For Palestine

11/9/23

Here we are, back again.  Alas, time has passed, a day late, a dollar short. A mistake made + price paid.  Reading again my words, my writing, my voice.  Quiet for far too long.  Bottled up + now bursting out.  A pause, a momentary pause, not a ceasefire.  We are watching the death of Gaza.  The whole world through our screens, and them?  Their eyes, their arms, their children, their pain, THEIR LAND!  Is(not)real is 75 years old. 

My building is older.  Palestinians are older.  You likely have family who is older.  I sit here a broken man.  30 days?  30 years for me.  75 years of terror for Palestine.  10,000 lives, too large a proportion of children.  Is that all they are?  A proportion?  A number?

I started a letter, and then found my voice.  It was fated + dated.  The date is actually of note.  On November 8th, 2000 Faris Odeh, a fifteen year old boy was shot by an Israeli soldier in the neck.  He was one year younger than me.  His name was Faris Odeh.  I did not meet him, but he is my Akhi (brother).  Rhyme remembered + rhythm established.  Patterns, patterns, patterns, patterns.  Endless pattern of pain.  And tears.

I am losing my mind.  The last two weeks I cannot grasp sleep nor feel the urge to eat.  I can only function seeing their strength, determination, and everlasting faith.  The thought that what little I attain would be a luxury for them.  What was shared before was to serve as the introduction to this.  As stated previously, off the cuff, unplanned, unedited (mostly), + honest + pretty + ugly, as life is. 

His name was Faris odeh.  How many names?  This is for catharsis, this is a real bore.  I am rage, I am fire, I am angry, and you should be too.  His name was Faris Odeh. he was known for throwing rocks at Is(not)reali tanks.  A question to the reader.  What danger does a teen with rocks pose to a modern tank?  David vs goliath, throwing stones at a giant. 

His name was Faris Odeh.  He was one year younger than me.  Find his picture, to me, it sums the entire story of this “conflict.” A people out-armed, out-manned, and out of their homes.  Pencil to paper, it is written, it is transcribed, it will not be forgotten + most definitely not forgiven.  Beautiful + ugly as life must be.  I'm ready for a less ugly.  Why aren't you? Why are you falling for the same patterns of propaganda?

I've seen this game before.  I know the ending.  The world saw your hand, now you go bust.  Do you like word games?  I love them, crosswords, word searches, but my favorite by far is propaganda.  I must interject here, I abhor all forms of violence.  Any death is one too many.  I have heard about Hamas rockets for years.  these are either dated Soviet era weapons, or home-made.  While many are shot, they fly aimlessly + their number one victim is livestock.  Rocks at a tank.  David vs Goliath, but y'all flipped the script.  Upside down, the world is.  No tanks, no army, no missiles, no choice but death or destruction?

Now, let's continue our word game.  Palestine has no missiles, Is(not)real has another fourteen billion dollars for more carnage.  Hasn't Goliath been fed enough already? There are hungry here + all over the world.  No Navy, no drone strikes, no helicopters, (the paragliders were laughable).  Fourteen billion dollars?  Do you know how a rocket becomes a missile????  Times up!  You add guidance!  Yes, it's true these missiles are being steered into their targets: ambulances, hospitals, water, food, refugee camps, and worst of all children.

Uninterrupted, unbroken, streaming, raging river that cannot be dammed.  These are the rules I set for myself, and while they can be broken, my heart must go on.  Still with the Titanic / Goliath, Iceberg sides with David.  When not sudden + abrupt, it is a slow persistent presence.  A boot on neck + Gaza can't breathe.  Settlers stealing homes, edging borders, humiliating, salting land + burning trees.  That's how you care for our “your” land?  Those trees are older than 75 years.  Chokepoints, choking, humiliation, dehumanization, demonstrating monstrosities.  Armored bulldozers destroying childhood homes.  Childhoods destroyed, babies officially dead before they were declared alive.  Just a number?  Again, what is the proportion?

His name was Faris Odeh.  He was one year younger than me.  He was my Akhi, even though we never met.  The first brother I did meet was Salah in college.  The first sisters I met were Hanein + Leena.  As with all other Palestinians I have met since, they are proud, kind-hearted, boisterous, caring, and passionate about their family friends and faith. /- つづく

We heard the beck and call of sleep.  As it has become a stranger, we had to answer. The raging river was dammed, and now returned with batteries full.  A Dark Knight who's laid down his Excalibur in exchange for a pen(cil).  We must now test its might against the ancient Dragons of the world.  The ones who hoard gold, and those sitting in their castles, sending the young + poor to die for their insatiable greed + callous contempt.

We left in the middle of a game, so let's continue + perhaps conclude to collude.  Verbiage is important, it's clear to me at least.  Let's take a proper gander at our worst offender. “Open Air Prison.”  Yes, the Palestinians are trapped by fences + concrete walls.  Their basic necessities controlled, not just water, food, and electricity.  But also the basic human necessities of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Armed guards stopping, harassing, slowing, stripping poor souls of their rights, their time, dignity, and even clothes.  Walled, constrained, and under guard, however this is not a prison for one simple reason. The Palestinians have committed no crime.  Using the term prison is another form of dehumanizing Palestinians.

Now class, who knows the proper term?  Yes!  That's correct!  A concentration camp!  We would have also accepted internment camp.  From the Oxford dictionary: “A place where large numbers of people, especially political prisoners or members of persecuted minorities, are deliberately imprisoned in a relatively small area with inadequate facilities... or to await mass extinction.”  You cannot tell us that the current state of Palestine is not exactly this.  David vs Goliath, yet again flipping the script.  As the n@zis [fuck n@zis BTW] did to the Jews, as the US did to the Japanese, and as China is also doing to the Uy6hurs right now.

Fourteen billion dollars to fund the slaughter of innocent civilians.  In 2023 missiles are used in place of gas chambers.  The executioners far removed, just a push of a button, no need to look into your victims’ eyes.   Just a number.  A simple proportion, statistics, footnotes, collateral damage...  No, they are human lives, with names, thousands on thousands of names.  His name was Faris Odeh.  In death we have a name.  Cheer + dance now, you will find justice in this life or the next.  I fear the day you do see your victims’ eyes next, you will never cheer + dance again.

The more I write, the more I fear for myself and what the dragons will do as I reveal all their secrets.  Like they did to Malcolm + MLK.  To Gandhi + Che.  It's alright, that's good company to be in.  I can't really sleep anyways.  Like I said, I've seen this game before and I know their next moves: “Do you condemn Hamas?"   Yes, I condemn all forms of violence and as we have been asking, where is the condemnation for all of Is(not)real's actions up to + after 10/7/23?  “He's a Hamas agent!”  as with the press in Gaza, simply sharing truths + believing oppression + murder are morally wrong does not make me Hamas.  Another word game, believing the above makes you a “radical.” Let me then share my “radicalization.”

I was born + raised in the Midwest.  About 30 years ago, my parents took me with our Masjid on a trip to New York to protest the Bosnian / Serbian war.  I remember that bus ride with a rabbit sandwich + honeyed tea.  I recall vividly marching in the streets chanting “Serbia, Serbia, you will see!  Bosnia soon will be free!”  I chanted it in my head the whole way home.  I remember the refugees we accepted into our community as they walked into the prayer hall.  Some on crutches, others missing eyes + limbs, and carrying shrapnel wounds.  As a child I couldn't understand why they looked so afraid.  The innocence of childhood now shed, I know those faces had seen horrors + suffered atrocities.

I write this now for the men, women, and children of Gaza especially who have had that innocence robbed. I drifted through different cliques throughout school, spent time with family in Pakistan, and have traveled a bit of the world.  Through all that I learned

I love all humans.

Except oppressors.

Colonizers, slave drivers, racists, bigots, n@zis, kkk, any “supremacist” wherever you may be, and Zionists.  I'm not even going to say I hate you.  Change your ways, lay down your arms, and embrace humanity.  This much madness, is too much sorrow.

So much of our lives is determined at birth, an aspect of our lives no human has any control over.  Our race, sex, birthplace, our religion (in most cases), every human starts with those at birth.  Zero experience + your resume has a start.  These babies in Gaza, far, far, far, too many have died.  Actually any, even one baby, dying whether from bombs or lack of access to healthcare or clean water.  Fourteen billion for a genocide instead of correcting that.

Imagine our minds were swapped, like freaky Friday.  Instead of your mom it's a Pakistani dude.  You wouldn't wish harm on me, or hopefully at least your body.  You are in my shoes + on my path + vice versa.  Except neither of us has a map, or any idea what each other must do to survive or goes through on a daily basis.  His name was Faris Odeh.  Would you have wanted to show oppressors your disgust?  Would you be brave enough to throw stones at a tank?  That's the truth of the human experience.  We're all going through it, and don't know about each other's struggles.  Except for when they are a genocide.  We cannot allow it to happen to any more human beings. 

Never again, again.

All I'm saying is more Love Actually, and less Mean Girls.  Seriously, it's a perfect movie, the Lebanese joke is legendary.  Alright, but I have high expectations.  I've said at times an alien invasion might be a good thing.  Perhaps we could have to unite, Us vs Them, David vs Goliath, your time to pick the right side.  You cheered for The Avengers and not Thanos right?  Don't worry I haven't forgotten about that mouse’s masters, but the reference is too good.  I'm not looking to entangle with Independence Day.  Seriously with everything in media, literature, and history, how is picking the right side hard.  I am gladiator, Marcus Aurelius, V, Guy Fawkes, Vash + Legato, Gojo + Yuji, Luke + Qui Gon, Neo + Trinity, Cornelius + Tyler Durden, Katniss Everdeen, William Wallace, Banksy + Basquiat, Warhol + Haring.  I am everything, everywhere, all at once.  

Who are you?

I am also a nobody, zero over the infinite, because this tragedy should not be happening.

Dragons have used these labels + divisions to pit us against one another for too long.  The one thing that gives me hope is seeing the entire world marching for Palestine.  The diversity I have personally seen fills me with hope.  The number of people who also want more beauty in the world.  Right now it's for Palestine, but the Congo, Sudan, the Uy6hurs, and more still need us.  I will be there, and I hope to see you too.  I believe the age of dragons is frankly over.  Now is the time of humanity.  Getting started is easy, do as Cudi said “give a fuck about humanity”

Lastly, we do have we do still have to deal with the Dragons who are here.  Firstly, we watch what happens next.  Put down your swords + pick up pens.  They've said Gaza will be rebuilt + those expelled invited back.  Signs point to no.  That is why they did not want to leave (well also the escape routes were unsafe).  Especially given the 500 billion dollar oil + gas reserve and Egypt’s control of the Suez Canal.  We keep a record of what they do, hold them accountable to the few promises they make, and when they do not, we vote them out.  Sadly, I've seen presidents on both sides commit atrocities.  But I strongly believe that the state + local races are important.  Find the most humane human candidate + vote for them. 

Almost more importantly, keep voting with your dollars.  The greed dragons have in all aspects of our lives is mind boggling.  Money runs our politics, and until we can get that out, we still we need to put those votes into ethical + local companies.  The boycotts are working.  I look forward to the day we tell dragons we will democratically control their hoards and have true politicians who give a fuck about humanity + invest Fourteen billion dollars into building instead of bombing. 

With that, we've reached the end of our journey, if you made it here I'm glad.  Send me a watermelon emoji for extra credit.  I hope I can leave this chapter (manifesto?) on Palestine behind me.  If you've read all this and still can't pick a side, lose my number.  I have completed my penance.  This was for catharsis, this was not a bore.  My heart is on fire for Palestine, I hope yours is too.  His name was Faris Odeh, I hope I can put it to rest.

- Fahd

See the original written entry here