are indeed effortlessly recited by all of the city’s young and old), and because of the fact that such complex details have been washed away by the 20+ years I have spent living in the uncomplicated Western dating-system, I had to resort to my college students with whom I spent this past summer in Syria and asked them to regurgitate, step by step, the protocols of a Sweida wedding, from A to Z and in an accurate, itemized order.

Their replies were uniform with the exception of some insignificant minor details that would not play a negative part in the betrothal process. They began by stating that if a young man and woman happen to already know one another through family, school, etc., then the first step is automatically pulled off, and, luckily uncomplicated. However, as is often the case, if the prospective groom happens to be an immigrant, things become a bit more complicated. A search for a potential bride has to be initiated. The groom-to-be will have to inquire about the available females through the grapevine of friends and acquaintances. Once a name (or a few) are determined, then the groom-to-be’s parents, along with the groom, visit the home of the prospective bride. If all goes well, and a positive impression is established on both sides, then it becomes the turn of the family of the bride to inquire about the young man’s background, in addition to the history of his family, their wealth, their status, etc. Once both parties are in general consensus, then the green light goes on and all parties are able to proceed with the many following steps that must be automatically followed as a mandate of cultural etiquette.

First, the relatives of the groom’s family will have to agree upon a date in which they are to pay a formal visit to the prospective bride’s family and “officially” ask for her hand. Next, the prospective bride and groom are given a period of time to get to know one another that is soon after followed with an engagement celebration to officialise the rapport of the couple. Once the couple have had sufficient time to decide on one another as life-partners (a period ranging from two months to as many needed years), then a ceremony called “Kaddeh” will take place to announce that “all parties are in final agreement.” At this ceremony both sides of the families are involved (including immediate family and relatives), where one religious man from the family of the groom and another from the family of the bride gather amongst other religious men, and a religious contract is formed and signed between the two parties. The court procedures follow and a marriage certificate is issued in the presence of the legal guardians of the bride and the groom.

Prior to the big wedding day, as in the case of a Western bridal shower and bachelor’s party, a dinner for the bride and a groom’s shower are held. Then comes the procedures of the wedding day! On that day, the groom’s family visits the bride’s home and they are welcomed with women’s ululations and traditional songs that have been passed down several generations. After many tears have been shed, the bride is accompanied by her brother out of her home as her family bids her farewell with more ululations and songs. The groom then takes her into his wedding car and they head-off to the wedding hall while they are followed by a trail of cars from both sides of the families vibrantly honking in unison in the streets of Sweida!

Once all have arrived to the wedding hall (a large stadium built specifically for wedding celebrations), family members and relatives stand next to one another to greet and shake the hands of all guests invited. It is important not to forget to mention that the people invited are not only the friends of the family, but also hundreds and hundreds of acquaintances, for, as the saying goes “the more, the merrier!” As the groom accompanies his bride to the stage, all guests stand in a show of respect. After seating his bride, the groom, along with his father, circle the stadium waving their hands in show of gratitude for those present. A dessert, like a baklava, is then handed out to each guest in the room. In less than 30 minutes, the process is completed, and the party is moved to smaller hall, where only close friends and relatives join together in a festive evening of music and dance that lasts until the early hours of the morning—which brings me to “The End” of the journey!

So my dear readers, whether one belongs to the West or the Other, there always seems to be advantages to either-- The West is certainly far less complicated for all involved and is much more flexible; however, in Other cultures, regardless of all the intricacies and complexities, life can be quite entertaining, but most importantly, one has to think quite seriously about re-marrying as it certainly is not a private nor a simple matter by any meaning of the word! At the end of the day, may all married couples, regardless of cultural affiliation, find happiness and bliss!

Voices From Syria

2009-08-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash
Published in: The Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
August 6, 2009

Every summer, while visiting my home country of Syria, I teach a class titled “English Conversation” to local Syrian university students. The class meetings last for an hour and a half, and they consist of dialogue and conversation covering random topics of interest, in addition to whatever marginal conversations that arise as a result of our main discussion. What drives me to teach this group of devoted young Syrian men and women is their yearning and intense passion for learning a language that has become the most important tool of communication, whether academically, professionally, or on an entertainment level.

During one of our class meetings last week, I asked my students to write a paragraph or two dedicated to you, my Western readers, with any thoughts of their choice. I have compiled their replies into this article and I will leave you with their words (I have only corrected their grammar):

“Although we live in a region that suffers from wars, we would like for the West to know that those of us who live in this part of the world also love life, and more importantly, we love peace. We abhor terrorists, and we are appalled by Osama Bin Laden and his followers. "
“We are educated and literate people. We want to communicate with you, and in turn, we are learning your language, we watch your movies and news, and we read your newspapers and magazines. We have a passion for learning everything about you and about your privileged life in the West. And we hope that you will do the same and try to learn about us and about our country; however, what is most important is that you learn about Syria form a Syrian and not from those who have repeatedly misrepresented us through Western media. Perhaps the best method is by coming and visiting us in a safe and welcoming country. You are most welcome.”
“If I could tell the Western people something about my country, I would tell them about the solid relationships that exist within our community and hold our people together. For example, specifically in my village of Sweida in Southern Syria, if someone were building a house, those in the neighbourhood would most certainly help carry stones and bring water to him. Everyone helps one another and all work hand in hand. Our circumstances, along with our cultural principles, have brought us together to work with one another as a community.”
“I would like to tell Canadians that we are people who are educated and love to learn. However, our horizons are not as vast as yours.”
“I want to tell the Western audience that not all of us who live in the Middle East are fanatic religious zealots—it seems like this is our present reputation! But please do understand that this is far from the truth. For example, a Palestinian’s struggle is not based on religious principles, but on basic human rights—on the obligation to defend a land, a home, and in many instances, one’s own child’s life.
“We might be known in the Moslem world for Osama Bin Laden, but I would like to remind the West of the fact that it was also a Moslem Arab, Nagib Mahfouz, of Egyptian descent, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1988.”
“We are a people that come from an ancient civilization and a rich history. In my city, Sweida, the ruins of the Roman Empire still stand and Roman columns and engravings are preserved in modern homes. Many of the inhabitants of our city have built their houses in areas where Roman homes once stood, and these homes contain original walls, arches, columns, and imprints as part of their architectural make-up.”
"I would like to tell the Western people that our country celebrates religious diversity. In the streets of Damascus, one can hear church bells ringing harmoniously with the calling to prayer from a mosque across the street.”
“I would like to tell a Canadian that although there are many volatile regions in the Middle East, there still exists many countries that are very safe to visit such as Syria, Jordan, Lebanon amongst many others. We do not lock our doors at night, and our little brothers and sisters play freely in the streets!”
“I would like to tell a Canadian that I would love to have the opportunity to visit their country one day—what we hear of Canada is its natural beauty, its tolerant people, its advanced facilities, and its open-minded citizens who are passionate about knowing what lies beyond their borders.”
"I would like to tell a Canadian: “ ’Ahlan wa Sahlan’ which is the Arabic for ‘You are most Welcome.’ ”

Popular Syrian Folk Proverbs

2009-07-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
July 24, 2009

My dear readers,

As promised, I am writing to you from my home country, Syria, hoping to deliver a glimpse of a culture and traditions that are different from those practiced in the West.

One of the practices that repeatedly stands out each time I listen to the local discourse is that of the employment of folk proverbs into an ordinary conversation. Whether old or young, people seem to naturally insert popular proverbs into their narrative to convey their message. These proverbs are phrases and statements that have been passed down the years, and furthermore, they make up an elaborate allegorical fabric weaved with collective wisdom and shared experiences. Indeed, it is not an overstatement to say that one seldom sits in a gathering without hearing the mention of at least one or two proverbs.

I have translated only a handful of the many common Syrian proverbs that are often exchanged by people of all ages. It is important to note that these proverbs are not only repeated in Syria, but also in other Arab and neighbouring countries.

Of these proverbs are the following (I have elaborated on the ones that I thought may be unclear to the readers):

If talking were of silver, then silence is of gold.
If you were a physician, then cure yourself (Refers to those who do not do as they preach.)
A lower ground is quenched from all directions (Speaks of the advantage of being humble and, perhaps, simple.)
Ask an experienced man instead of a physician (Speaks of the importance of experience.)
A mountain can never meet another mountain, but two humans can always find a way to meet.
Need is the mother of invention.
Love is blind.
The rope of lies is short.
A few good deeds push away many misfortunes.
Lock your door instead of blaming your neighbour.
Eating, grazing, and little skill (Refers to laziness.)
May God never force a man to sit in his house (Refers to the sickness or unemployment of a man.)
Although a thousand mothers may cry, my mother should never cry.
He whose house is made of glass should not throw stones at the houses of others (Refers to a person who criticizes the flaws of others despite the fact that he has many flaws.)
Even though one can become a baker, why burn his/her hands? (Refers to the need to value the skills of others instead of tackling too many skills.)
The things that have not been worked for by the hands do not find mercy from the hearts. (Refers to those who do not value the money that is a product of the hard work of others.)
You should fear the one who does not fear God.
He who does not drink from his own hands cannot be quenched (Speaks of the fulfillment that comes with self-independence.)
If your beloved were of honey, do not lick all of him/her.
One hand does not clap on its own (Refers to the importance of group effort.)
September’s tail is wet (Speaks of the fact that even though the month of September may be hot in its beginning, it will most likely end in rain.)
They traded their gazelles for monkeys (Refers to the greedy who let go of their blessing wanting more but end up with less.)
One cannot hold two watermelons with one hand (Addresses the need to take one thing at a time.)
Keep distance between me and my sister, and reap both of our fruits (This specifically refers to the need for distance when planting two trees; in the same manner, this proverb can be employed to speak of the need of keeping distance between one another.)
Tomorrow the snow will melt and the plains will emerge.
You should never throw stones into the well from which you once drank (You should always be grateful for those who have once helped you.)
He choked with his own saliva (Refers to a person whose own actions caused him/her harm.)
A borrowed robe does not keep one warm, and even if it does, it will not last (Refers to the importance of self-independence.)
If a camel were to see his own hump, his neck would break (Refers to those who cannot see their own flaws.)
A snake does not die of its own poison.
Disobey and you will be known.
Hide your glowing penny for your gloomy days (Advises against being a spendthrift.)
Take their secrets from their young ones (Refers to the fact that what is said from a child’s mouth is that which represents the truth.)
The best of matters is in its middle (Refers to the importance of moderation.)
Not every time will the jar remain unharmed (Refers to taking heed and not committing the same mistake twice.)
Every monkey is a gazelle in his mother’s eyes (Speaks of the bias of a mother toward her children.)
The judge of children hung himself (Advises to allow children to work out their own conflicts with one another without the involvement of their parents.)
They asked the rooster to shout and he said, “There is a time for everything.”
One bird in the hand is better than ten on a tree.

Off to Damascus for the Summer...

2009-07-03T05:46:00.000-07:00

A neighborhood in Damascus, Syria

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey

Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman

July 3, 2009

Cranbrook, BC, Canada

My dear readers,

I will be travelling next week, along with my three children, to my home country, Syria—to a land that, as I have once described to you, smells of Jasmine; to a place that was founded back in the 3rd millennium B.C., and whose capital, Damascus, remains the oldest inhabited capital in the world; to a country that, according to USESCO World Heritage Center, "represent[s] a masterpiece of human creative genius;" to the nation that French archaeologist and historian Andre Parrot were referring to when they said, “Every cultured man belongs to two nations: his own and Syria.”

During my stay there, I will write to you covering topics that I believe may be of your interest, and I will send them to our newspaper so that I can share with you a taste of our Middle Eastern culture, one that is overflowing with history and charm.

Meanwhile, I have translated for you excerpts from one of my favourite poems on Damascus, one that was written by the Syrian poet and national icon, the late Nizar Qabbaini. Qabbani is famous throughout the Arab world and beyond for both his erotic love poetry and his defiant political ones. And, I bid you farewell with his words.

“Ablution with Rose Water and Jasmines”
By: Nizar Qabbani

My voice outbursts, this time, from Damascus.

It erupts from the house of my mother and father.

In Sham[i], the geography of my body changes.

My blood cells become green.

My alphabet becomes green.

In Sham, a new mouth sprouts for my mouth,

And a new voice sprouts from my voice,

And my fingers become a tribe of fingers.

... I return to Damascus.

... I return after sixty years

... I return to the womb in which I was formed,

And to the first woman who taught meThe geography of love . . .

And the geography of women.

... I enter the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque...

And I pluck beautiful flowers from the discourse of God.

And I hear with my eyes the voice of the mosaics

And the music of agate prayer beads.

A state of revelation and bliss overtakes me,

So I climb the steps of the first minaret that I encounter,

And I call out:

"Come to the jasmine,"

"Come to the jasmine." [ii]

...I submerge myself in the Buzurriya Souq,[iii]

Delving into the clouds of spices and of cloves,

And of cinnamon,

And of anise,

And of rose water,

Again and again....

And I forget, while in Souq al-‘Attarine,[iv]

All of what was manufactured by Nina Ricci, And Coco Chanel.

What has Damascus done to me?

How can it transform my education and my aesthetic taste?

For the ringing of cups of liquorice

Has made me forget

The piano concerto of Rachmaninoff

. . .O how the gardens of Sham transform me,

Into becoming the first conductor in the world

Who leads an orchestra

Of willow trees!!

. . . I remember the Damascene houses

With their copper doorknobs,

And their ceilings embroidered with glazed tiles,

And their interior courtyards,

That resemble the descriptions of heaven . . .
... The Damascene houseIs beyond architectural text.

The architecture of our homes

Is based on an emotional foundation,

For every house leans . . .

on the hip of another,

And every balcony

Extends its hand to another facing it.

Damascene houses are enamoured houses

That exchange visits

Secretly, at night...

... When I was a diplomat in BritainThirty years ago,

My mother would send me letters with the arrival of Spring.

Inside each letterWas a bundle of tarragon.

When the English suspected my letters,

They took them to the laboratory,

And examined them under laser rays,

And turned them over to Scotland Yard,

And to explosives experts.

But as they became weary of me . . . and of my tarragon,

They asked, “Tell us, by God!

What is the name of this magical herb that has dizzied us?

Is it a talisman?

Or is it medicine?

Or is it a secret code?

What is it called in English?”

I said to them: “It's difficult for me to explain . . .

For tarragon is a language that only the gardens of Sham speak.

It is our sacred herb.

Our perfumed eloquence;

And if your great poet Shakespeare had known of tarragon,

His plays would have been better.

In short . . .My mother is a kind woman Who loves me very much . . .

And whenever she misses me,

She sends me a bouquet of tarragon.

Because for her, tarragon is the emotional equivalent

To the word: 'my beloved,'

Or for the word ‘my darling.’ ”

And as the English did not understand one word of my poetic argument,

They gave me back my tarragon and closed the investigation.

________________________________________
[i] “Sham” is another name for Damascus. Historically it referred to the Levant or Greater Syria. [ii] In Islam, the daily calls to prayer from mosque minarets commence with the announcement: “Come to Prayer, Come to Prayer.”
[iii] A famous spice market in Damascus.
[iv] A famous perfume market in Damascus.

Mazars: The Psychology of the Shrine

2009-06-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

JOHN THE BAPTIST'S TOMB, OMAYAAD MOSQUE, DAMASCUS, SYRIA

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey

Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman

June 26, 2009

Cranbrook, BC, Canada

Countless numbers of people in third world societies devotedly pay visits to what is known in Arabic as Mazārs, better known in English as shrines or sanctuaries. These places are scattered all over those countries—in villages, in neighbourhoods, and in mosques and churches alike. The Mazars usually contain what is believed to be a tomb of a prophet, a holy man, or a saint at whose hands supernatural occurrences took place.

In my article today, I am writing to provide my readers with a glimpse of a practice that is, unlike in the West, common and deemed life changing; it represents a phenomenon that has a powerful influence on the minds of its people.

The word Mazār in Arabic means a tomb or a mausoleum. The word is derived from the Arabic verb “Zāra”: to visit—hence its correlation with the act of visiting a shrine.

The notion of Mazars is one that has been studied in depth by many philosophers and psychologists, and it has a complicated explanation of its existence. Dr. Mustafa Hijazi, a Doctor in Psychology from the University of Lyon, France, has authored numerous books on this topic, one of which is his Social Retardation: The Psychology of the Oppressed Man. He explains that those who are oppressed, specifically in terms of third world citizens living in a state of oppression, powerlessness and hopelessness, simply have to find a way to cope with their reality, and moreover, take some form of control of their circumstances. And when their active participation does not yield solutions as it would in first world societies where the opportunities to make choices and take control of one’s own life and destiny are ample, then the oppressed resort to mythical and supernatural powers, hoping for change in their miserable lives, over which they have no control.

It is quite astonishing to witness how such practices have the power to manipulate the human mind and to soothe its fears of the miserable present and the unknown future. These practices seem to successfully create a false sense of security and hope for the oppressed. Many of these practices take on a religious undertone which grounds people’s beliefs in such rituals. At the same time, these beliefs create a dependency that hinders any objective analysis or reason. And, on a larger scale, this consequently impedes progress and thwarts change in third world societies.

It is astounding from a Western point-of-view to witness how people of all ages and of different religious backgrounds flock to visit the Mazars. It truly is quite an experience to be in the midst of these people, united under one roof, next to a tomb, seeking the blessings and goodness from the spirit that is believed to exist in that place, and praying, pleading, and hoping—one asking to be cured from infertility, another from migraines or cancer, a mother praying that her children return safely from their migration, a wife praying for her marital problems to be worked out, a grandmother asking for her children and grandchildren to be protected from the evil spirits and the envious eyes, and on and on.

Hence, the Mazar becomes a place where people can shed their fears and worries, and helplessly surrender to their circumstance and destiny. It becomes a place of refuge that extends hope and change, a place where prayers and pleas are directed to the tomb of a dead man.

One of the famous shrines in Damascus, Syria is that of John the Baptist in the Omayyad Mosque in Damascus. It is believed that shrine contains the head of John the Baptist, a man honoured as a prophet by Muslims and Christians alike. The head was supposedly found during the excavations while preparing for the building of the mosque.

I paid a visit to this Mazar last summer in the Umayyad mosque that is located in the heart of the Damascus. As one enters this splendid mosque, s/he is required to take off her/his shoes. If the visitor happens to be a female whose hair is uncovered, as in my case, the door keeper provides her with a hooded garment that she is to wear before walking on the sacred grounds of the mosque. Inside the mosque, Persian rugs are stretched on its floors with vast, open areas where people can meditate and pray. And, next to the shrine of John the Baptist, people are gathered, some sitting on the floor next to the shrine in the silence of their prayers, and others circling the shrine, touching its walls, and kissing its glass windows and stones.

In addition to the physical visitation, many extend some kind of a pledge or offering towards what is being asked for, or that which has already been granted, whether a monetary amount or some form of a physical act, like walking the streets of Damascus barefoot to be forgiven of a sin committed, or donating an amount of money to the poor if a grandbaby were to be born healthy.

Perhaps the only comparable phenomenon in the West that I have surprisingly come across is the kind of religious activities that are often broadcasted on T.V., where a religious figure stands on the stage claiming that he has the power to cure the sick (the paralyzed, the blind, or the terminally ill), or that he possess a “holy oil” that will help sell a house once its walls are brushed with the oil.

However, in general, the phenomenon of Mazars is absent from Western societies and thinking. And, its absence is in itself a powerful proclamation of the freedom of the mind verses its oppression, a freedom granted from living in a place that is abundant with the opportunities to make choices and to take charge of one’s own life, hence eliminating the need to visit a Mazar.

Khaled's Art and Vision

2009-06-15T05:27:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey

Published in: The Cranbrook Daily Townsman

June 12, 2009

Cranbrook, BC, 2009

My article today will tell a story of a 17-year-old boy born with an exceptional ability to draw. His name is Khaled Al Najjad, born to a Cuban mother and a Syrian father, and currently lives in Sweida, a town located in southern Syria. Sweida is my travel destination every summer—it is the place where my in-laws currently live and the place where my father once lived.

Four years ago, during one of my visits to Sweida, I stumbled upon Khaled’s art work. When I first met Khaled, he was only thirteen years-old. I can vividly recall the first time he came as a little boy with his father, a friend of my husband, to a social gathering on a late summer evening. As they entered, Khaled’s father was carrying a number of Khaled’s drawings and paintings to show off his son’s extraordinary talent to friends and family. While everyone was astonished to see what was created by this child’s little hands, Khaled stood shyly behind the many paintings, ones that were almost as tall as he was, feeling uncomfortable with the cascade of attention showered upon him.

Khaled is now 17 years-old, and until today, he has never received any professional training in art. He, like the rest of the children his age, is attending the local high school in Sweida and has won a number of art contests throughout his years in school. While a sixth grade student, he was recognized as the “Best Artist in Syria” within his age category. Since then, he was sent on a scholarly visit to an art exhibition in Egypt for ten days where he was acknowledged as the “Best Artist” in a contest that included different artists from ten other Arab countries. He also appeared on Syrian national television on several occasions and received recognition from the President of Syria and from the First Lady in Egypt.

But that is as far as his talent has gone. This past summer, when I visited this gifted young artist to take delight in his latest drawings, I had to sit and wait for him to pull his most recent and stunning pieces from underneath his bed! I realized at that moment that the extent of this young man’s horizon was utterly his bed! I was disheartened to see how some of the colors were beginning to fade away as the drawings were often abandoned, hopelessly, under the discoloring rays of the hot Sweida sun. It was then that I decided to bring Khaled’s art with me to Canada—to a place where art is celebrated and savored, to a place where Khaled’s horizon is as endless as the skies.

I rolled nineteen of Khaled’s art pieces into tubes and stuffed them into my luggage, praying the entire trip that my luggage would not be damaged or lost along the way! Upon return, I was advised by a friend to seek a professional opinion and, in turn, took the art pieces to Vancouver’s Emily Carr University of Art and Design for a “National Portfolio Day,” where professors from 22 art institutes from the U.S. and Canada gathered to advise and recruit the countless number of artists who stood in line anxiously awaiting to learn of their fate. At first, I felt my apprehension escalating as my friend and I (neither of us artists) stood amidst the long lines of visibly talented young artists. However, our fears were gradually calmed as we heard the opinions of university professors from both Calgary and Montreal (the only two that we were able to meet with) applauding Khaled’s talent and foreseeing a promising future as an artist for this young man.

Since then I have decided to help make a difference in this young man’s life by trying to bring him to Canada, a country with an endless horizon of opportunities and a place where dreams can be made real. A few weeks ago, I hosted a small art exhibit for Khaled and sold nine of his paintings to generous and supportive members of our Cranbrook community. His reaction was: “I cannot believe that my art is hanging on the walls of Canadian homes!” Gradually, I hope to help bring Khaled to an art institute in Canada so that he has the opportunity to become a learned and celebrated artist.

I have chosen two of the paintings that sold in the exhibit to share with my readers today. The reason for specifically selecting these two paintings is because of the rich discussion and controversy they triggered. The meaning given by Khaled about the two select art pieces was difficult to digest by the hearts of Canadians. In fact, as was the case with the first painting, it only sold after Khaled’s interpretation was literally turned face-down, allowing for a new interpretation from a Western perspective to emerge.

In Khaled’s words, the first painting depicts “the story of a child murdered in his mother’s lap while breastfeeding during war.” He explains, “With immense pain, the mother embraces her child in utmost sadness, expressing her remorse and grief. Her broken legs symbolize her broken spirit after the death of her child, and the black flowers surrounding her stand as representation of the sorrow she feels.”

However, this explanation was not well-received on this side of the globe. This specific painting, but with a new interpretation, is waiting to be presented as a Father’s day gift to Dr. Bob Cutler of Cranbrook. Jill, Dr. Cutler’s wife, explains that she was magnetically pulled toward this painting as she entered the art exhibit. However, as she read Khaled’s explanation, she had to step back and leave the room for a few moments. She felt an intense emotional struggle—the artist’s interpretation verses her own. What her eyes saw in the painting was a mother’s embrace, the embrace she felt as a mother toward her child. She saw beauty instead of gloom, love instead sadness, celebration instead of grief. It stood as a symbol of the intense love she possessed for one of her children before she lost him.

Khaled was only thirteen when he drew the second painting with charcoal and named it “The Orphaned Child.” Khaled explains that this painting represents, “homelessness, sadness, and misfortune. The orphaned little girl had lost both of her parents and her only companion was the black crow. A passerby decided to charitably present her with a pair of beautiful new shoes. But, as they were the first pair of shoes she had ever owned, she didn’t know how to wear them correctly on her little feet!”

The “Orphaned Child” is now in the home of Joel and Anita Savage of Cranbrook. They explain, “ ‘The Orphaned Child’ touched us instantly. We saw a beautiful face despite its sadness. Indeed, the sad face and the black crow clearly represent the misery and misfortune in the life of this little girl. However her small shoes, put on backwards, happen to be the brightest colored area at the bottom of the drawing. The shoes spoke to us of hope in its purest form, a hope that comes from a child. The hope and innocence that children bring to our world is what we feel is represented in this drawing, and in our eyes, it is the dominant theme in this portrait.”

I hope that this is the beginning of Khaled’s beginning—I pray that his fate journeys him to Canada, a place where not only dreams can become true, but also a land, a geography, that was created in itself as an inspiration for an artist.

Messages of Inspiration

2009-06-04T05:27:00.001-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman newspaper
June 5, 2009
Cranbrook, BC

This past weekend was one full of inspiring messages for me, and since we all could use a dose of inspiration to offset the constant distressing news in our humanity of wars, famine, hunger, and scarcity, I will dedicate my space in this article to share words I read and actions I witnessed that uplifted my spirit and re-charged me with hope.

To begin with, I have chosen the following excerpts from a speech given by Paul Hawken a few weeks ago to the University of Portland Class of 2009. Hawken is a renowned entrepreneur and visionary environmental activist, and the author of the recent book Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It. He says:

“…[Now is] a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating... Basically, the earth needs a new operating system, you are the programmers, and we need it within a few decades…When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, if you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse… Humanity is coalescing. It is reconstituting the world, and the action is taking place in schoolrooms, farms, jungles, villages, campuses, companies, refugee camps, deserts, fisheries, and slums…This is the largest movement the world has ever seen … Large as it is, no one knows the true size of this movement. It provides hope, support, and meaning to billions of people in the world. Abolitionists were the first people to create a national and global movement to defend the rights of those they did not know. Until that time, no group had filed a grievance except on behalf of itself… But for the first time in history a group of people organized themselves to help people they would never know, from whom they would never receive direct or indirect benefit.. And today tens of millions of people do this every day. It is called the world of non-profits, civil society, schools, social entrepreneurship, and non-governmental organizations, of companies who place social and environmental justice at the top of their strategic goals....”

One does not have to go far to encounter such amazing groups of people. I had the privilege of witnessing one of these groups uniting on the grounds of the Cranbrook Rec Plex Arena during the past weekend as hundreds of Rotarians, men and women, from Cranbrook and other neighbouring towns in British Columbia and the United States came together at their Rotary District Conference united under a common theme: “Teamwork.” In the Canadian Oxford dictionary, teamwork is defined as “the combined action of a team, group, etc., especially when effective and efficient,” and in the definition of Rotary, teamwork is “how ordinary people do extraordinary things.”

Valerie Buchanan of the Rotary International (RI) in Cranbrook explains, “When we first came together in 2008 to develop a plan for this Rotary District Conference, we needed to find a theme that would work for everyone – top to bottom and side to side. We ended up choosing the focus that Rotary is—Teamwork: Group Study Exchange teams, PolioPlus Teams, Rotoplast teams, local project work parties, etc.”

This aspirant group of people represents a fraction of what Hawkin is referring to as “the largest movement the world has ever seen,” a movement that resiliently refuses to bow down to the negative forces of the world, and is determined to regain, to recover, and to reconstruct. It is a movement that we can perhaps nickname “Hopefulness.”

On their agenda, the eradication of polio is the foremost goal of Rotary International with a deadline of 30 June 2012. Rotarians from all over the world have set a challenge of US $200 million toward this goal, and to date they have met one third of this challenge. Furthermore, to supplement their teamwork, in January of 2009, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded Rotary with another grant for Polio eradication of $255 million dollars in addition to their previous $100 Million grant awarded in 2007. On the same day, contagiously, the governments of Germany and the UK committed $130 million and $150 million, respectively, to eradicating polio.

Rotary International President Dong Kurn Lee recounts his visit to an African country in the late 90s where as he passed one mud-brick hut with a straw roof and dirt floor, he heard a sound that made him stop, a weak sound of a crying baby lying on the floor with his mother, a baby trying desperately to nurse from a mother who was hungry, exhausted and depleted of milk—“a horror [that] was by no means unique.” Upon his return home, Mr. Lee began the “Make Dreams Real” initiative and asked Rotarians to work on their emphases of water, health and hunger, and literacy to reduce child mortality. Another human that is now beckoned by my millions in an inspirational march across the globe.

My inspiration does not only come from reading the words of Hawkin or witnessing the coming together of Rotarians, but also in closing my eyes and thinking further, in imagining the myriad of people, too numerous to count, buzzing in every corner on the map, working towards the betterment of humanity and constituting the fuel that drives forward this movement of hopefulness. I, like Hawkin, am an optimist, and I do believe that the hands and the hearts of a multitude of good people are the long awaited cradles that will gradually soothe the cries of babies across the world, and they are the pulsating playgrounds on which they will continue to play and laugh. It is because of such people that a child’s dream can become real.

On Dr. Drew Pinsky and S. Mark Young’s The Mirror Effect

2009-05-25T05:46:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman
May 22, 2009
Carnbrook, B.C.

One issue of central importance in my life, as well as in the lives of the many parents who live in our abundant Western society, is child-rearing, and whether or not we are effectively preparing our children for the real world. Our children are our future generation, and the product of what they will become lies heavily on how we raise them, and furthermore, on the principles we instil in them.

I found Dr. Drew Pinsky’s insight to be quite helpful on this issue, and I am writing to share his advice with parents and grandparents, especially those who live in our Western society today. Dr. Pinsky (internist and host of the radio show “Loveline”) and Dr. S. Mark Young (Professor at the University of Southern California) are the co-authors of The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America. In their book, they explain how the USA's celebrity-obsessed culture is causing us to become more narcissistic, and how this may be especially dangerous for our young people who view celebrities as their role models.

"In common parlance, narcissism is often used as a synonym for egomania or excessive self-regard," say Drs. Pinsky and Young in The Mirror Effect. "In psychological terms, however, egotism and narcissism can be very different things. Egotists are preoccupied with themselves to an extreme degree. Narcissism, on the other hand, springs from not self-involvement, but a disconnection with oneself. Narcissistic individuals fixate on the reactions of others in order to shore up their own sense of self."

The Mirror Effect goes into great detail about the dysfunctional, and at times, destructive behaviours of celebrities resulting from lack of empathy, a trait that of narcissism that especially arises when somebody's interests conflict with another’s. However, for the purposes of this article, I will focus on how, according to the Mirror Effect, narcissism has also become part of our behaviour as parents, and how it can be detrimental to the upbringing of our children.
In an interview with Sharon Jayson in USA Today, Dr. Pinsky explains, “Narcissism has eroded into parenting styles. We, as narcissists, try to parent experiencing the child as an emotional extension of ourselves. We can't tolerate pain for the child — allowing them to be frustrated and to fail. We want to give our kids everything. I'm saying parents themselves have become narcissists, along with the rest of the population.”

He goes on to encourage us as parents to allow our children to struggle and to fail. He gives the example of how, in our society today, we have gone as far as giving 8th place awards to our children to “make them feel special” regardless of whether or not they in fact have achieved success or deserved recognition.

Furthermore, on a TV interview with Red Eye, Dr. Pinsky further explains that this phenomenon has gone past the healthy building-up of self-esteem and explains, “Self esteem is a separate issue...I think this is an issue of us giving 8th place award to kids because everyone is special... But the fact is that I think that’s more a function of the narcissism of parents who can’t tolerate seeing their kids disappointed. So, it is about us—we can’t tolerate it in our kids, it evokes our discomfort, so we have to make our kids feel okay, and we are over gratifying our kids...They never learn to be autonomous, they never learn to take reality on reality’s terms, and that’s where the problem is.”

I have found Dr. Pinsky’s words quite pertinent to my role as a parent in our privileged Western society. Indeed, one has to be vigilant in not creating a pseudo-world for our children, a sheltered world where failure, struggles, hurdles, disappointment and pain do not exist. It is of critical importance to keep in mind that in teaching our children to deal with reality’s negatives, we are implementing a developmental strategy that will help fortify our children and give them the strength to tackle the many disappointments they are bound to face in their lives. As the authors warn, in our effort to affectionately raise our children, we have to be sure that we are not simultaneously cultivating “unsafe developmental conditions.”

Building a healthy self-image for a child can be one of the most important psychological cornerstones in his/her upbringing. It is our responsibility as parents is to make certain that in the process we do not lead our children to believe that the whole world revolves around them and what they want. Constructing and boosting a child’s self-esteem can be something beautiful as long as the focus does not shift into creating a narcissistic trait where he/she become dependent on recognition and constantly seeking unrealistic attention and false approval. The tendency in parents to exaggerate their children’s self-importance has the potential of killing the child’s drive to achieve, especially when the reward is always available regardless of the effort.

We must keep in mind that once the inevitable reality hits and our children become adults, it is only their true skills and achievements that will lead them to succeed. The little girl who once received unconditional praise and invariable applause from her mother will one day become an adult who has to persevere and to hard in the real world in order to earn deserved approval and commendation. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to teach our children to accept their inadequacies and to incorporate them into their self-image. It is difficult for us as parents to witness our children go through the pain of disappointment; however, we should let them work through their own pain while in the comforting environment of our homes so that they can acquire the basic skills to confront their future challenges in life.

Without a doubt, it is in our natural instinct as parents to want to provide our children with the utmost nurture, whether emotional or materialistic. However, one has to resist being sucked into the narcissistic vacuum that has seduced and driven parents to over-shelter their children, to over-protect their feelings, to fight their children’s battles, or to put it plainly, to disconnect their children from the real world. Perhaps one approach is to maintain an awareness of the real-world that exists beyond our Western borders, an approach that seems to immediately put things back into perspective. Nowadays, it is through a simple click of a button that we can travel thousands of miles into the countless websites that exhibit children living under dire conditions, children whom I consider survivors and are certainly stronger and more prepared to take on life with its triumphs and defeats.

The Deeper Meaning of the Arabic Word "Ghurba"

2009-05-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC
May 15, 2009

I have found that there are certain words in a language that are simply untranslatable. As I translate from Arabic to English, I have come across several of these words, one of which is the Arabic word ghurba. Ghurba is a derivative of the Arabic word for stranger, and it embodies the meaning of life as a stranger in a far-off land. In Arabic-English dictionaries, the word ghurba is explained with phrases, for the lack of one analogous word in English and its definition according to the Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic is: “absence from the homeland; separation from one’s native country, banishment, exile; life or place away from home.” It is also often translated as “Diaspora.”

But it is much more than that. The word ghurba also carries an intense feeling along with it, a melancholic feeling of longing, of nostalgia, of homesickness and separation, of a severe patriotic yearning for a place where one’s heart was not only living, but also dancing to the beat of a father’s or a mother’s voice, to the words in grandmother’s tale, to a melody from a native instrument, to the pounding of feet stamping in a group dance, to a merchant’s voice shouting out the name of his merchandise in the streets of neighbourhoods, or simply, to a place where one’s heart danced to the silence of a homeland’s soil.

It is important to make note of the fact that I am not only referring to one’s past, but also one’s past in a far-off land, in another culture, in which his/her present identity is foreign to his/her immediate surroundings. Perhaps one of the reasons the word ghurba does not have a counterpart in Western English is because Westerners (namely Americans and Canadians) have been fortunate to live in a wealthy land where it is only by choice or for pleasure that they leave their land and immigrate, and therefore the intense melancholy of uprooting and separation from one’s native homeland are not part of an average American’s experience.

However, there is one exception that comes to mind, and it is that of a soldier. Indeed, soldiers fighting in a foreign land must understand and feel the most severe meaning of ghurba. They are ones whose hearts carry the weight of acute longing, and additionally, the anxiety of possibly of returning to their homeland in a coffin.

I have chosen two poems to further illustrate, through poetic imagery, the meaning of ghurba. Many immigrants recite poetry as a form of therapy to soothe the pain of their ghurba. Poetry becomes a means of bringing closer their familiar homeland, and of escaping an estranged reality.

The first poem is written by the Palestinian poet, Fadwa Tuqan. What is most ironic about this poem is that not only does it embody the intense feelings of her ghurba, but it also speaks of her native Palestine, a homeland that is no longer her own.

Enough For Me

It is enough for me to die on her earth
Be buried in her to melt and vanish into her soil
then sprout forth as a flower
Played with by a child from my country.
It is enough for me to remain in my country's embrace
to be in her as close as a handful of dust a sprig of grass a flower.

And, to end my article, I have chosen excerpts from a poem by the Lebanese poet Youssef Abdul Samad who immigrated to New York City in 1969, and whose longing for a mother and a motherland remarkably embodies the poignant meaning of ghurba.

To My Mother Who left Me

I lost your face, oh, mother.
It has been my fate
Since childhood to be lost.
It is expatriation,
Whose heart is harder than a rock.
...
Take me back to the jewel of villages.
Take me back to Ras El-Matan, my village,
...
To where
Our house
Is about to be forgotten
Behind its wide balcony
To where I slept
With tranquillity in the shade
of a tall Buckthorn
...
Take me to my lost village,
Take me to the house of my mother
Take me,
Gently, like the shadow of a cloud,
So that I would not
Frighten
The dreams of my mother.
Take me to her tomb
To wail near her,
And sleep lightly on her breast.
...
Take me
To my paradise,
To my village,
To my lost paradise.
***

The Occupied Majdal Shams

2009-05-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
May 8, 2009

On the map of Syria, but within its occupied territory (The Golan Heights), there exists a stunning, sunny village named Majdal Shams, situated at the southern foothills of Mount Hermon (in Arabic, Jabal Al-Sheikh). Majdal Shams, translated from Arabic as “the tower of the sun,” is a village inhabited by approximately 9,000 people who are as rooted to their land as anyone is to his/her country, but most poignantly, they are people who exist with an “undefined” nationality.

Back in 1997, while living in the United States, I came to know a couple from Majdal Shams, and today, they have become two of my closest friends. During our first encounter, I can vividly recall how unfathomable it was to listen to them explaining that, instead of a passport, they are only officially permitted to carry a travel document with the word “Undefined” printed as their nationality.

You see, Majdal Shams was captured by Israel in 1967 and has been under its military occupation ever since. It is one of the few villages still inhabited in the Golan Heights and whose people insisted on remaining in the midst of their apple and cherry orchards. Prior to the occupation, the Golan Heights consisted of 131 villages. Today only five of these villages remain inhabited, namely: Majdal Shams, Baq’atha, Ein Qenya, Mas’adeh, and Alghajar. Also prior to Israeli occupation, the Golan Heights had a population of over 153,000 people, but within 6 days after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the numbers shrunk to approximately 39,000, including about 19,000 Syrian Druze, 16,500 Jewish Settlers, and 2,100 Syrian Muslims. The Golan Heights is an area determined by the United Nations and the international community to be part of Syrian land, occupied by Israel.

Through story and example, I have come to learn of the silenced human suffering that takes place in this forgotten area of our world’s map, a land simply dispossessed of a nationality. And I am writing to deliver to my readers a glimpse of the daily agony lived by the peoples in this occupied land.

Majdal Shams, as per the Golan Heights annexation Law of 1981, and against U.N. consent, was considered by Israel as part of their territory, and, in turn, was subjugated to civilian Israeli law, administration, and jurisdiction. The majority of its residents are made up of Druze, a religious minority dispersed over a few villages in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Syrian Druze have refused to accept the Israeli citizenship which is available to them upon choice. As explained by my friend, in agreeing to Israeli citizenship, one has to also accept the illogical fact that his children would have to serve as part of the Israeli army in the likely case of a military draft, and consequently, would have to fight against their own homeland of Syria—an irrational mandate by any standards.

Moreover, it is paradoxical to hear residents of Majdal Shams introduce themselves as Syrians living in the occupied territory, albeit they are not permitted to visit Syria, the country of their original nationality. It is quite ironic that even though Damascus, the capital of Syria, lies only 60 KM (less than 40 miles) away from Majdal Shams, it has been and still remains a forbidden destination for the vast majority of Syrians living in the Golan Heights. Israeli law deems that if anyone leaves the occupied territory into Syrian borders, they are automatically forfeiting their right of return to their homes and land in the Golan Heights, with the exception of university students seeking free education in Syria and Druze clerics attending religious ceremonies (both of whom have to first be given approval for departure and re-entry by the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs).

As depicted in the internationally acclaimed and award-winning film The Syrian Bride which happens to be filmed in Majdal Shams, when a bride or groom from the Golan Heights is to wed a Syrian, they immediately lose their right of return to their country of birth. Consequently, a wedding celebration is then transformed into a grieving ceremony as parents have to surrender their daughter or son to a land on which they can never tread. One means of reuniting family members is by travel to the neighbouring Jordan, an expensive trip unaffordable for many. Another means is to line up with bullhorns and binoculars across from one another on opposite sides of the Israeli / Syrian border separated by rows of steel wires, at a valley named the Shouting Hill, and to shout to one another! Here I would like for my readers to take a moment and reflect upon the fact that a grandparent’s only opportunity to see his or her grandchildren is through binoculars capturing an image from kilometres away.

My friends recount a tragic story which took place on March 7, 2008, where a 24-year-old woman, May Atef Sha’lan, from Ein Qenya (a village in the occpied Golan Heights), was one of the many brides who "immigrated" to Syria after marrying a Syrian. However, last year May became ill, and heartlessly, she was denied the basic right to see her mother while on her death bed, after Israeli authority declined the pleas of May’s mother to be granted a travel permit to simply be with her dying daughter in Syria. It is told that May was moaning on her death bed, “I want to see my mother. I am from Ein Qenya... Take me to see my mother...” But May’s appeals were never granted, and she died in agony, without her mother and beloved family, in the midst of helpless, silent tears in Syria.

Another repulsive example of the filthy laws in the Golan Heights is the uprooting of their trees at night from orchards and farms with the pretext that these lands represent Israeli territory. One of such many incidents took place last month, on April 23, 2009, for the second time in a farm in Baq’atha. The owner of the farm determinedly awaited, for many consecutive days, the arrival of Israeli forces whose only purpose was to denude and strip trees from their land so that they can become potential Jewish settlements. As they finally arrived, the owner called for help from his family and friends, and the forces were defeated by the people of Baq’atha and handed over peacefully to Israeli police in order avoid any future potential blame.

The stories go on and on, and the task of choosing one story over another is a most difficult one, as each story speaks of yet another poignant case of human suffering. Yet one story that I cannot but mention in this article is of the personal experience of my friends who immigrated from Majdal Shams to the United States in 1997. After residing in the U.S. for seven years, they sought to renew their travel documents at an Israeli Embassy in the U.S.; however, they were informed at the time of application that after a period of seven years of immigration, they would have to return to live in their homes in Majdal Shams to “renew” their residence and consequently become eligible for renewed travel documents, or else they lose their right to return and would be prohibited from visiting their village again. In order not to jeopardize their ties to their own homeland, my friends took on the burden of a year’s trip to Majdal Shams, and uprooted their children from the schools they attended in the U.S. at the time. Yet, the irony lies in the fact that any Jew, from any country in the world, has the right to live in Israel and claim immediate, automatic citizenship upon their arrival to Israel, regardless of place of birth, nationality, or foreign residence. Moreover, they are offered free housing and free land, possibly the homes and orchards of my friends.

I will end by posing the following questions: How is it possible that such violations to human rights are taking place, tolerated and, furthermore, legitimized under a country that claims itself democratic?

What I Was Not Able to Write About

2009-04-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Cranbrook Daily Townsman
April 17, 2009
Cranbrook, BC, Canada

Earlier this month, the world was flabbergasted at the passing of a new Sharia law in Afghanistan imposed on women from the minority Shia community decreeing a woman is not to leave her home without her husband's permission, and, “The husband, except when travelling or ill, is bound to have intercourse with his wife every night in four nights. The wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband.” The law also rules that guardianship of children is granted only to the father and paternal grandfather. According to the United Nations Development Fund for Women, the new law legalizes the rape of a woman by her husband, stripping away the basic human rights a human should have.

My heart ached to hear that such injustices are not only practiced in the 21st Century, but also, repugnantly, are deemed law and, moreover, associated with religious principles. So I sought to interview an Afghani woman, to lend her an ear to listen, to crack open the door of her prison, and to amplify her choked voice.

However, I was taken aback when every Afghani woman I contacted last week shied away from speaking with me, albeit they lived in Canada. Even with the anonymity I pledged and the promise to keep their names ambiguous, despite everything I vowed, they nonetheless declined my request for an interview. Their hearts were struck with fear.

Therefore, I am writing this article to my Western readers to tell that of which I was not able to write about.

And, to the women of Afghanistan whom are innocent victims of cruel extremism, I say this to you:

Here, women are born with wings in the land of the free.There, women are born with chains in a land of fear.

What justice is it that I am a woman living in this country while are in yours!
I was born free while you were born with a life sentence.
I can voyage from East to West, while you have to be given permission to leave your own home.
I am an individual with equal rights, while you struggle to obtain an identity card.

***

As my pores breath in the sunlight, yours are suffocated with your heavy burqa.
As my nose smells the aroma of the spring, yours is aspirating for air.
As my feet run freely over the white snow, yours are shackled with heavy mantles.
As my eyes freely delight in the magnificence of God’s Rockies, your peripheral vision is blinded,
And the tiny window in the cell you wear dims the radiance of your Hindu Kush Mountains.
And,
As my voice shouts in the name of freedom and human rights, yours is asphyxiated by fabric.

***

You are told that love is a sin… You would be flogged for it! You would be killed.
If your sons are like mine, inspired by their father, what then will become of your daughters?
--Your daughters who were cursed from the moment of their birth,
And whose dreams were suffocated before they were conceived.
What will become of your grand-daughters, and your great grand-daughters?

***

CBC News once wrote that your president was “educated in the West,”
They say, “he fluently speaks six languages, and is at ease with the electronic media.”
—How could this be the same man who has signed this new law in your country?
How could he have been educated in our universities?
Our education is about is freedom. It is opportunity. It is equality…
I reckon your President must have copied his answers!
And the “electronic media” he used had to have been censored!

***

Mr. Barack Obama’s father, less than 60 years ago, might not have been served at a local restaurant
Yet, today, his son reigns as President of the United States of America.
In his Inaugural Oath, the victorious president said to the peoples,
“I am asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington…
I am asking you to believe in yours.”

***

Obama is speaking to you…
He is chanting for you…

O…
Sing Obama’s words as your anthem.
Sing.
Sing for freedom. Sing for equality. Sing for Justice.
Sing for a dream waiting to happen.
Sing for a daughter.
Sing for a sister.
Sing for Change.
Sing in unison.
Let your song reach across humanity.

And we will sing with you.
And we will sing for you!

***

Conversing with Canadian Politicians

2009-04-04T05:41:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Both Articles published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman
April 3, 2009
Cranbrook, BC, Canada

A Conversation with Honorable Bill Bennett

A few weeks ago, I met with Honorable Bill Bennett, Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts of British Columbia, and B.C. Liberal Member of Legislative Assembley (MLA) for East Kootenay.

My interview with Mr. Bennett was more like a conversation, aiming to deliver to my readers a glimpse of his personal thoughts on various issues, some on British Columbia’s tourism, and others on random matters in today’s world. In an effort to take a break from the inundation of news on topics such as the global economic crisis, I wanted to hear a politician’s thought on some of the other issues.

Our conversation began with Mr. Bennett’s remark, “I want people to see me as a human. The first day after elections, I woke up realizing that from that day forward I would be perceived in a different manner, and that I was no longer part of mainstream community life.” He explains that he felt as if he were transformed into a caricature, and furthermore, that everything he said became politicized and associated with his desire to be re-elected to office, a misassumption he is constantly combating.

“Why tourism?” I asked. Mr. Bennett’s reply was immediate and simple, “All my life I have loved being outdoors. I loved fishing since my childhood, and gradually became the manager of a fishing lodge. Then my wife and I bought our own fishing business to provide tourists with a positive memorable experience”—an uncomplicated answer that genuinely embodies a rootedness and a love for British Columbia that has driven its citizens, leaders and ministers to maintain their very unique logo, one that has caught my eye since my arrival to this province: “British Columbia, The Best Place On Earth.”

I learned from my interview with Mr. Bennett that tourism generates about $13 billion in revenue each year, providing more than 120,000 direct jobs and 170,000 indirect jobs across British Columbia. “One of the positives of the tourism industry,” explains Mr. Bennett, “is that it is constituted by many small businesses made up, in many instances, of a husband and wife and a few employees who are nimble, creative, energetic and enthusiastic about their jobs—the best group of people to work with.” He continues to explain that tourism in many smaller towns across British Columbia, such as Kimberely, Invermere and Fernie, is a main source of income for the community, hence the importance and critical role of his position as Minister of Tourism.

Our conversation then drifted to the topic of media. Here, Mr. Bennett was immediate to express his frustration with this aspect of his work. “The media discourages you from saying what you think. Local media is great; but Vancouver and Victoria is a different story. They are like a sharp tank constantly monitoring everything you say”—quite a statement coming from someone in power, and a grave reminder for us as recipients to critically think about that which is generated by media sources. As for Mr. Bennett, he refuses to jeopardize his integrity or yield to the pressure and motives of the media. He affirms, “Nothing will discourage me from saying the truth, regardless of criticism or consequences.”

On the topic of Canada and the U.S., Mr. Bennett was immediate to make known his pride of being Canadian. When contrasting Americans and Canadians, he explains that one stark difference is that Canadians are worldlier than Americans. “Whereas the U.S. has become a melting pot, Canada encourages cultural differences, and Canadians are truly interested in other cultures. In Canada, one is not required to blend in. We encourage people to be distinctive. We celebrate diversity. The international community has formed a beautiful cultural mosaic in Canada.”

Additionally, Mr. Bennett takes great pride in the history and peaceful nature of Canadians. He explains that the U.S. developed through conflict and war, ranging from their admirable rebellion against the British which led to their freedom, to the American Civil War, also one to be admired as they fought for a small minority. Yet, he brings to mind that Canada’s history, on the other hand, is one that is comprised of small skirmishes between the French and British. He continues to explain that even when it came to aboriginals, Canadians resorted to treaties with First Nations while Americans opted for war. “Our land is vast and scattered, but we certainly have respect for law and order, and our National Police Force has maintained peace across our land through peaceful measures; sure we made some mistakes along the way, but we did not resort to violence.”

Having said that, Mr. Bennett believes that Canadians are too polite and constantly seeking consensus. “Sometimes I wish Canadians were more aggressive with their beliefs. In many instances, only strength can make a difference in negotiations, and we must be more assertive when it comes to standing up for certain principles and values.”

On Barack Obama, Mr. Bennett states, “President Obama is certainly the first U.S. president since Kennedy that has captured the imagination of the world. I hope and pray he is able to lead the U.S. out of their troubled situation. He is an inspiring leader who is most importantly inspiring the people.” He continues to add, “I am a big believer in hope and optimism. In 2001, British Columbia had a depressing feeling, but Premier Campbell’s slogan was to ‘Restore hope and prosperity,’ and it worked.”

On a final note, Mr. Bennett concludes, “I want everyone to know that I honestly, and very genuinely, want to help this region. It is all I think about – you can ask my wife!” He adds, “We British Columbians are not only trying to make this place to be the best on earth, but also we truly believe that this is the best place to live on earth.”

A Conversation with Troy Sebastian

Earlier this week, I had another chance to take a peek at another local politician’s thoughts and opinions on a number of global issues as I met with Troy Sebastian, the New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate in the East Kootenay. Once again, I wanted to address topics other than those ubiquitous in today's news.

“Why do you want to represent the Kootenay region?” I asked. Mr. Sebastian replied, “Since childhood, I learned to be involved in the community. My first experience with campaigning began when I was eight years-old. I helped my mother campaign from door to door canvassing for the NDPs.” He smiled with reminiscence, “I didn’t understand at the time why we had to be going from door to door under the hot Okanagan sun; however, I gradually came to the realization that it was about being the change we want to see happen in the world, as Gandhi once said.”

On the topic of media, Mr. Sebastian spoke about the revolutionary changes in modern day communication, and the connectedness that has resulted across the world. For example, he spoke of how President Barak Obama most effectively utilized Facebook to establish direct contact with the population. “Before his inauguration, Obama was connected with 4.5 million people, and a week later, the number of contacts increased to 5.5 million people – he was literally in direct contact with the people. I am following Obama’s example, and I am employing Facebook as a communication tool in my campaign as well. ”

On a global political level, he spoke of how critical it is for Canadians, when it comes to media, to be aware of the fact that their information comes mainly from U.S. media, hence, the importance of realizing that what is being depicted is a single-minded perception through “U.S. cultural lenses.”

“What about Al-Jazeera’s endeavor to be broadcasted in Canada?” I asked. He replied, “We are in a democratic society. This is a free market. Certainly, Al Jazeera should be allowed in the Western market, and let each Canadian make their own decision of whether or not to subscribe to the channel. Canada is a multi-cultural society in its makeup, hence the importance for all voices to be heard.” He further added, “What is more problematic to me is that a news channel like Fox, with an extremist far-right perspective, and one embedded with prejudice and bias, is allowed, and, worse off, deemed accurate by many!”

He describes Canada’s ethnic makeup a “sociological mosaic,” and hence the critical importance for Canadians not only to be tolerant of one another’s cultural differences, but also, and more importantly, to be accepting of the differences in order to preserve that which Canadians are known for across the globe.

On the topic of Canada and the U.S., Mr. Sebastian addressed the importance for the world to distinguish between Canadians and Americans. “We are not Americans, and we do not represent many of the things Americans stand for.” He continued to say, “I respect my fellow Americans, but I find Canadians to be more modest, more apologetic.” However, he affirmed, that despite the differences, and for the sake of humanity, both Americans and Canadians should work together towards making our world a more peaceful place to live in.

“What do you think about George Galloway’s ban from entering Canada because of his voiced support for Gaza?” I asked. Frustrated, he answered, “This is a federal government’s initiative and short sightedness on their part. As far as I am concerned, I personally don’t believe that someone like Mr. George Bush should come to Canada! What he has done is much more harmful than Galloway’s rhetoric. He has lied to people and caused so much human suffering. It was not Galloway who caused the horrific mess in Gaza, but, ironically, the ones responsible are not held accountable, nor do they have any problems crossing Canadian borders!”

On the topic of Barack Obama, Mr. Sebastian expressed, “Barack Obama is a dream come true. He is the change that humanity needed to see happen in our world.” “What would you choose to talk about if you had the opportunity to meet him one day?” I asked. His reply was, “I would love to first talk him on a personal, human level, away from politics. However, I wouldn’t be able to help and ask his opinion on the future of the Columbia Lake treaty on Lake Koocanusa (koo for Kootenai, Can for Canada, and USA).” It was from my conversation with Mr. Sebastian that I learned that the lake is 90 miles long, with forty-two miles extending into British Columbia. Moreover, I learned that the Columbia River Treaty is n treaty between Canada and the U.S. that coordinates flood control and maximizes electrical energy production on the Columbia River. Today, Canada's 50% share in the downstream benefits is worth approximately $250 to $350 million per year that is paid to the Government of British Columbia. Either country has the option to terminate or renegotiate with the provision with a 10 years' advanced notice. The 60 year anniversary of the Treaty is in 2024, with advanced notice required by 2014—hence Sebastian’s curiosity about Obama’s thoughts on the topic!

To conclude, I asked Mr. Sebastian what personal note he would like delivered to my readers, and his reply was, “I want to work for my people. If elected to represent them, I promise to keep an open mind and an open heart, to show respect, and to apply humility in everything I do. I was born here, and this is where I will always live, not only because of the geographical place, but also because of its people.”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Point-of-View: Narrow and Personal

2009-03-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
March 13, 2009

I was invited by a Bible study group to partake in a discussion on Infidel, a book written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali in which she speaks of her early childhood/adolescent experience as a Somali Muslim, and years later, of her renouncement of Islam. Ali relays her excruciating personal experience of female genital mutilation, and the terrible circumstances that she underwent because of family principles and religious beliefs. Ali was a former Dutch parliamentarian and is now a Fellow at The American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a conservative U.S. think tank.

In an attempt to break away from an arranged marriage set for Canada, Ali devised a plan to escape to Holland where she filed political asylum and became a Dutch citizen. In 2004, Ali made world headlines after writing the script for a film produced by Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch film producer. The 10-minute film is named Submission and it is one that bluntly criticizes the treatment of women in Islam. In the film, passages from the Qur’an are inscribed on the skin of Muslim women—passages that have been used by violent Muslim men as grounds of justification for their violence against non-submissive Muslim wives and daughters. The film features a near-naked actress provocatively covering her body with a black transparent burqa. Needless to say, the film sparked fury amongst Muslims and led to the brutal murder of Van Gogh in an Amsterdam street on November 2, 2004, with a letter pinned to Van Gogh's body with a knife, voicing a death threat to Hirsi Ali.

In turn, Ali became more repulsed by Islam, and her life became about accomplishing three goals, as she states in Infidel,

“First, I wanted Holland to wake up and stop tolerating the oppression of Muslim women in its midst … Second, I wanted to spark a debate among Muslims about reforming aspects of Islam so that people could begin to question and criticize their own beliefs…Third, I wanted Muslim women to become more aware of just how bad, and how unacceptable, their suffering was.”—indeed, three admirable principles to fight for.

However, as Dr. Hesham Hassaballa explains in an article written as a response to the statements made by Ali, “Ali is an expert on … finding ways to blame the religion for all sorts of problems that ail the Muslim (and non-Muslim) world.” I personally believe that Ali’s approach is extreme, and furthermore, misleading—This will be the central theme to my article today as Ayaan Hirsi Ali has become an important critic of Islam in American and world politics today.

After the 9/11 attacks, Ali writes in Infidel that “a camera crew who happened to be filming on the streets [in Holland] just after the towers were hit recorded a group of Muslim kids jubilating”—a horrific image portrayed of Muslims. The depiction of the jubilations of “kids” as a representation of Islam is not only false, but also, more importantly, harmful. She does not stop there, but also preposterously states that the hijackers and their support of Osama Bin Laden represents the morals of Islam—a ludicrous generalization.

In an interview with the British newspaper Metro, Ali was asked whether she sees any positive sides to Islam. She replied, “That’s like asking if I see positive sides to Nazism, communism, Catholicism. Of course Islam preaches generosity and kindness and taking care of the poor and elderly and so on-- but these values aren’t limited to Islam.”

Although I value Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s cause and her unyielding will to fight for abused Muslim women, I would like to differ from her generalization of Islam, and further remind the readers that Ayaan’s point-of-view is representative of her own experience as a Somali Muslim woman, and her statements are by no means representative of the many other Muslim women I am acquainted with, whether Syrian, Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian, and on and on.

The Muslim world is immense and differs drastically from one country to another, where the contrast between Muslim women from Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Indonesia is vast and varied. Therefore, it is impossible to generalize that all Muslim women are abused and violated against solely because of Islam.

For instance, when addressing the horrific practice of female genital mutilation, Ayaan fails to mention in her book that this practice is pre-Islamic, and is predominantly practiced in Africa, and seldom found in any other Muslim countries in the Middle East and beyond, once again leading readers to false assumptions on this topic. On NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” Ali admits that female genital mutilation was a cultural practice that started 1,800 years before Christ, long before Islam came about.

She also states in the same interview that “The Qur’an is very clear and says those who engage in premarital sex should be flogged 100 times, both men and women,”—without a doubt, by most societies’ standards, this is an atrocious practice that no woman should undergo. However, Ali solely blames Islam for this practice, again a misleading assertion.

I believe that the problems of the Muslim world are far more complicated than adhering to simple Qur’anic verses. Such violations practiced in Islamic countries are also a consequence of lack of civilization, education, freedom, equality, etc. For the purpose of demonstrating my point, and not for any derogatory use of the Bible, I quote the following verses,

Deuteronomy 22:23-24, “If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of the town and stone them to death…You must purge the evil from among you.”

Leviticus 21:9, “If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.”

1 Timothy 2:11-12, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.”

One cannot insinuate that the Bible mandates the abuse of Christian women in the West. It is a fact that women, Christians and others, have attained equality in all levels of Western society, and violence against women is considered a crime. Yet according to the Center for Disease Control, domestic violence is a serious, preventable health problem affecting more than 32 million Americans, or more than 10% of U.S. population. One should ask, how many of those cases are related to religion, whether Muslim or Christian?

Perhaps one reasonable explanation for the sluggishness of advancement in women’s rights in Islamic countries is economic under-development and poverty. Yakin Erturk, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, states in a recent interview by Al-Jazeera, “It is expected that women and girls in both developed and developing countries will be particularly affected by job cuts, loss of livelihoods, increased responsibilities in all spheres of their life, and an increased risk of societal and domestic violence.”

Other explanations can vary from the intertwining of customs, culture, and in the case of Ayaan, tribal backward traditions, a complex, inter-tangled mix resulting in the suppression and abuse of women. Lack of education is also a factor that contributes immensely to the problem of women, especially when contrasted to educated women in Western societies who learn to defend their freedom and rights, for as The Economist put it recently "education equals matriarchy."

What I am trying to say is that it is inaccurate to solely blame Islam for the depressing state of women in Islamic societies. One must take into consideration many other issues such as: dictatorship vs. democracy, patriarchy vs. feminism, illiteracy vs. education, oppression vs. freedom, primitive vs. civilized. What is important as Ban Ki-moon, UN General Secretary, states, “We need to combat attitudes and behaviors that condone, tolerate, excuse or ignore violence committed against women," and further understand the complex causes behind such atrocities.

D.A.R.E.: Employing Dialogue and Critical Thinking for our Children

2009-03-06T14:48:00.001-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
March 6, 2009

I was quite inspired at a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) graduation ceremony for 5th graders at St. Mary’s Catholic School this week. As a parent of a 5th grader, I was introduced to D.A.R.E this year, a program that seeks to provide children and youth with the information and skills needed to live drug-free and violence-free lives.

I have come to learn that D.A.R.E. is an international ten-week education curriculum led by a locally trained police officer that teaches children to resist peer pressure and further makes them aware of the harmful and destructive scenarios with which they may be faced. Students who enter the program sign a pledge not to use drugs or join gangs, and are thoroughly taught about the outcomes of drug use and smoking. In its endeavor to combat an exhausting war against drugs and violence, D.A.R.E. has evolved into a program that is now practiced in 43 countries, encompassing 36 million children around the world.

I personally believe that what has been most effective in D.A.R.E.’s approach is its implementation of an interactive in-school curriculum where the students are in direct contact with a police officer. This, in turn, allows students to humanize law enforcement agents, and transforms their educational process from a practice of domination and indoctrination to a practice of thinking and dialogue.

Indeed, it is the implementation of dialogue, on all levels within the classroom, which constitutes the strength of the educational system in this country. Instead of memorizing the contents narrated by an instructor / police officer, the students become critical co-investigators evoking their own understanding of what is presented to them, and consequently, are more likely to be committed to a conclusion that they themselves critically constructed.

This practice is relative to a method introduced by Paulo Freire, an important Brazilian thinker who has had a profound impact in the field of education, known as “The problem-posing Method.” Freire explains that students, as they are increasingly posed with problems relating to themselves in the world and with the world, will feel increasingly challenged and obliged to respond to those challenges. Problem-solving strives for “the emergence of consciousness and critical intervention in reality,”—a method undoubtedly executed by D.A.R.E., and is one that should be employed in all aspects of child rearing and education.

As the ten weeks of curriculum come to an end, each 5th grade student was asked to address a letter to him/herself that would later be mailed to them when they reach the 11th grade, aspiring that six years into the future, they are still committed to D.A.R.E. principles. This process of critical reflection pushes the student to perceive him/herself faced with the learned challenges, and furthermore, it pre-sets high expectations of the choices they are to make in the future.

I chose to share one of these letters with my readers. It is written by a 5th grade student from St. Mary’s whom I will call Heather for the purpose of this article. The letter is titled, “Medicine.” It reads as follows:

“Dear future Heather,

Drug Abuse Resistance Education are four words that have changed my life. Right now, I am living in Cranbrook, BC and I am in grade five, and almost all the way through the D.A.R.E. program. I have learned a large amount of facts from this program, like smoking can give you lung cancer. And did you know that smoking affects all the parts of your body? And not only that, but it also affects all the people around you.
‘Medicine’--I named my letter ‘medicine’ because that is what D.A.R.E. represents to me, a spoonful of medicine! When you go to the doctor, or if you have a sickness, what does he/she tell you to take? I’m sure you know the answer: Medicine. D.A.R.E. is like a spoonful of medicine you take to help your body be drug free. Medicine has many ingredients, just like the D.A.R.E. program. One of the many ingredients they use in the D.A.R.E. program is the D.A.R.E. decision making model. The D.A.R.E. decision making model is to help you make good choices. It stands for Define, Assess, Respond, and Evaluate. Are you using this model like you use Medicine? Are you making the right choices? If you’re not, then you have just killed the little spark of childhood that was left in you. If you are taking any drugs right now, then you have just shattered a little girl’s dreams. That little girl’s dream that she would end up drug and violence free, and become a good student, graduate from a top university, and be a model, drug free citizen for others.
I, Heather, pledge to stay drug and violence free for as long as I live!

Signed,
Heather.”

This letter sets an inspirational example of how dialogue creates a process of learning, knowing, and theorizing. Through dialogue, the process of learning does not become an end in itself, but a tool to develop a much deeper understanding of what is being taught.

What is most important in our education system is that the children are being taught to critically think about the situation in which that they find themselves, not only in an academic sense, but also in a social setting. And it is the awareness and critical thinking that will give them strength to jump the many hurdles with which they will inevitably face.

Our children are the generation of tomorrow, and it is of critical importance that they make sound choices when challenged by drugs and violence. I commend D.A.R.E. for taking an active role in the making of our future generations, and I will leave my readers with a powerful quote presented by D.A.R.E.: “It is easier to raise a child than to fix an adult.”

Slumdog Millionaire: A closer look at the belief of what is “Written.”

2009-02-27T05:50:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman
February 27, 2009
Cranbrook, BC, Canada

Slumdog Millionaire, as most everyone has heard, stormed the Oscars and swept away eight of the ten Academy Awards-- Best Picture and Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song

Much can be said about this movie as it presents a brilliant depiction of the canvas that is India, from its slums and bleak savagery to its modern and upbeat pop image.

The triumph of Slumdog Millionaire signifies an inspirational statement not only at the Oscars’ level, but also beyond, a statement that represents a spirit of worldliness, openness and universalization that is undoubtedly beginning to encompass our humanity. Slumdog Millionaire is by no means only representative of Indian culture, but also depicts the poignant reality of the many third world impoverished and wretched regions in our world.

The movie touches on many distressing concerns ranging from the slums of India and its poverty-stricken, harsh reality, to the religious strife that has orphaned many children and left India in emotional and physical disarray, to the polarization between the poor and the wealthy, to the merciless attitude of the rich and their unpitying hearts as in the instance of a hungry orphan stealing a piece of bread, to the horrifying cruelty of those who will use all measures to acquire money even if it means disfiguring body parts of children and transforming them into beggars, and the list carries on.

However, in this article I chose to veer away from topics that will most likely be taken up by many other writers, and instead decided to address a significant idea brought out in the film: that of belief in destiny, fate, or as expressed in the film, the belief in what “is written,” something not quite so common in the West.

This notion does not necessarily pertain to the central theme of the movie, and perhaps a lack of understanding of its complexity and its dominating presence in third world cultures does not take away from appreciating the overall message of Slumdog Millionaire. Nevertheless, I would like to closely examine this notion, as it is definitely a common practice in third world societies.

As the movie begins, the following question is put forth within the context of the Indian version of the show Who Wants to be A Millionaire:

“Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. How did he do it?
A: He cheated
B: He’s lucky
C: He’s a genius
D: It is written.”

Believing in destiny in Western societies is certainly different from that in third world countries, as in the case of India. In the West, believing in destiny is usually accompanied by religious faith, particularly that of believing in the plans that God has for his children.

However, in the East, specifically in oppressed third world countries, the idea of believing in what is written is a product of more than just religious beliefs.

In contrast to a Westerner, an Easterner is more likely to surrender to his circumstances without trying to change them. This surrender stems from the lack of choices one has in third world societies—societies in an oppressed, desperate, wretched state, as in the case of the Indian slums, lacking the choices and opportunities found in a Western, democratic setting. Consequently, because of their lack of control in the reality where they live, people surrender blindly to a destiny that they believe was written for them before they were born.

Life in the West provides ample opportunities that allow us choice, control, and even the making of our own destiny, but in India, where one does not have choices in the present, a pre-written destiny becomes the only possibility for future change.

Furthermore, the only thing that tops the misery of the present for the wretched is worry of the future. For as difficult as it is to confront his present, one has no control whatsoever over his future, and in turn destiny becomes a promise of hope, of the possibility for a positive change in his circumstances.

As a consequence of outer and inner oppression, believing in destiny becomes a final resort of security. Since a person has no power to change or even influence the way things go, destiny is then that which brings about some comfort. To take it even one step further, this reassurance comes from the belief that if fate is harsh in the present, there must be some relief later, for the superior power that is targeting a person is surely working for his/her good in the end, and the incontestable present is then explained as temporary stage for repenting for any previous sins committed, a belief commonly known as “karma.”

One troublesome consequence of such belief is that since destiny is pre-“written”, it hinders people from even exploring the idea of changing their circumstances, as it is reckoned pointless, consequently obliterating any hope for improving one’s own living conditions, as is the case in many third world societies like the slums of India. People’s motivation becomes paralyzed as they await the unfolding of what is written, and in turn, their circumstances remain unchanged.

However, as Slumdog Millionaire came to an end, I was left with a perplexing paradox, one that I will pose as a question to my readers—Did Jamal become a millionaire simply because “it was written,” or was it because he actively took part in changing his destiny and strived to uproot himself from the slums into which he was once born?

The Revolutionary Spirit of the Women of Iran

2009-02-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: Cranbrook Daily Townsman
February 20, 2009
Cranbrook, BC Canada

Iran is back in media headlines promising to take part in a forthcoming dialogue between Iranian and United States leadership. Addressing a rally celebrating 30 years of the Iranian Islamic Revolution in Tehran less than two weeks ago, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared, "The new U.S. administration has announced that they want to produce change and pursue the course of dialogue.”

For the last few years Iran has emerged a powerful, defiant country in the political arena; however, this spirit of defiance and rebelliousness has not only been limited to leadership and politics, but has had a fierce presence amidst the women of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
There is something to be said about Muslim Iranian women. Women’s rights advocates say Iranian women are displaying a growing determination to achieve equal status in a conservative Muslim country.

During the last few decades, since Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution, Iranian women have had significant contributions in Iran's scientific movement, art movement, and teh new wave of Iranian cinema and literature. Women accounted for 56% of all students in the natural sciences, including one in five Ph.D. students.

In Western media, Muslim women are often depicted as submissive and obedient, living under male supremacy. Yet the women in today’s Islamic Republic of Iran demonstrate quite a contrast to this stereotype. I spoke by phone with two Iranian-American colleagues currently residing in the Untied States, one of whom is a dentist, and the other holds a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution with a thesis on “The Socio-Political Process of Youth and Women in Modern Iran.”

Both of my colleagues agreed that the perception in Western media and press, as well as in the many books written on the lives of Iranian women, is antithesis to their personal experience in Iran during a number of visits they made within recent years. My article should by no means undermine other perspectives of Iranian authors who have courageously written of their hardship and struggle as Muslim women; however, it is essential for my readers to understand, as I have also learned from my colleagues, that the prevalent representation of Iranian women only pertains to part of the society, perhaps to extremist Muslims, to be more specific.
One of my colleagues recounts her recent trip after 23 years of not having set foot in Iran. She was informed of her father’s frail health and his need for her presence by his bedside. “I was scared to death,” she stated. “I had not been there for so long. I left my husband and son in the U.S. fearing that I might never be able to return to them again.”

She recalls her initial anxiety as the plane landed in Tehran, a city that she once belonged to, and the land in which her father was to be buried within the same year. She immediately reached for her head scarf, one that she kept in “a Ziploc bag in her purse.” She chose to wear a black, conservative coat to her knees so that she did not stand out amidst the crowds of women whom she imagined would be covered in black chadors from head to toe.

But, to her surprise, things were quite different.

“All of the sudden, the faces of the women whom were travelling with me for over ten hours were transformed into ones with thick, flamboyant, bright colored eye shadows and lipsticks. One woman standing in front of me in line wore a thin scarf covering only a small section of her long black, glittered hair!”

“The image that I had since my childhood of Iranian women has completely changed,” she expresses. And my other colleague adds, “Women and youth are very well informed in Iran. Today’s globalization and technology, including the Internet, satellites and even blogs, have given Iranian women the opportunity to see and even converse with other women in Western countries and beyond, women who have achieved equal status with men.”
On the other hand, they explained that there remain many streets in Iran where the black Iranian chador is the only prevalent dress.

Furthermore, an important clarification made in our discussion was that of the division between the private and public spheres. “Even though women are still not allowed to sing in public, not allowed into soccer stadiums, not allowed to ride a bicycle, they have full access to everything Western women have, just inside their private homes,” my colleague explains.
Yet, freedom in the streets is very restricted. Iranian laws define the way a woman is to dress and behave in public. But, Iranian women and youth are able to bypass much of the restrictions imposed by the Islamic Republic through the use of technology. “You have all the freedom you want in your home, to access anything you desire.” She further adds, “Women even dress very provocatively amongst other women. As long as you keep up the façade on the outside and veer away from politics, you can do as you wish in your home.”

I asked my two colleagues what they thought attributed to the will of steel and revolutionary determination of Iranian women. Their responses were:

“In my opinion, it is about education. Education gives women the chance to get away from home, postpone marriage age, and earn a status in society.” Today, more than 60 percent of university students are women, compared with just over 30 percent in 1982.

Another critical point discussed in my interviews was the importance of the democratic elections held in Iran, ones that have proven to be most successful in the Middle Eastern region, and furthermore, ones that have yielded a civil system providing more rights and freedom for women. Muslim women in Iran are now able to file for a divorce, and according to government data, one in five marriages now end in divorce, a fourfold increase in the past 15 years.

Women are graduating to take on important positions in different venues. They are members of parliament, and only a few years ago, under Mohammad Khatami’s presidency, Dr. Massoumeh Ebtekar was appointed as the first woman vice president of Iran. And Shirin Ebadi was announced the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner recognizing her plight for women's rights, children's rights and human rights for years, defending political activists and other human rights lawyers.

Furthermore, women have found an intelligent way of using the Quran and the Hadith of the Prophet Mohammad to their advantage. Khomeini’s Islamic revolution promised, but did not fulfill, many freedoms and rights for women including education and freedom of expression, and women are today tirelessly and courageously working on the implementation of these promises.
The fact these women are fighting against such a strong wave gives them even more credit. People have been collectively taken to prison and feminists are constantly faced with hardship by Islamic resilience. However, revolutionary change, albeit slow, is surely and quietly taking its course.

I will end my article with one recent, most inspiring example of the courage and revolutionary spirit of defiance amongst Iranian women.

In Iran, women are not allowed to enter football stadiums, even though foreign fans may enter regardless of gender. However, with the help and support of a group of Korean female spectators last week, four fans were able to watch the game. Outside the stadium, Iranian women campaigners gave the Korean female spectators the following letter describing how they are deprived from the right to be part of stadium audiences:

"Dear Korean Sisters: You are now in the biggest stadium of our country, enjoying being audience to an important game between your country's national football team and ours. Congratulations, Sisters. Unfortunately, we are not allowed (by the Iranian authorities) to be in your shoes at this time—we, the Iranian female football fanatics! Could you please shout once, just once, for us in support of IRAN? Would you do it for us, sisters? While you are screaming, shouting, clapping for your team, we are prisoners in our homes, behind a damn television screen. We have to kill the scream in our throats; we just cry, even when we are happy, because our footballers cannot hear us encouraging them.”

In response, a group of Korean women took the four campaigners into the stadium in order to show their solidarity with Iranian women. During the match, the Koreans held up signs saying: “Where are our Iranian sisters?” This instance, last week, was the second occasion Iranian women watched a football match in Azadi stadium since 2005.

Human rights and equality are not given, they are earned. Iranian women are a force to be reckoned with, and their resolve is to be admired, for they remind us of Margaret Mead’s words: “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”

Montazer's Year

2009-02-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Pulblished in: The Daily Townsman

Cranbrook, BC, Canada

February 6, 2009

While Iraqi journalist Montazer al-Zaidi has been in prison awaiting his trial after throwing his shoes at former U.S. President George Bush last December, many happenings have taken place…
- Iraqis, and others, have lauded Montazer a national hero.
- Internet games have been launched for players to throw shoes at Bush.
- Montazer has been beaten while in custody, suffering a broken arm, broken ribs, missing teeth, cigarettes burns on his ears, and internal bleeding (according to BBC News and other media sources.)
- Barack Obama has become president, and has promised to “responsibly leave Iraq to its people.”
- A huge bronze shoe sculpture has been erected in Iraq to honor Montazer last week.
- A shoe has been thrown in the face of Chinese Premier Wen while lecturing at Cambridge University in Britain, just a few days ago.
And…
- From his home in New Jersey, Lebanese-American poet, Mr. Youssef Abdul-Samad has been writing about Montazer, for Montazer, and elevating the level of this tragedy to a universal one. After finishing his poem “Montazer’s Year,” I have been given the privilege of translating his words from Arabic into English, and for the first time, the following poem is published:

Montazer’s Year

What can be said of Montazer
Is endless…
Because what has been said is only a short summary,
And sadness cannot be summarized!

I believe that all of what has been written,
And all that has been preached,
Will remain worthless,
Because we are living in defeat!

If only we can fast from speaking,
And proceed silently in action
Until our words become tools in our hands,
With which we can execute our desires…
It is only then that we can speak again.

How I wish I could become a rose
Plucked off by an Iraqi girl…
How I wish I could become a palm tree in whose shade
Sleeps the future ruler of Iraq.
If my tears could remedy wounds,
I would have poured them.
And I would have furnished my ribs
For the sake of a hungry child,
And for the sake of a woman crying, looking for solace in her tears
And for the sake of a child swimming in his blood,
Pleading the sky for mercy,
At times asking for Muhammad, and at others asking for Christ,
But only the voice of today’s Moses is heard.

The shout of Montazer
Is more than just news
Transmitted by pens and press,
And deeper than a cynical cartoon!
I believe it is rage against the oppressor of humans!

Montazer!
Did he defeat the enemies and liberate women?
Did he raise earth to the sky? Or was that the last drop of medicine after a desperate
feeling of failure and loss of hope?

Or was he
Letting out a scream that has been long awaited?
Did his patience surrender and commit suicide?

But how can you lose hope?

Three things must be achieved: patience, learning, and actions--
And it is with these three that dreams are attained.

For after our actions shrank, and our words ran out,
Our soles became our men.

And when souls are oppressed,
Heels, teeth and axes are put to use.

Who will restore our long-standing glory
That was once spread by our ancestors and then lost?
Unable to be returned by our leaders and our soldiers from the hands of destruction.
Who will restore our yesterday
And what has been stolen and looted by the intruder?
Who will restore the One thousand and One Nights
Of Scheherazade in Baghdad
Under the palm gazebos
Under the verandas of the moon?

Montazer, and two roses… not a pair of shoes!!!
Thrown in the face of the ruler of the sky!
In the opinion of some,
They represent the paradigm of knowledge,
And the best of what the media has given birth to,
And the finest of taste
In the art of hospitality.

And we, whose rulers have become dwarfs,
And whose dreams have resigned,
Has our only hope in this life become a shoe?!

Our dreams will be born…
Freedom with marvellous order will resurrect
From the womb of the chaos
That has rotted its people,
Just as decay rots the bones.

Peace will be born!

Your excellencies, the Judges in the court of God,
I ask you in the name of Hammurabi who was the first to enact laws for our humanity,
I ask that you release Montazer!

You, the People of Great Babylon,
And the builders of the earth since the oldest time
I see Iraq breaking free of chains
And destroying summits once again!

I see…
The clouds after their long abandonment
Returning to Iraq with rain
I see the fields becoming green, and the cattle grazing,
And the vineyards flooding with fruit.

And Suddenly!!
I see Iraq rise above its wounds,
Tall,
Searching the winds and the sky
Looking in the clouds
For rain…

And the lightening strikes,
And the thunder roars,
And the rain falls.

Written by: Poet Mr. Youssef Abdul Samad, Translated by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey

Letter to U.S. Border and Security Facilitation

2009-01-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

Published by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC, Canada
January 23, 2009

Dear Executive Director of Border and Security Facilitation of the United States of America,

I am writing this letter as a form of complaint to you or to whomever oversees the laws and regulations on National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEER) procedures in the United States of America.

For many years, I have had to undergo the compulsory registration routine dictated upon me because of my Syrian nationality when entering/exiting your country, as per the requirements of the (NSEER) initiated in September 2002 by George W. Bush as part of the War on Terrorism.

However, on my last exit from the Roosville/U.S. border in Montana on January 6, 2009, things were different.

I was subjected to a degrading body search— I was ordered to pose with both hands spread apart on a metal bar, legs spread apart, body leaning forward, and tolerated the hands of the female officer as she scanned and violated every inch of my body, pressing wherever necessary in order to make certain that I did not carry weapons or whatever else she was searching for! It was indirectly explained that this degradation was inflicted upon me because of my Syrian passport. When I expressed the absurdity of the situation, I was asked verbally “not to flinch” and to cooperate with what was deemed U.S. law. Mind you, my vehicle that was parked outside the building was not searched whatsoever—which, in my opinion, is extremely careless if indeed you were concerned that I posed a threat to your country! Upon leaving, I was handed a “Comment Card” to express my discrepancies with the situation, if I had any. Moreover, I was assured that such search will recurrently take place upon every entry or exit from a U.S. border for as long as I carry a Syrian passport.

On the back of the comment card, the following explanation was written,

"In order to stop illegal entry and the flow of contraband into the United States, CBP needs your cooperation. If you are one of the very few travelers selected for an examination, you will be treated in a courteous, professional, and dignified manner…Enforcement examinations can range from a comprehensive interview, a single luggage emanation up to and possibly including a personal body search. At several major international airports, CBP is offering the option of a body scan instead of a pat down search. Body scan technology allows CBP officers to detect aticles under clothing without having to physically touch an individual. "

Sir, first of all, I would like to make clear that there can be neither “courtesy,” “professionalism,” nor “dignity,” about a search in which my body was violated for no rational explanation.

Upon my return to Canada, I insisted on learning more about the legitimacy of your actions, and my research revealed the following:

As of September 12, 2002 (one year after the 9-11 terrorist bombing), the United States’ Department of Justice declared a notice titled: Registration and Monitoring of Certain Non-immigrants from Designated Countries. The summary goes as follows:

"The Attorney General is authorized by regulation to require… that certain nonimmigrant aliens from specified countries be subject to special registration requirements … Under the most recent public Notice published in 1998, a special registration requirement applies to certain onimmigrant aliens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, and Sudan. The requirements of special registration have recently been … expanded to nonimmigrant aliens from the existing list of designated countries and expands the list of designated countries whose nationals or citizens will be required to comply with these special procedures to include nonimmigrant aliens from Syria."

I have learned that as a Syrian citizen, I am categorized under Call-in Group 1, as labeled by U.S. immigration. Other categories include: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The war on terrorism, as explained by President Bush, is a war that was launched as a result of the 9-11 attacks. However, it is important to note that 15 of the 19 hijackers who were on the airplanes on September 11th were from Saudia Arabia. None were from the countries classified as Group I which include Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan or Syria.

According to Bush, my country is blamed for “harboring terrorism.” Yet, dear Sir, I find it important to highlight that fact that my country has never been involved in any terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, whereas the opposite holds true in the case of the U.S., when on October 26, 2008, the U.S. Army carried out a preemptive raid inside a Syrian village near the Iraqi border, killing at least eight.

Dear Sir, my father who loved his country as much as you love yours, migrated to the United States of America in 1986, and left behind his beloved people, culture, language, and all that was loved by his 70 year-old broken heart. He sacrificed it all so that he could spare his family from undergoing biased discrimination and degradation—an expectation promised by your country’s ideals and principles. Had my father been alive today, he would have shamed you for the way you disgraced his daughter in the name of your country!

I lived on your soil for twenty+ years. My first high school homecoming, my first love, my first day in an American university, my brother’s wedding, my father’s funeral, my wedding, the birth of two of my children, my graduation from a Master’s program, my husband’s graduation with three U.S. Medical Boards (who, I should mention, was also subjected to the same search)—are all memories that I experienced while living on your soil. I would also like to add that I adhered legally to your immigration law for as long as I lived in the United States, a reason for not obtaining U.S. citizenship after 20 years of residence in your country.

My daughter and my son are American citizens, a privilege that I will teach them never to take for granted. My brother is a U.S. citizen and a Hematologist/Oncologist in one of your most reputable cancer centers, and he was one of the people whom, when one of the hurricanes hit Houston, took on the decision of remaining next to his patients’ bedside (your fellow U.S. citizens) while his family evacuated the area.

Dear Sir, do you truly believe that performing a body search, as was done in my case, is in any way a rational or accurate measure for protecting your homeland security, or is it simply a measure taken by your administration to humiliate citizens from designated countries?

Although I am almost certain that my letter will not alter your laws and regulations, I hereby would like to make a simple request. Since my body search is an inevitable recurrent procedure, would it perhaps be possible for a country that has spent billions of dollars on the war on Iraq, to consider purchasing body-scan machines instead of subjecting a lawful citizen to a biased body search by the hands of an officer!

In his inaugural speech, Mr. Barack Obama emphasized the idea of respect for justice and the rights of the individual, rejecting "as false the choice between our safety and our ideals”. My hope is that your new president will bring such meaning back to a country that has, in recent years, lost much of the meaning that it once embodied of democracy and human rights.

My Heart Cries for You, Gaza...

2009-01-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Daily Townsman Newspaper
January 16, 2009
Cranbrook, B.C.
Canada

Joseph was once abandoned by his brothers. And today, you too Gaza, have been abandoned by humanity!

Here in Cranbrook, when we look out of our windows, we see white snow falling over our city. The late Palestinian Mahmoud Darwish once cried, “Black snow falls over our city.” Today Darwish has been spared from seeing the black snow fall over his dear Palestine, yet again!

Since Israel's offensive on Gaza began on 27 December, more than 1,100 Gazans have been killed, 4,400 have been injured, and an estimated 90,000 have fled their homes. More than 40% of those killed in Gaza were women or children, said the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, even though Israel had signed a UN protocol condemning attacks on places where children were likely to be present. Thirteen Israelis have died, three of them civilians. Most disturbingly, according to CBC news, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says he wants to press on with the military campaign for however long it takes.

I spoke by phone with a friend residing in the U.S. whose brother-in-law and aunt, along with their families, are trapped in Gaza today. I asked him about his latest conversation with his family in Gaza. His reply was, “I spoke with them over the weekend. They say that they are okay, and that if they die, they are going to heaven, a much better place than the hell in which they live today. They have nothing to lose. They have now reached the stage where they can say, ‘living is not worth it.’ ”

He further explains, “The atrocities seen by my people today have never been seen before. They are bombarded 24/7. They were not prepared for the attack, as Gaza has been under siege since 2007 with a shortage in water and electricity and with very scarce amounts of food.” He stopped for a short breath filled with sorrow. “I am talking simple things. Bread, water, flour! We are talking about 1.5 million people who are completely trapped and who are being attacked from every direction. They are even sleep-deprived, fearing that their children will be slaughtered by the next shelling.”

As a physician, he also spoke of the unexplained cases that come into Gaza’s one, small hospital. He has been told that some of the patients are coming with minimal external injuries but when taken to the operating rooms, surgeries are revealing unexplained disintegrated organs due to new weapons that have not been seen before. This is in addition to the phosphoric bombs burning the three layers of victims' skin and reaching internal organs—mind you, the use of phosphoric bombs are prohibited from application on humans by international censure, but it has been used on children in Gaza!

He then angrily charged, “This is the Holocaust of the 21st century. Children and women are paying the price for political contention while the world is watching, silently. The world must know that Gaza is becoming another gas chamber!”

Moreover, he spoke with much cynicism of the “precision” of Israel’s U.S.-made F-16s. He asked, “How can one believe that Israel is targeting Hamas with precision in an over-populated area where there is literally a meter or a small alley between overpopulated condensed buildings? How can the Israeli planes assure us they are trying their best to avoid civilian casualties? And does the world truly believe that Hamas leaders are actually in the same buildings as their children, exposing their wives and their families to the horrific deaths that are taking place?”

Were the missiles “precise” when they exploded outside a UN shcool where hundreds of people were taking shelter from the continuing Israeli offensive, leaving 40 civilians dead? Was Israel "precise" when a UN headquarter was "mistakenly" hit yesterday in which 700 people were taking refuge?

Finally, when I asked my friend about what we can do here in Cranbrook to help the people of Gaza, he replied, “What you can do is to start an awareness campaign. I have many friends here in North America, and they are good people who would never approve of such massacre. However, they are at times too busy trying to make ends meet and are unaware of what is happening. Once they are aware, they are destined to spread the message to others—even though this might not make a difference in the current situation, but perhaps people’s awareness will help prevent such a crime from happening again.”

On another note, in his article “Gaza: Worse than a Crime” in our Daily Townsman on Wednesday, Mr. Dyer speaks with great precision on the political and historical facts of the Israeli-Arab discord; however, I would like to comment on his argument in the latter part of his article. Mr. Dyer wrote, “It is pointless to make moral judgment about this war, and foolish to use the body count as an indicator of virtue of blame. About seventy Palestinians have been killed for every Israeli… but this does not mean that the Israelis are in the wrong.” He then continues to quote an Israeli civilian, “‘the only reason there are more victims in Gaza than in Sderot is because Hamas is not good at shooting rockets.’” Mr. Dyer then concludes his argument by saying, “The prospect of a seventy-to-one kill ratio…tells us nothing about either the morality or the utility of war.”

Mr. Dyer, my reply to you is:

I am not going to address the politics of what is just about a war in which Hamas’ sling-shots are contrasted with Israel’s 21st Century war machines bought by U.S. tax payers’ money. But what I would like to say is that I cannot fathom the fact that what is being measured here is a body count, one side being 40% children. What is the definition of morality, Mr. Dyer? The Palestinians have lost hundreds of children – not soldiers – but children and women. Isn’t this by universal definition a severe case of terrorism and immorality? You are correct Mr. Dyer when you say that Israel is not winning by any measure. I also believe they are the losers simply because their attacks and strategies are only bound to be counterproductive, as they are most definitely stirring up yet more hatred and disfiguring the hearts of yet another generation of angry people.

My friends here in Cranbrook and elsewhere, we have to elevate the local tragedy of Gaza to the universe. The planet is watching as children are slaughtered. If you are a mother, a father, a sister or a brother, then you must feel remorse, regardless of political stands. Imagine being in my friend’s place and speaking to your family member by phone in Gaza, not knowing whether or not the next shell will target your nieces and nephews. Imagine being a father or a mother burying your innocent, blameless child—where is Justice? Humans are not meant to outlive their own children!

How can we appease your sorrow, dear Gaza? The doves in your skies have been replaced by steel machines. The laughter of your children is replaced by horror-stuck cries. Your weddings are funerals. Your dreams are shattered. Your children are slaughtered. Your white is black. My heart cries for you, Gaza…

Gaza Bathed in Civilian Blood

2009-01-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash
Published in: The Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC
January 9, 2009

I am not able to write of the smell of Jasmine this week. The only smell that surrounds my words is that of the carcasses of Gaza’s children. My words are bleeding tears for the savage inhumanity that continues to take place in the Gaza strip.

I had intended this week to share with you a degrading experience I underwent at the U.S. border because of my Syrian nationality, but this will have to wait, as my own problem is quite irrelevant when contrasted to that of a child in Gaza who has been living a 13-day nightmare under heavy bombardment from Israeli war machines.

It was reported by BBC yesterday that a medical team found 12 bodies in a shelled house in Gaza, and alongside them four very young children, too weak to stand, waiting by their dead mothers.

Here in Canada, we are unable to hear the terrified voices of the children calling for their mothers to respond to their desperate cries, unaware that their mothers are murdered, and that their horror-struck little hearts are now orphaned. We are also incapable of hearing the voices of mothers screaming in terror with blood-bathed children in their hands, or young men shouting for civilians to allow an automobile to pass amidst the dense, confused, terror-struck masses transporting civilians soaked in blood.

Our media has decided to mute these voices in the Americas. Here, the photos presented by the press and media are usually of an Israeli tank guarded by its soldiers, or of the city of Gaza bombarded from afar, and only here and there, a photo captures a mother crying or a father dazed at the nothingness left of his home and his belongings. My friends, the American and Canadian newspapers and screens are sparing your eyes and ears from witnessing and hearing the horror that is taking place in Gaza at this moment.

It is sickening to reflect on an impotent world during the past 13 days, a world whose impotence has allowed the death of 200 children since December 27. Our leaders, our representatives, the ones whom we have entrusted to act on our behalf have stomached the bloodbaths and are incapable of stopping the massacre of civilians in UN schools and on the streets of Gaza. Our world has truly become a distorted place where everyone’s silence is giving consent to the operation of a war crime!

According to BBC news, about 700 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3,085 injured since the offensive in the past 13 days, and 11 Israeli lives have been lost.

Yet in most of the press reports, one fact is seldom mentioned—the fact that Gaza has been under siege since June 2007 with limited food and only truckloads of medical supplies allowed in, catering to the most densely populated area in the world. It is of critical importance for the world to know that the situation became unbearable after tens of months of being under siege, where the Gaza strip borders have been sealed, and living conditions became suffocating. I do not believe that there is any justification whatsoever for the continuation of this atrocious war on the account of civilian lives, but the facts must be put on the table.

The most cynical piece of information I have read is that according to BBC news, “Any resolution passed by the 192-member general assembly on the conflict would not be binding but the move would carry political and symbolic weight and provide all nations with a chance to voice their views on the crisis for the record.” In other words, regardless of the “weight” of the world, no international order can coerce Israel to stop the shelling!

Mr. Youssef Abdel Samad, a Lebanese American poet writes,

I believe that all of what has been written,
And all that has been preached,
Is worthless,
Because we are living in defeat!
…
If only we can fast from speaking
And proceed silently in actions.

And that is the truth of the matter. The riots, the writing, the speeches, at the end of the day only carry “symbolic weight” as put by the UN, and are only a way of “a chance to voice” our views, but not to act. Simply outrageous!

President-elect Obama has refused to make any substantive comment on the situation in Gaza. "When it comes to foreign affairs it is particularly important to adhere to the principle of one president at a time," he said.

Unfortunately, Mr. President Obama, must we remind you that the “president at the time,” George W. Bush, is buying high-tech Israeli war machines from U.S. taxpayer’s money? I believe that it is quite clear how little mercy he has for civilian lives.

I will unite my voice with that of a Jewish Rabbi protesting the Gaza crime in the streets of the United States, expressing the poignant opposition of the Jews who “have always been living in peace with the Moslems” until a “Zionist State of Israel was formed causing death and destruction for over 50 years.” He shouted through the YouTube screen, “We most profusely apologize to the Arabs and Moslems for what has been done to them…Jews are people who fear God and are forbidden to oppress and kill people.”

To end this article, I will resort to the words of poet Abdel Samad once again, where in his most recent poem he writes on the Iraqi journalist Montazar al-Zaidi who threw his shoes in the face of President George W. Bush. His words are quite relevant to the unjust reality that our humanity is living whether in Iraq or Gaza, or anywhere on the world map for that matter. He writes,

Montazar, and two roses… not a shoe!!!
Thrown in the face of the ruler of the sky!
In the opinion of some,
They represent the paradigm of knowledge,
And the best of what the media has given birth to,
And the finest of taste
In the art of hospitality.

And we, whose rulers have become dwarfs,
And whose dreams have resigned,
Has our only hope in this life become a shoe?!

A Thought for the Holiday Season

2008-12-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: the Daily Townsman Newspaper
Cranbrook, BC
December 19, 2008

This time of year not only adds a colorful luminance to our city, but it also lights up innate, nostalgic emotions in the hearts of many, several of whom are immigrants to this country. For immigrants, some of these emotions are partly expressive of the gratitude that they feels toward the countless blessings that this country provides, and others depict a longing, a nostalgia for all that each of them left behind, thousands of miles away.

Let us begin with bringing to light the blessings one has in this country, not only for immigrants, but also for everyone who is privileged enough to be born Canadian—a right that should never be taken for granted.

When I visit my home country of Syria during the summer, I am often asked by inquisitive Syrians, young and old, about what life is like in Canada. Looking back from afar at our beautiful Cranbrook, many recollections come to mind.

I speak of the Rocky mountains fencing our town, and of the different gowns they wear—a lush green one in the spring and summer, one that is dark green mixed with stunning different shades of yellow and orange in the fall, and a thick white gown during the cold weather for a long celebration of a winter wedding, inviting everyone - Canadian and international - to take part and ski down its whiteness.

I speak of the Canadian friends I have made—of their generosity, their bottles of wine which are anxiously awaiting to be opened for visitors, of their tolerance and curiosity to learn about what lies outside their borders, of their constant celebration of nature and outdoor activities, and I speak of the smell of the Canadian air they breath— of its crispiness and its cleanliness.

To be a Canadian is a dream that many cannot fathom elsewhere in the world. Canada is about the concrete democracy in which you live, where your leaders answer to the people and tip-toe to win your approval, not the reverse as it is in much of the rest of the world. It is about the constitutional democracy that invites each of its citizens to become active participants in the building of its nation. … How I wish your democracy for our world!

Canada is about the freedom to everything—to voice, to choose, to prefer, to oppose, to favor, and the list can forever continue. It is a freedom that allows you to desire and to dream, and most importantly, it is a place where your dreams can come true. When juxtaposed with the rest of the world, Canada becomes a place with insignificant hurdles, especially when contrasted to the hierarchical, undemocratic, dictatorial systems of our world that hinder the realization of many dreams and desires. … How I wish your freedom for our world!

To live in your country is about living in a country that is far from war, or even the threat of war. Look around our world and see how much war and slaughter is taking place. Try for a moment to close your eyes and to feel the pain of an Afghani girl who was attacked with acid simply because she was walking to school to seek education, or an Iraqi who has lost countless family members to “collateral damage,” or an Indian who has lost a loved one to a senseless brutal attack in the name of religion during the recent bombings, and on and on and on. Now let us open our eyes and look around. If you are unable to witness the stunning white Rockies from your window as I am able to at this moment, then step outside, breathe the air, and look at a sky free from the contamination of war. … How I wish your safety and security upon our world!

Yet for all the many different reasons that immigrants have left their home countries, it is fascinating to reflect on the fact that regardless of the harsh or unjust reality that they escaped, their countries will forever be remembered with a deep longing and nostalgia.

Perhaps one of most saddening realizations to immigrants is that their countries, the home of their parents and their memories, are living a real exodus. Everyone who can obtain a ticket on the train travelling to the West will jump on without hesitation—a phenomenon known in the West as “The Brain Drain.” And even though we, Canadian immigrants, chose to be passengers on that departing train, the reality of what is left behind will forever be disheartening.

It is especially during this time of the year that immigrants experience a yearning to be amongst family and loved ones who are thousands of miles apart. It is a longing to be with parents who have become temporary visitors in life and whom are forbidden the right to celebrate a holiday season with their children and grandchildren. For an Arab, it is a yearning for a tradition of pouring Turkish coffee and passing out a box of Baklava to the countless number of visitors who knock on the door to express their wishes for a happy and healthy season. And, as I have learned from my South African friends in our community, this season stirs up a yearning for celebrating, as South African Laurika Rauch sings, “Another Christmas under the sun,” amid children jumping in warm pool water and tables set with salads and cold meat since it is too hot to cook during this time of the year.

The price that we immigrants have paid to be in this country is high, but the return is priceless. Let the consolation for our longing be the realization of what we have in this dreamland of a country. And, as the Canadians sing, “May God keep our land [Canada] glorious and free” this holiday season and for always, and may its blessings overflow and fill empty cups in our world.

My Country Smells of Jasmine

2008-12-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

Written by: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Cranbrook Daily Townsman Newspaper
Cranbrook, BC
December 12, 2008

Today, my dear Cranbrook friends, I am inviting you on a tour of my home country, Syria, one of the most ancient in civilizations. My country is advertised on U.S. headlines and bulletins as one that harbors terrorism and threatens world peace. But the truth lies far from these misrepresentations. In this article, I would like to ask you to step back from all that you have heard of Syria and allow me to take you on a short journey to a country that, in my biased opinion, possesses a charm like no other country alive.

My country smells of jasmine. Many poets in history have written about Damascus, the capital of Syria, and no one fails to mention the white jasmines peeking out from balconies and stretching along the walls of the buildings and homes, spreading their fragrance to perfume the city. Nizar Qabbani, a world renowned Syrian poet, wrote, “I am not able to write on Damascus, without jasmines spreading like vines on my fingers… Damascus is not a city resembling heaven; it is heaven.”

French archaeologist and historian Andre Parrot said on Syria, “Every cultured man belongs to two nations: his own and Syria.” And, UNESCO World Heritage Center wrote that Damascus "represent[s] a masterpiece of human creative genius."

Founded in the 3rd millennium B.C., Damascus remains the oldest inhabited capital in the world and is often described as the cradle of civilization since many of the great human achievements had their beginnings in ancient Syria and spread across the world.

The city has some 125 monuments from different periods of its history – one of the most spectacular is the 8th century Great Mosque of the Umayyads, built on the site of an Assyrian sanctuary. And until today, this mosque stands in dignity and honor, showing off its engraved mosaic walls and glass-stained windows, and hosting hundred of pigeons on its sacred grounds to pray and rest amongst the feet of Syrians and tourists alike. It is also in this mosque that the tomb of John the Baptist has been resting for thousands of years.

In my country, the first ancient alphabets of the Near East grew into Aramaic and then Hebrew, and finally Arabic and the modern Latin script that you're reading! Jesus spoke Aramaic, a language that still lives today and is the language of worship in Syrian Orthodox churches in the city of Maaloula and Saydnaya. Today, in my country, the words of Jesus are exactly as He spoke them amongst the Christian community, one that is still thriving after 2000 years. In the northern city of Aleppo, in the year 2000 B.C., Abraham is said to have milked his cow, giving the city its name, Halab (“to milk” in Arabic). And in Damascus, one can walk the Straight Street, the same street that St. Paul once walked as "the road to Damascus."

It is in my country that one can experience the awe of standing next to the ruins of different civilizations that were part of world history, and more importantly, that illustrate a significant stage in human history. In any corner of the country, one might be standing next to a Roman arch built centuries before Christ, or buying a table cloth from a shop once built by the Ottomans, or dining in a Damascene home that has been turned into a restaurant with its court yards, fountains, and building structures unscathed and taking its visitors on a journey hundreds of years into history.

In addition to the magnificent architecture that is often captured in the many different tourist publications and sites, there exists a phenomenon that I have never come across in the West. It is of the flat cemented roofs in Syrian homes, specifically in smaller towns, where they are left vacant with a few columns to support awaiting homes of generations to come. These homes-to-be are to become the future homes of the children whom are traditionally expected to live on a new 2nd floor, and sometimes 3rd and 4th, depending on the number of children in the house.
In my country, it is extremely rare to find nursing homes, as children intuitively assume the responsibility of taking care of their elderly parents. It is unprecedented to place a father or a mother in a nursing home, as siblings compete to recruit the blessed presence of their parents as they become old and fragile. This specific trait is often, if not always, carried on by Arab immigrants living in the West as it remains taboo in our culture to place our parents in a nursing home. My brother, a medical student and a medical resident in the U.S. at the time, along with my mother, cared for my father who was bed-ridden for a number of years. Nothing in life, medical school or otherwise, would have prevented my brother, who was raised in the United States and married to an American, from making this honorable choice carried on by our Syrian heritage.

Before I come to an end with this article, although much more could have been said, I must write about our Syrian cuisine. In any corner on the streets of Damascus, not necessarily in a commercial setting but in the bottom floor of an apartment building that was perhaps once built by the Romans or Turks, one is likely to find a food stand. These are tiny spaces that have been transformed into commercial kitchens that cook Shawerma (better known as Gyros), Falafel sandwiches, or Fatayer (sesame breads pasted with cheese, thyme, spinach or meat), and whose aromas lure locals and tourists from miles afar.

Syrian women with arms decorated to the elbows in clanging gold bracelets are always ardent to show off their skills of transforming vegetables into delicious stuffed squashes, eggplants, and green peppers, or rolling grape leaves into delicious stuffed dolmades. Mulberries (Tout Shamy) are squeezed into a juice that has become an imprint of Damascus. And rose water is one of the ingredients sprinkled into our desserts just as it used to cleanse faces and to perfume newborn babies. Nizzar Qabbani also wrote of the herbs that are known to come from our country,
For tarragon is a language that only the gardens of Damascus speak
It is our sacred herb . . .
Our perfumed eloquence
And if your great poet Shakespeare had known of tarragon
His plays would have been better.

In my country, history is alive—it is a preserved past and modern present walking alongside with joined hands. And my friends, I invite you to consider one day visiting, feeling, touching, tasting, smelling my country which is also your origin - the origin of humanity - a peaceful land whose people are known for their generosity and hospitality.

Still Combating Stereotypes in the 21st Century!

2008-12-05T05:23:00.000-08:00

By: Ghada Al Atrash
Published in The Daliy Townsman
Cranbrook, BC
December 5, 2008

Despite the fact that our world has never been as globally connected as it is today, there still remains many stereotypes engraved in the minds of people about different cultures and nationalities that are persistently defying all other efforts to create a unified humanity. Yet, to combat these stereotypes is a task of untangling a complex, intertwined knot of misconceptions and myths. It is the un-programming of minds that have been encoded for generations with false information.

This is where many of us, of all cultures and backgrounds, find ourselves today—trying to unravel the stereotypes and to present the truth. This task is of critical importance to every citizen in our globe as the divide between people, based on misunderstanding, is causing much strife and conflict.

From my personal experience as an Arab woman raised in the West for more than twenty years, I find myself constantly defying the stereotypes that have categorized me and my fellow Arab women as suppressed, oppressed, or imprisoned behind a veil.

The worst experience that I have faced came from a Graduate Professor in New Jersey who, in the presence of a full class of graduate students, voiced his presumption that Arab women must be the most gratifying sexually because of their submissive characteristics. Other questions that I have been asked, although nowhere as distasteful as the latter comment, are: “So when you go back for a visit to the Middle East, do you have to wear a veil and cover your hair?”, or “Can women drive there?” or “Do women work in your country?” and the list continues.

Yet, what I have come to understand is that such questions are posed because of ignorance of the truth. They are, as discussed in my previous article on hegemony in the West, misconceptions created by the one-sided misrepresentations and constant distribution of misinformation by all different kinds of institutions, whether political, educational, religious, or media outlets.

In turn, a counterpart must come into play to battle the existing façade. First, and most importantly, it is crucial for each of us, of the West or East alike, to understand that standards and expectations vary drastically between different cultures, as in the one example concerning women. We cannot judge the Other side through our own cultural lenses as the result will immediately be biased and misleading. We should be aware of our prejudiced lens, and, more importantly, we must try to look beyond it. A veiled woman might be looked upon with pity and sympathy from Western perspective, whereas, in truth, my Syrian mother-in-law would never shed her veil, even if she were given all the freedom and choices, as it represents her identity, and moreover, her dignity and honor.

Second, one must know that no culture can be grouped under one domain. Within a culture there exists many different religious, political, and historical backgrounds and affiliations. For example, not all Arabs are Muslims, and not all Muslims are Arabs. Not all Arab women are veiled. And, although there are many cases of oppressed Arab women in the Arab world, there are many others who, whether Muslim or Christian, play important roles in Arab societies as they are doctors, lawyers, teachers, architects, pharmacists, actresses, poets, writers, educators, and even political leaders. Moreover, let us not forgot that the oppression of women is a global issue, hardly limited to the Arab world.

One brilliant example that comes to mind of how an Arab woman is fighting the stereotypes of the Arab world is Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan. I was recently forwarded a YouTube video indicating that on November 13, 2008 the First YouTube Visionary Award was bestowed to Queen Rania in honor for her efforts, via online video launched in March 2008, to break the stereotypes and misconceptions associated with the Arab and Muslim communities.

The YouTube Visionary Award was established to recognize those who use YouTube as a global platform for positive social change and to advance humane principles in innovative, thought-provoking ways.

"Queen Rania sets the standard for breaking down stereotypes and her YouTube videos are nothing short of inspirational," said YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley. "It is both a pleasure and an honor to present her with this much-deserved tribute."

Queen Rania is one immediate example I can present to my readers as an illustration of the counter-representation of what is already perceived of an Arab woman. She is liberated vs. oppressed, assertive vs. submissive, progressive vs. traditional, and modern vs. conservative.

Speaking beautiful Western English, the Arab-Jordanian Queen accepts her YouTube award by parodying the famous Top 10 format from U.S. Comedian David Letterman—an excellent example of a counterpart to the stereotype of Arab women being submissive. She explains, with wit and cynicism, that the 10 reasons for launching her YouTube website are:

“#10. Because I didn’t have enough friends on Facebook.
#9. Because anything Queen Elizabeth can do, I can do better.
#8. Because I was tired of people thinking Jordan was a basketball player…
#7. Because Barack Obama said, “Yes we can!” So I thought, “So can I!”, and by the
way, congratulations America.
#6. Because my original idea of “Where the Hell is Her majesty?” has already been taken…
#5. Because I wouldn’t have got past an audition in front of Simon Cowell…
#4. Because I couldn’t get a camel on a skateboard…
#3. Because what you should know about Arabs shouldn’t just come from Jack Bauer…
#2. Because if Madonna can get millions of hits cleaning the floor…
#1. Because suspicion, intolerance, and mistrust are driving us apart.”

You may listen to this YouTube by visiting http://www.youtube.com/user/QueenRania. I highly encourage all of my readers, especially those in the West, to take the time to visit this website, not only because they will find the video quite witty and entertaining, but also because it captures the counter-representation of what is misrepresented, and it bridges the gap between Eastern and Western cultures by examining the increasing involvement of women in the Middle East workforce, and on a more general scope, it debunks the misguided assumptions about Muslims and Arabs.

Before I bring this article to an end I must mention that the West is also strongly misrepresented in the East. On the other side of our globe, Westerners, specifically of the North American continent, are lumped under a stereotyped category of an American mass that is commonly characterized by political ignorance and disregard for the rest of the world, especially in the past few years where unjustifiable wars have been launched by the U.S. on other countries solely to serve the imperial interests of those in power.

The most important point I want to drive across to my readers today is that because of our inter-connected global system, there are now numerous ways to present original points of views to millions, if not billions, of people, and to breakdown cultural barriers and stereotypes. My hope is that we will all become active-participants, and as importantly, active-listeners, in the cause of building bridges across cultures so that we can help offset the misunderstandings that result from misinformation and misrepresentations done by others. Each voice can make a difference in our global conversation and can shine a light of truth on harmful stereotypes.

2008-11-30T22:07:00.000-08:00

Is the Media Thinking for Us?

By: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC
November 28, 2008

A notion of critical importance I learned in my graduate studies and one that is seldom heard in mainstream vocabulary is hegemony. Hegemony, as defined by philosopher and political theorist Antonio Gramsci, is the idea of how authority is capable of maintaining control over the public, not only through political and economic coercion and force, but also, as in the example of American culture, by ideological means where the values of those in power become the “common sense” values of all people.

A number of apparatuses can facilitate establishing a hegemonic culture—the media, education, and the church. In this article, I will address how the media, specifically in the United States, has been a treacherous device in spreading false misrepresentations to their viewers. U.S. media is owned by less than a dozen companies whose opinions, without opposition, are molding the ideology of the people. These major media conglomerates are the most powerful entities in our planet today. What we must question is whose opinions are they representing and in whose interest are they working?

As an Arab raised in the United States of America, I have been witness to how hegemony was constantly applied throughout the country, and more importantly, how the power of media is abused, in the hands of those in authority. U.S. foreign policy has always been trying to change the entire Middle East and the Arab world, perhaps extinguish certain countries, and install regimes beneficial for their imperial interests. And the way in which they have justified their actions and gained their public’s overwhelming support is by creating a hegemonic culture.

The media has been the most convenient device used to create this culture. They play the role of a biased, one-sided orator relaying their depiction of the East, whether factual or distorted, to an unquestioning, trusting Western public. Their stories are extended into almost all American homes during every hour of the day. And it is their take on the stories that shapes and molds the mind of virtually every citizen.

If one looks closely at the news, it is quite evident how Western press, in particular the media, is always explicitly speculating about latest conspiracies of the Middle East. A high percentage of Americans still believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction before the start of the war, and that Iraq provides direct support to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Is the Other side ever heard? A U.S. air strike on a village leaves civilian women and children torn to pieces, all under the banner of liberation. Does Western media represent an Iraqi mother speaking of the horrifying reality her country is living under? Can you imagine the cynicism she must feel toward a media presenting the slaughter of her family as liberation?

Yet some of the public still fantasizes about a new Iraq and Afghanistan and support sending their future generations to a military graveyard because they have simply bought into what the media, and on a deeper level, what their authorities are telling them.

A study released by American University's School of Communications revealed that media outlets acknowledged they self-censored their reporting on the Iraq invasion out of concerns about public reaction to graphic images and content.

If the media were conscientious, they would have shown the true face of war. War is inhumane. It is brutal. On its grounds, blood is shed, bodies torn into pieces, women and children killed, families extinguished, and villages razed. I truly believe that if this true representation of war were told to Americans, they would have never chosen to re-elect someone who decides on war as an answer to conflict. Americans are very humane people whose charity reaches throughout the world—they would be devastated were they to be shown the true face of war, but tragically, U.S. media is by no means living up to its responsibility.

Even on a personal level, it is quite astounding to me how every time I visit the U.S. via land border, as it is a convenient 45 minute drive for us who live in Cranbrook, the same scenario is repeated—once the officers in the building realize that I hold a Syrian passport, the level of alert in the building instantly rises to red and everyone scatters to make certain that all the special registration requirements are performed and all the correct questions are asked. Mind you, Syria has no record of terrorism throughout U.S. history, nor was anyone on the 9/11 attack of Syrian nationality; in fact, they are of other nationalities that do not submit to the same interrogation simply because their countries serve U.S. objectives. Once again, the media has made certain that every time the word “Syria” is pronounced that it is associated with terrorism, and they have certainly achieved the desired effect.

Let us understand that what has been successfully created in the West is a hegemonic culture where the public voluntarily, not by force or coercion, support the values of those in power because the other side is censored, subverted, and in most cases, silenced.

Even though there is a pseudo notion of a variety of opinion depicted, in truth, there is neither real dissent nor an alternative source of facts accessible to the mass. One example is Al-Jazeera's English language television that has gained strong viewership across Europe and in parts of Asia, Australia — and even Israel, according to station executives and local companies that carry it. But no major cable or satellite provider in the United States is carrying the channel, a decision the network blames on political pressure. Al-Jazeera's only U.S. carriers are a small provider in Houston; a French satellite provider; and local providers in Ohio, Vermont and Washington D.C. Al-Jazeera English Managing director Nigel Parsons stated, "It's extraordinary that while the rest of the world is happy to watch us ... the U.S. stands in splendid isolation.” The irony here is that this position is taken by what is believed to be the most democratic country in the world.

U.S. history is saturated with examples on how the media has deliberately distorted and mis-represented facts to serve the interests of those in power. What I would like to achieve in this article is to challenge my readers to be critical recipients of whatever is presented their way, whether via media, church, or education, and to always give the Other side a chance to speak for themselves. Let not information be deposited into our minds, but let us use our minds to question and critically think of what the motives might be behind the presented information.

2008-11-30T22:03:00.000-08:00

The Struggle of Identity for Immigrants

By: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Daily Townsman Newspaper
Cranbrook, BC
Novermber 21, 2008

As an Arab raised in the United States of America, the question of identity played an important role in my formation as an individual. My parents’ relentless struggle was to make certain that their culture and their beliefs were a part of my makeup and identity in a foreign Western society. The West ignited a deep fear in their hearts. Their concern lied in the uncertainty of what could become of their children who neither fully shared their old beliefs nor were completely a part of the new culture, but rather a third culture, an amalgam of the old and the new. And it is this third culture, the hybrid product of the fusion between two cultures and identities, which I will discuss in my article today.

This hybrid product is often looked at by many immigrants as a negative connotation insinuating the denial of the traditions of the past to continue. However, after living in the West for more than twenty years, I have come to believe otherwise. The hybrid product is rather the continuation of the mutual development of the old and the new. It is a beautiful blend of the two cultures – taking the best from both worlds.

There are certainly legitimate reasons for immigrant parents to shrink away from the Western culture that threatens to envelope them. Once in the West, they begin to realize that they are in danger of losing their old traditions and identity, and in turn, they become uncompromisingly determined to preserve and renew the traditions of their past, and moreover, expect their children to embrace their mythic memory and the utopian past that they themselves have left behind.

It is also of critical importance for the natives of any country not to misunderstand the behavior of immigrants. What might be seen as anti-social behavior or perhaps looking down on a local culture, is simply an instinctive reaction by immigrants based on the fear of the unknown and unfamiliar.

Furthermore, I believe that the question of identity is not only applicable to my situation as an Arab raised in the West, but also, on various levels, poses a struggle to everyone who lives within our multicultural global society today, regardless of background or nationality. It is a question that presses each of us to reflect on our makeups, and to search for answers on whom we are and what constructs our beings. All parents, including local natives to a country, naturally long to instill their views and family traditions in their children. In the same way, immigrants, perhaps on a more conscientious level, seek to teach their children their cultural values and beliefs—a much more complicated task as their values are nowhere to be found in their new surroundings.

A movie which remarkably captures the struggle for identity in a new environment is The Namesake. This movie is based on a novel by Jhumpa Lahiri in which an Indian family tirelessly struggles to preserve its old Indian identity in a new existence in the United States of America. The main character in the movie is Gogol Ganguli, a second generation Indian boy raised in Massachusetts. Gogol’s parents are Indian immigrants who moved to the U.S., making it their new home, and they struggle to raise their son and daughter as Indians in a Western society. As a teenager in the United States searching for his new identity, Gogol is relentlessly trying to shed his parents’ Indian identity. He struggles with his name throughout his high school years and is eager to change it to “Nick” upon his arrival to the university. Throughout his years in University, he rids himself of everything Indian and embraces the American culture and traditions of his American college girlfriend, a lifestyle that he clings to with much admiration and wonder.

However, after the death of his father, Gogol is suddenly awakened to the loss of his Indian identity, one that he carelessly neglected, but nonetheless makes up half of his identity. In turn, Gogol desperately tries to reclaim his Indianness and searches in despair for the “old” in his makeup. He shaves his head in recognition of his father’s death, an Indian tradition that is no longer expected from the second generation, and moreover, he desperately participates in all of the Indian funeral rituals to make up for the guilt and shame he feels towards the neglect of a father, and, in turn, of a culture and identity.

Here, I would like to bring into our discussion a notion often discussed in literature, and relevant within the context of our article, known as “cultural diversity.” This notion calls for the recognition of pre-given cultural contents acquired form one’s past, and further examines how the intermix of the pre-given components with the present is what yields each collective identity in a multicultural humanity.

It is important for us to keep in mind that the pre-given / old that we hold onto is safe and preserved in our identity, and is, furthermore, part of the new fusion of cultures. Why not reflect on the hybridized cultural product as strength rather than weakness? Gogol, in the Namesake, is a representation of that amalgam, the mutuality of Indian and Western culture, one that allows for the past to emerge into a developed, refined, and growing product.

It is also established in the movie that the continuous effort by the parents to create an Indian culture in the West for their children was a genuine but failed effort. Home to Gogol is belonging and familiarity. It is not the abstract culture that he was told of through stories and tales, but it is the tangible, concrete reality that he lives in—it is the hybrid reality that has developed from the fusion of cultures.

The Namesake comes as a positive enlightenment to each of us parents whom are in a similar position, regardless of our nationality. We must learn, and further accept, that it impossible to be solely the old in a new existence. However, what is possible is to preserve that old while embracing the new. Even Gogol’s mother, who was an embodiment of the Indian identity throughout the movie, ironically chooses to spend the rest of her life after the death of her husband travelling back and forth between India and the United States, hence balancing the Indian and the Western, her past and present, the old and the new, in a hybrid third space.
An excerpt from Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet sums up my thoughts. Without any reference to a specific nationality or identity, Gibran writes,

Your children are not your children…
They come through you but not from you,
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts…
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

2008-11-30T21:59:00.000-08:00

"Mother" in Arabic Literature

By: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in The Daily Townsman
Cranbrook, BC
November 17, 2008

This week, I choose to share with my readers a cultural contrast between my Arab heritage and that of Western society. One notable phenomenon that exists in the Arab world and less common in the West is poetry and song dedicated to a mother. Even though a love for one’s mother is a universal feeling whether in the West or the East, it was not easy for my Western friends to recall a song devoted to a mother. However, it has always been quite common in our Arab social gatherings to hear and sing songs dedicated to mothers where tears are stimulated and nostalgias are awakened in the hearts of all ages.

Most songs heard in the West speak a dialogue, nostalgia, or some form of feelings expressed by a lover to his or her beloved. There is much of that as well in Arabic poetry and song, where the word habeeby / habeebty (masculine and feminine for my beloved) is heard many times within one song. However, in addition to poetry dedicated to a beloved, Arab men and women, young and old, grow up reciting and singing poetry dedicated to their mothers.

There exists many terms for the word “mother” in Arabic, varying from within Arab countries throughout the Middle East and Africa. Some of the numerous ways to call a mother in Arabic are: mama, ummi, yama, yumma, yammi, ummah, and the list continues. Motherhood in the Arab world is looked upon as the most desired occupation that a woman can have. Most Western women make a conscious decision as to whether or not they want children, whereas in the Arab world motherhood is a given, along with any other career they might want to pursue.

In Islam, much has been said about a mother. One of the most popular phrases by put forth by Muslim Prophet Mohammad is: “Heaven lies at the feet of mothers” (الجنة تحت اقدام الأمهات). And when asked who was closest to his heart, the Muslim Prophet responded, “My mother, they my mother,” implying that his mother alone is the closest. This phrase is often written in calligraphy or engraved in mosaic, and is commonly displayed on walls within Arab homes. Furthermore, the Muslim Prophet’s response has become the title to a modern song sung today in Egyptian Arabic dialect by a select group of the most famous pop Arab singers--“My Mother Then My Mother.”
In Lebanon, the legendary voice of Arab Lebanese Fairuz brings to song the words of Lebanese poet Said Akl, a song also sung by millions of Arabs, young and old. In his poem, “Ummi,” Akl describes the eternal feelings of childhood present in all humans towards their mothers. He writes,
Mother… My angel, my love that will remain eternallyAnd your hands are still my cradle, and I am still a child… Mother, you are a rose in whose scent I am lostAnd when I say your name, I am captivated, I fly… My mother is the beat of my heart… my cry when I am in pain…
Along the same lines, Lebanese-American Khalil Gibran expresses his love for his mother as he writes, "Mother is everything in this life; She is consolation in time of sorrowing, and hope in time of grieving and power in moments of weakness. She is the fountainhead of compassion, tolerance and forgiveness. He who loses his mother loses a bosom upon which he can rest his head, the hand that blesses and eyes which watch over him."
As for Arab Palestinian mothers, I believe that they poignantly fall within the category of those women suffering most in the world, living in volatile war zones. U.S. President elect Barack Obama was quoted in March 2007 to have said, “No one is suffering more than the Palestinian people.” I would like to take President-elect Obama’s comment a step further within the context of this article, and to draw attention to the Palestinian mother specifically. They are mothers whose husbands have been arrested or killed, and whose children are at risk to die at every moment. They are women whose emotions are exposed, and moreover, tortured on a daily basis. Palestinian poet Naomi Shihab Nye writes, “My grandmother’s voice says nothing can surprise her.” These women are helpless and are constantly expecting the worst. Perhaps another mother comparable to the Palestinian is her counterpart, the Jewish mother, who also faces the same fears and lives under the same circumstances.

Also within the Palestinian context, a very famous poem comes to mind, sung by Lebanese singer Marcel Khalifeh, and is one that never fails to stimulate tears and tenderness in the hearts of Arabs across the world. The poem is titled “To My Mother” and is written by the famous national Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. In this poem, Darwish’s mother symbolizes his longing for the past, for his childhood, for her love and consoling touch. He writes,

I long for my mother’s bread
And for my mother’s coffee
And for my mother’s touch
…And I love my life because
If I died, I would be ashamed of my mother’s tears.

Furthermore, to Darwish, a mother is also the sacred embodiment of God. She stands for purity, and even holiness. He writes,

Take me, if I return one day,As a handkerchief for your lashesAnd cover my bones with grassBaptized by the purity of your heel…Perhaps I will become a godA god I would becomeIf I touched the core of your heart

Many other Arabic songs and poems have been dedicated to mothers of other Arab nationalities, but because of limited space I choose to end my article with the words of Arab Iraqi famous singer Sadoon Jaber as he sings yet another song dedicated to a mother. My heart goes out to the Iraqi mothers today whose children have been slaughtered, whose husbands have been killed, and whose homes have been destroyed for simply no good reason. Jaber sings,

I learned patience from you Yumma
You are the air, and I have to breathe air
You are the most cherished creation
…Her heart is the sea, Ummi
Peace and goodness, Ummi.

May patience fill the hearts of the Iraqi mothers, and may peace fall upon all other mothers across the globe as change is finally promising to happen and hope is again flickering. And may we continue to sing to our mothers, not only across Arab countries, but also throughout the world.

2008-11-30T21:54:00.000-08:00

Here in Cranbrook, A Man with A Cause: Dr. Bob Cutler

By: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Daily Townsman Newspaper
Cranbrook, BC
October 31, 2008

Palestinian poet, Ghassan Kanafani, once wrote, “Man is a cause.” There is a myriad of causes in our global world pleading to be taken up by men and women. Today’s poverty is only worsening, crime and violence are escalating, and war is happening in all corners of our globe. We are quite privileged to be in a community that is isolated from these realities, but we must not take this fact for granted. We must, each and every one of us, take on a cause in life, whatever it may be, and contribute to relieving the suffering of humanity.

One man whose name first comes to mind in our community as a man with a cause, a man who embodies the meaning of humanity in all sense of the word, is Dr. Bob Cutler.

I had the privilege to visit with Dr. Cutler a few days ago and travel his fascinating, and more importantly, inspiring journey in life—a story which I would like to share with my readers for two reasons: one, to use it as a reminder that good still exits in the midst of our turmoiled, fractioned world; and two, to motivate the rest of us to participate in making a difference in the world.

Dr. Cutler begins his story by narrating how he comes from a wealthy background in which his family dedicated their life and energy to the farm. However, he was in search of more in life. He didn’t care to be “rich.” He expresses, “Rich people don’t have their priorities straight.” In turn, he sought the third world to escape his materialistic surroundings, and to find meaning in life.

Dr. Cutler’s dream of being involved in third world medicine began back when he was in his third year of medical school in 1976, but because of a number of obstacles, his dream did not materialize until 2001 when he took his first trip to Haiti. “From that point on, I was hooked,” he smiles.

During his first day of clinic in Haiti, Dr. Cutler woke up at 4 a.m., worried if anyone would show up at the enclave he stayed at. Only one flier was posted on a door of a building to announce their free medical services. But to his astonishment, more than 500 people were lined up the next morning, and as this response was utterly unexpected, they quickly ran out of medicine and supplies.

On his way back home from Haiti, Dr. Cutler stopped at a hotel in Montreal. He explained that as he turned on the T.V., he was astounded and literally nauseated by the drastic contrast between Canada and that which he left behind in Haiti: Sitcoms versus people starving or laying dead on the streets.

Year after year, Dr. Cutler would return to Haiti only to realize that he was to encounter the same people, with the same starved faces, wearing the same worn shirts. “Only then, it dawned on me that this was not just a crisis but this was the life of these people,” he poignantly expresses.

He recalled “his most memorable moment” at a ward of 20 to 30 children, under the age of 4, dying of AIDS, TB or a combination of the two, and described that there was one agitated child that clung unto him more than any of the others, soothed only by laying his fragile head against Dr. Cutler’s chest. In turn, Dr. Cutler took on the task of feeding this child basic cornmeal and gravy. He wasn’t sure of either the sex or the age of this child, as they all had the same uniform, thin, skeletal appearance. While the child was being fed, he/she pointed to that tasty gravy and moved the cornmeal to the side of the plate. At that moment Dr. Cutler realized that this child, who was clearly intelligent and could have perhaps become a name elsewhere, would die soon after their encounter without a trace of his existence. He then goes on to say, “If you have a heart that beats and you have held a child before, then you would know the pain I felt, and consequently, my reason to continue doing what I do.”

Dr. Cutler has gone on 10 trips to Haiti and is scheduled to go on his eleventh this spring. Each trip amounts to donating 14 days of free medical services, medicine, and at times, surgeries. His last trip was cancelled due to the high level of violence caused as a result of the global food crisis. Along with his partner in this Haitian cause, Rick Klassen, he is accompanied by a number of volunteers, medical and of other vocations. Approximately, $85,000 was raised last year at the Hungry for Life Haiti Fundraiser, all of which was donated by members of our generous Cranbrook community. “Nadia, the most recent Haitian sponsored for heart surgery, has just celebrated her 20th birthday,” he expressed with fulfillment.

Finally, my favorite quote of the interview was a response to my question about how can we, as a community and as human beings, walk in his steps and partake in a cause. His reply was, “There is no shortage of misery in our world.” He further explains that short of being involved physically, the best way is to donate money, as there is a real problem in shipping “stuff” abroad. Yet, he stresses that, as his friend Dr. Chuck Buckley summoned after a trip along with Dr. Cutler, “It is only real when you can do both—donating and participating.” Moreover, he explains that it is quite important to remember that even though generosity begins at home, there is a vivid difference in the definition of “needs” when contrasting the needs of a Canadian to a Haitian, pointing to the fact that one third of the people in Haiti are dying because of some degree of starvation.

To end my article, I find it appropriate to bring in the words of Canadian music artist Sarah McLachlan from her song “World on Fire,” in which she raised approximately $150,000 in donations toward third-world poverty by forgoing the recording of a traditional, costly music video and instead showing what she was able to do with that money in poor villages around the world. She sings,

The world is on fireIt's more than I can handleI'll tap into the waterTry and bring my shareTry to bring more, more than I can handleBring it to the tableBring what I am able ...

Hence, my friends let us do what we are able. Let us walk in the steps of the example of Dr. Cutler and be men / women with causes in life. We are so blessed and we can do so much. And I ask you to, as Lebanese poet Gibran Kahlil writes,

…Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not
your inheritors'.

2008-11-30T21:51:00.000-08:00

A Message of Awareness to our Children

By: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Daily Townsman Newspaper
Cranbrook, BC
November 7, 2008

As children across Canada begin their endeavor to submit Christmas wish-lists, I would like to bring to mind, and more importantly, ignite awareness, of those children living in other parts of our globe. The contrast between the children of the East with those of the West, specifically between North America and the rest of the world, is drastic. Where one side is starved, famished, and hopeless, the other is overflowing, bountiful, and overjoyed. The lists of Christmas wishes here in Canada vary from iPods to Wiis to Nintendo games, and on and on. However, I ask my readers to contemplate for a moment on what a 3rd world impoverished child would desire for Christmas. UNICEF statistics explain that there are 2.2 billion children living in our world today, and 1 billion of them –meaning every 2nd child- live in poverty. It is quite cynical to think of an actual “Christmas list” in the tiny desperate hands of those children. Next to the simple survival needs of food, water and shelter, perhaps their dream would be to simply taste a chocolate chip cookie.
As we speak, UNICEF reports that the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is disastrous, where up to 100,000 people - around 60 per cent of which are children - have fled their homes due to heavy fighting between armed groups in North Kivu last week. The situation of newly displaced children and women is desperate. Thousands have had very little to eat since fleeing. Hundreds of children are presumed to have been separated from their families, forced to fend for their survival on their own. The school year that had just started has been disrupted for tens of thousands of children for the second year in a row. Malaria, the largest killer of children in DRC, is even more of a threat as the displaced are exposed in the open with little to protect themselves from disease-carrying mosquitoes. Displaced children are highly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, violence, and recruitment into armed groups. At one site, UNICEF delivered 15,000 biscuits to children; however, it was reported that the distribution of food among the displaced children nearly caused a riot.
Rather than passively reading this news report from UNICEF and feeling the usual sadness that any human heart would feel towards the situation, I propose that we take it a step further and dissect each statistic in the report. Let us substitute, if only for a moment, the image of our own precious children in the above situation. On a personal level, it is not possible for me as a mother to fathom such devastation. What does it mean for a mother to be separated from her child, and in the midst of “armed” fighting? Will mother and child ever be reunited? It is heart wrenching to imagine the vulnerability of a child’s heart as he/she has become an orphaned refugee—how frightened and terrified would his/her tiny heart be? Moreover, the idea of biscuits, just biscuits, causing a riot is poignantly desperate. I am left dumbfound at the thought of how many days it might have been since those children have put anything in their tiny mouths. My kitchen pantry is overflowing today with Halloween candy from the previous weekend!
Another image that has haunted me this week is a photo of two children posted on CBC’s website, “The week in pictures.” The photo captures the faces of two “tiny” children, as described by CBC’s news reporter, a boy and a girl. The boy’s dark, black lined eyes are looking with despair and hopelessness into the camera lenses, and the girl’s terrified eyes are peeping from behind her tiny hands that cover most of her face. The photo’s subtitle explains that the two children are victims of a powerful earthquake that hit a southwestern Pakistani province last week and killed 200 people, destroyed more than 15,000 homes, and affected over 108,000 people. More than half of those made homeless are children who are now forced to sleep outside in freezing temperature without shelter, or even blankets.

Once again, if we put ourselves and our children in this situation, the pain of just the thought can be excruciatingly unbearable. However, it is critical for us to take in consideration that the photos and images we see are real, they capture a disaster that is still now taking place, and they reflect the lives of real children whose hearts are as vulnerable as the hearts of our own children. They are photos representing impoverished children whose dreams have been shattered and who are, as you are reading this article, actually feeling the unbearable pain that we are simply trying to imagine. According to UNICEF statistics, 26,500-30,000 children die each day due to poverty.

The simplest act we can take on our part is to teach our children to be grateful for what they have, especially when their needs are juxtaposed to those who are much less fortunate, and, consequently, to become moderate in what they wish for. Perhaps, we can implement the theme of “awareness” during the next few weeks as we prepare for the holiday season. Children seem to be influenced by pictures and images, hence, an internet tour of UNICEF photos could enlighten their tiny, naive minds to the contrast between the abundance in which they live and the scarcity that other children are living with in the same world. A trip to a homeless center, a hospital, or even becoming a “Big Brother / Sister” to someone here in Cranbrook could be an option. Our ultimate goal should be to mold our children into becoming humane and grateful rather than selfish and greedy, and the responsibility lies especially on us as parents and mentors.

2008-11-30T21:38:00.000-08:00

Remembering the Late Mahmoud Darwish

By: Ghada Al Atrash Janbey
Published in: The Daily Townsman Newspaper
Cranbrook, BC
October 17, 2008

This past summer the Arab world, Palestinians and of other Arab nationalities, mourned the loss of Mahmoud Darwish, the world's most recognized Palestinian poet, whose poetry and prose gave voice to the Palestinian experience of dispossession, exile, and dreams of an identity and statehood. It is important for those in my Canadian and Western audience to understand the magnitude of this dear loss to the Arab world. Darwish, whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages and who won numerous international awards, died on August 9, 2008, following an open heart surgery at a hospital in Houston, Texas. Three days of mourning were declared to honor Darwish and he was accorded the equivalent of a State funeral in Ramallah, Palestine.
Darwish was presented numerous international awards including The Lotus Prize (1969), the Lenin Peace Prize (1983), France's highest medal The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (1993), The Lannan Foundation Prize for Cultural Freedom (2001), Prince Laus Awards (2004), “Bosnian stecak” (2007), and the Golden Wreath of Struga Poetry Evenings (2007).

Mahmoud Darwish wrote for the world to recognize the continual uprooting of his people (the Palestinians) for the past sixty years, transforming them into refugees on their own land and beyond it, and forcing them to live under an occupation characterized by the ugliest form of apartheid—an occupation seeking to dispossess the Palestinians of their land and their livelihood, and restricting them into isolated reservations besieged by settlements, bypasses, and walls. In his poem “We Travel Like All People” he wrote, “We travel like everyone else, but we return to nothing…Ours is a country of words: Talk. Talk.” And in his famous poem “Passport,” he wrote: Stripped of my name and identity? On soil I nourished with my own hands? Today Job cried out Filling the sky: Don’t make an example of me again! Oh, Gentlemen, Prophets, Don’t ask the trees for their names Don’t ask the valleys who their mother is …All the hearts of the people are my nationality So take away my passport! And in “I Talk Too Much” he writes, “I ask: Is it true, good ladies and gentlemen, that the earth of Man is for all human beings as you say? In that case, where is my little cottage, and where am I?”
Nevertheless, Darwish detested the violence and infighting produced as a result of his people’s suffering. Darwish addressed the world, explaining,
We should not justify suicide bombers. We are against the suicide bombers, but we must understand what drives these young people to such actions. They want to liberate themselves from such a dark life. It is not ideological, it is despair … We have to understand - not justify - what gives rise to this tragedy. It's not because they're looking for beautiful virgins in heaven, as Orientalists portray it. Palestinian people are in love with life. If we give them hope - a political solution - they'll stop killing themselves.
However, he makes clear that real peace means equality with the Israeli society, and that the Palestinian people should have the right to return, that the question of the refugees, of Jerusalem, of the settlements should be resolved, and of course, Palestinians must have the right to self-determination.
One of the most beautiful aspects of Darwish’s writing is that he even humanizes his enemy. He writes, “I will continue to humanize even the enemy... The first teacher who taught me Hebrew was a Jew. The first love affair in my life was with a Jewish girl. The first judge who sent me to prison was a Jewish woman. So from the beginning, I didn't see Jews as devils or angels but as human beings." “Rita,” a poem dedicated to a Jewish woman, is recited on the tongue of many Arabs today, old and young, and sung by a the famous Lebanese musician, Marcel Khalifeh:
Between Rita and my eyes
There is a rifleAnd whoever knows Rita
Kneels and praysTo the divinity in those honey-colored eyes
…And I was lost in Rita for two yearsAnd for two years she slept on my armAnd we made promisesOver the most beautiful wine glasses, and we burnt
In the wine of our lips, And we were born again!
Ah, Rita…What before this rifle could have turned my eyes from yoursExcept a nap or two, or honey-colored clouds?
…Between Rita and my eyes--A rifle

Darwish also used his writing as a tool to mobilize the consciousness of his people towards continuing the past and molding it into a present and a future of a national and cultural identity, while at the same time, aspiring to reach the universal values that overcome violence and bring peace to humanity through spreading a social consciousness throughout the world. In turn, the Palestinian collective memory, reconstructed by such examples of poetry, becomes a means for keeping a lost homeland alive. Through the experience of reading about their homeland, each Palestinian is reminded of his/her existence once as a nation—a Palestinian nation. Furthermore, the construction of a Palestinian collective memory is also accompanied with a national consciousness in the present global world in which we live.
However, this aspiration cannot be attained without the active participation of the rest of humanity. An attempt to hear the voice of the silenced and oppressed Other must be granted, and one way to accomplish this is by bringing the works of the writers out of the secondariness to which they have been condemned. Consequently, once this is achieved, a humanity united under a “universal culture”—one encompassing all voices of humanity, dominant and marginalized—must then work to uphold its universal values, and extend them to all humans of the world, for in the end we are all humans who share the same feelings of pain and grief, and who wish to live in peace and with our own identity on a land that we can call home.
On a final note, I would like to present my Western readers with the opportunity to explore Darwish’s poetry in music and song. You can listen to Darwish’s poetry sung by Lebanese musician Marcel Khalifeh by going to http://www.ahyasalam.com/, click on “English” in the upper left-hand corner, and click on Marcel Khalifeh. Two of the poems discussed in this article, “Passport” and “Rita,” are put into music. Enjoy!