With Love, From Palestine
Ask the high rising spears, of our aspirations
Bring witness the swords, did we lose hope
We are a band, honor halts our souls
Of beginning with harm, those who won't harm us
White are our deeds, black are our battles,
Green are our fields, red are our swords.
These are the words of a poem by the thirteenth century Arab Poet Safi a-Din Al Hili. The design of of the Palestinian flag, its rich colours..black, red, green and white...forming a plethora of aspects so revealing and so haunting...are said to have been inspired by these lines. The words are so simple and yet so deep for those who are aware of the terrible history of this land, whose existence now is marked solely by the strength of its people.
The place Palestinians call 'home' is a land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River....currently under Israeli occupations. It is a place where men run, as if charged up for a rally, until you notice the blood flowing from their necks and realize that their screams are cries for help...where a child goes out to play on his bike and ends up with shrapnel on his body. It is one of the greatest killing zones on earth...its atmosphere marked with the rush of bullets, the winds wailing with the deafening sounds of screams and gunfire and its land splattered with the blood of its inhabitants...mostly women and children.
It is not a state that has a right to vote in the UN....it cannot have its say in decisions made over the world. And yet, over the past couple of weeks, some Palestinians have come up with a stand, an initiative never taken before by a state amidst the throes of war. Four Palestinian youth, part of a Palestinian humanitarian organization have now directed 50% of their badly needed aid to their brothers and sisters in Pakistan, in the face of the greatest national disaster ever witnessed...a flood that has killed 1600 people and left millions homeless. An official document of this organization can be found here http://www.help-initiative.org/said.php
According to the website, 'This campaign is considered to be of its first time in which a group of besieged youths from Palestine initiate for another country.' http://www.help-initiative.org/permanent_project.php?id=16
It is important that we acknowledge and appreciate that these people are thinking of us. It is a humbling fact that people for whom, the first lesson in life is probably that you are never too young to die and death lurks around the corner, who don't know if they will wake up the following morning are responding at a time of our greatest need. Our government, with their shameful reputation, will not be able to do justice to their kindness but the Pakistani people (especially the youth), who have risen to the challenge have proven that they are not emotionally stunted. Let us make sure that whatever aid we receive goes in the hands of the right people and that the efforts of these courageous Palestinian youths are not wasted!
Last but certainly not the least, please remember that however much your heart bleeds for Palestine and however helpless you may feel, never forget that your Dua or Prayers are the most powerful thing you can give them, or anyone else in this world.
Indeed,
White are our deeds, black are our battles,
Green are our fields, red are our swords
VIVA PALESTINA!
Bring witness the swords, did we lose hope
We are a band, honor halts our souls
Of beginning with harm, those who won't harm us
White are our deeds, black are our battles,
Green are our fields, red are our swords.
These are the words of a poem by the thirteenth century Arab Poet Safi a-Din Al Hili. The design of of the Palestinian flag, its rich colours..black, red, green and white...forming a plethora of aspects so revealing and so haunting...are said to have been inspired by these lines. The words are so simple and yet so deep for those who are aware of the terrible history of this land, whose existence now is marked solely by the strength of its people.
The place Palestinians call 'home' is a land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River....currently under Israeli occupations. It is a place where men run, as if charged up for a rally, until you notice the blood flowing from their necks and realize that their screams are cries for help...where a child goes out to play on his bike and ends up with shrapnel on his body. It is one of the greatest killing zones on earth...its atmosphere marked with the rush of bullets, the winds wailing with the deafening sounds of screams and gunfire and its land splattered with the blood of its inhabitants...mostly women and children.
It is not a state that has a right to vote in the UN....it cannot have its say in decisions made over the world. And yet, over the past couple of weeks, some Palestinians have come up with a stand, an initiative never taken before by a state amidst the throes of war. Four Palestinian youth, part of a Palestinian humanitarian organization have now directed 50% of their badly needed aid to their brothers and sisters in Pakistan, in the face of the greatest national disaster ever witnessed...a flood that has killed 1600 people and left millions homeless. An official document of this organization can be found here http://www.help-initiative.org/said.php
According to the website, 'This campaign is considered to be of its first time in which a group of besieged youths from Palestine initiate for another country.' http://www.help-initiative.org/permanent_project.php?id=16
It is important that we acknowledge and appreciate that these people are thinking of us. It is a humbling fact that people for whom, the first lesson in life is probably that you are never too young to die and death lurks around the corner, who don't know if they will wake up the following morning are responding at a time of our greatest need. Our government, with their shameful reputation, will not be able to do justice to their kindness but the Pakistani people (especially the youth), who have risen to the challenge have proven that they are not emotionally stunted. Let us make sure that whatever aid we receive goes in the hands of the right people and that the efforts of these courageous Palestinian youths are not wasted!
Last but certainly not the least, please remember that however much your heart bleeds for Palestine and however helpless you may feel, never forget that your Dua or Prayers are the most powerful thing you can give them, or anyone else in this world.
Indeed,
White are our deeds, black are our battles,
Green are our fields, red are our swords
VIVA PALESTINA!
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