Project Draft

If you want to see the draft of our project, please click here.

You can also navigate through my site, and visit the draft.

Project

So, last week my group and I sat down to make our first video, which was for Andrew (our Christian interview). We sat in the STAR Lab and used one of their Mac's to make our first video clip. We decided to use soundbites and images for the clip and then post the video on YouTube, to allow for easier embedding on our site.

We had to finish it up so that we would have at least one video clip for our first draft that was due on Thursday. We have two more video clips as well.

Overall, things seem to be going over smoothly.

Project Update

So, our group has completed two of three interviews we need for our final project. Hopefully, the Judaism interview will be on Tuesday. Rashad, Immanuel, and Caroline will be taking care of the video editing and the videos will be posted up on YouTube to allow for easy video embedding on our web page.

I think that the project will be really good. Although there is another group in the class with a similar concept as ours, I really believe that ours will be going in a different direction and will be telling a different story. I am not sure what the other group's focus will be in their Religion project, but I know that it's going in a different direction than ours, which will hopefully make for two similar, yet unique, projects.

The rough draft for our project is due this Thursday. I am sure that what we will submit will be a very nice project. I am also happy about our team, because I feel like we all work really well together and we are each able to bring something different to the project.

I know that Professor Klein said that this multimedia project is not worth a HUGE amount in our final grade, but that doesn't make any difference to me, because, while doing this project we don't want to deliver a mediocre or average project, we want to make sure it is a project that clearly exhibits time, dedication, and skill. So for me, the point value is not the issue, instead, delivering a project that we spent time and skills on is definitely more important and I think my group would agree.

Also, I recently changed up my website and made the layout all black. I contemplated changing it back to white, or a lighter color. However, I have decided to keep it black, because that is what I like. I tried the white, but wasn't too happy with it. I am more happy with the black, because I'd like to make it MY website with my own personal touch. I don't think that I would be being true to myself if I changed it up, at least for now.

Who knows what may happen next!

Interesting Article...

I found this article on the Washington Post today and thought that it was interesting and relevant to the Comm 361 class I am taking right now.

EXCERPT 1:
"On March 25, a Taliban Web site claiming to be the voice of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" boasted of a deadly new attack on coalition forces in that country. Four soldiers were killed in an ambush, the site claimed, and the "mujahideen took the weapons and ammunition as booty.""

EXCERPT 2:
"The Taliban's account was pulled last week when a blogger noticed the connection and called attention to it. But the odd pairing of violently anti-American extremists and U.S. technology companies continues elsewhere and appears to be growing. Intelligence officials and private experts cite dozens of instances in which Islamist militants sought out U.S. Internet firms -- known for their reliable service and easy terms that allow virtual anonymity -- and used them to incite attacks on Americans. "

EXCERPT 3:
"Militants' use of U.S. Web hosts has sparked occasional spats between the United States and its allies, as well as endless debates over whether it is better to shut down the Web sites when they're discovered or to let them continue to operate. By allowing them to remain online, intelligence analysts can sometimes discover clues about the leadership and structure of terrorist groups, some analysts say.

"You can learn a lot from the enemy by watching them chat online," said Martin Libicki, a senior policy analyst at the Rand Corp., a nonprofit research organization. Libicki said the bloggers rarely spill secrets, and most are "probably using this more for public affairs rather than recruitment.""

You can read more HERE.

The reason I thought the article was interesting is because of the discussion on terrorists groups using blogging tools and the debate as to whether or not these blogs should be shut down or continuously monitored in order to find out more "clues".

I wonder....do these terrorists groups suspect the American government is reading their blogs? Hmm...I wonder whether or not these terrorists would REALLY put vital information up on their blogs, or maybe, they really just don't understand the power, and lack of privacy on the internet. But I guess it's like what Martin Libicki said, they can learn a lot just by watching the terrorists chat. Interesting...

1 More Thing...

By the way, I have updated my GMU Website!

Please check it out by clicking HERE!

As I type here, I am attempting to update some information on the multimedia project website. Grr! Dreamweaver can be difficult sometimes! Oh well!

CRAZINESS!

Soo, things have been so incredibly busy with our group's multimedia project, that I have had no time to post any new blogs. I have decided to dedicate the next couple of blogs to progress made on our project.

So quick update! We have decided to do a multimedia project on faith at George Mason and how it affect's students lives. We're doing little short interviews and utilizing tools such as Adobe Dreamweaver to create the actual website. We are also utilizing GMU's STAR Lab to assist with video and technology. So far, everything is going pretty smoothly.

A few interviews are already done, and the basic platform for the project is already set-up. We just need a few more interviews and some last minute touches and video editing, and we should be done!

Wow! It has just been so hectic, but it will all pay off in the long-run!

Jerusalem Celebrations

Here is a snip of an Al-Jazeera article:

"Israeli police have prevented Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem from holding events to mark the city's designation as "capital of Arab culture" for 2009.

About 20 Palestinians were detained in and around East Jerusalem on Saturday, but there were no reports of violence, Shmulik Ben-Ruby, a police spokesman, said.

Police reinforcements were deployed around the city and barricades were set up on routes to the al-Aqsa mosque, Islam's third holiest site.

Witnesses said that flags and banners associated with the event were confiscated.

At one school, police and soldiers burst balloons in the colours of the Palestinian flag that the children were trying to release to mark the event.

Hatem Abdel Qader, who handles Jerusalem affairs for the Palestinian Authority, was reportedly among those arrested."

What I don't understand is why the Palestinian people are not allowed to celebrate the event. In case you don't know what the event was or its significance, according to Al-Jazeera, "Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan during the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it as the Jewish state's "eternal and indivisible capital", a move which has not been recognised internationally.

Palestinians demand East Jerusalem as the capital of any future Palestinian state.

Jerusalem follows Damascus as the "capital of Arab culture", a title that has been handed to a different city by the Arab League every year since 1996.

Winners typically use the occasion to highlight Arab culture, sponsoring poetry, music, dance performances, lectures, school activities and sporting events."

So, basically, the Palestinians should be happy, actually, EXTREMELY happy about the event and should be allowed to celebrate it, but instead, they are being silenced...once again.

By the way, I love the part about the Israeli police popping the school childrens' balloons (notice my sarcasm), that were in colors representing the Palestinian flag. I love that the Israeli police found it NECESSARY to pop these childrens' balloons. For Gods' sake, when will it END? When will it stop? Everything has already been taken from these people and now you're going to pop their kids' balloons? Seriously, that's sick.

Obama Recognizes Norooz

I would like to change the topic of my blog today to address President Obama's speech on Friday. President Obama recognized the holiday Eid Norooz, which marks the New Year or first day of spring, for Iranians. As an Iranian, I celebrated Eid Norooz, as has been a family tradition since I was born. I did not know that President Obama had made this speech until I was watching an Iranian satellite channel on TV Friday evening and saw the replay.

I thought that it was nice that President Obama was recognizing our holiday, and although I recognize the political reasoning and motives behind it, I still appreciate it. I do not believe that a president of the United States has ever recognized our new year or any special event we celebrate. It was nice to see us be recognized for something other than terror, although I understand that he was sending a message to the Iranian government asking them to stop threatening terror.

Anyway, either way, I thought it should be mentioned. Especially as I was talking to someone yesterday and I mentioned that Friday was a holiday for me and they said, "Oh yeah! I know about that, President Obama was talking about it!" I'm sure if it hadn't been for that, she would have never known.

More Same Old...

Sorry. I needed a moment there!

Anywho! The premise of the story is BORING, PREDICTABLE, AND STEREOTYPICAL. It's the same old story over and over and over again!

If you want to hear about my rant on this very topic, look at my previous entries.

I just want something new, something different! Why is the Muslim always the terrorist?

Because of the media, the public has formed a negative, incorrect, stereotypical opinion towards Muslims and it's because of movies like this!

Does the public think that Muslims are chilling at home and thinking up new plots on how to terrorize the world and setting up their video cameras to film the next beheading? And if the public really believes this, is it because of what the media has portrayed?

I would argue...yes.

Same Old

I love Netflix; I am a movie addict! That is why I always keep myself up-to-date by consistently renting movies through Netflix, which by the way, is the greatest invention ever.

The last set of movies I rented included Body of Lies, which stars Russel Crowe and Leonardo Dicaprio.

Don't get me wrong, the movie was good. I was entertained for the 2.5 hours I was watching it, however, the plot was easily predicted and the story line was worn out. I have heard this story a million times, when are they going to come up with something new?

The story is as follows, Leo is an undercover CIA Agent stationed in Iraq and gets relocated throughout the Middle East, mainly Amman, Jordan. When Leo ends up in Amman, he meets with Hani, who is head of intelligence in Jordan. Together, they attempt to come together and catch some high up Al-Qaeda guy, whose name escapes me but is something along the lines of Al-Saleem, or what not. How unique.

Anyway, to make a long story short, Leo falls in love with an Iranian Jordanian (err...?), whose character is not well-developed and is instead kinda just "tossed in" for the hell of creating a love interest. Leo also attempts to save his love interest from Al-Qaeda, who are planning on filming her decapitation...and probably posting it on YouTube. Leo's boss in the CIA back in Langley, Virginia turns out to be an arragont ass hole, and the Hani doesn't trust the whole lot of them because they are all Americans who don't understand how to handle situations in the Middle East. Sooooooooo......Leo gets kidnapped, then saved, his girl gets saved, he quits the CIA, and attempts to live out his days in Jordan. Nice.

So, what is my problem with the movie? It's the same old story line. The Muslim (Arab), fanatical, old guy, heads some terrorist organization. Then, he films himself talking about how he hates the west. Then, there are a bunch of other young Arab guys blowing themselves up to go to paradise. Then, there's the savvy American CIA guy who speaks Arabic fluently and attempts to sympathize with the Arabs. Then there's the terrorist crew that enjoys cutting peoples fingers off, reciting the Koran, and videotaping everything. Then, of course, the terrorist group is caught, the old fanatical Muslim who prays 5 times a day is arrested, and all is well.

However, there are two new elements to this story. There's the powerful, rich, well connected Jordanian Intelligence guy and...there's the Iranian Jordanian woman (I'm still confused about this one), who the savvy American CIA guy is quickly falling for, who by the way, is also the nurse who gives him his shots once a week for rabies.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Fayyad Interview

Here is the YouTube video I found showing a recent interview with Salam Fayyad. Check it out. BTW: I'm Addicted to YouTube

The Palestinian prime minister talks to Sir David Frost about the main challenges facing the Palestinian people and the peace process in 2009.

Salam Fayyad

So, the big story today was that the Palestinian Prime Minister has decided to resign.

Salam Fayyad submitted his resignation to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The decision was announced earlier today and the resignation is planned to take place after the formation of a Palestinian national unity government.

However, he will officially leave his post no later than the end of March.

According to Al Jazeera, "His decision to resign is being seen as a goodwill gesture towards Hamas, as the group had repeatedly demanded that Fayyad step down."

Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesperson for Hamas, said that Fayyad's government was unconstitutional and worked for private interests.

Mahmoud Darwish

Mahmoud Darwish is a Palestinian poet born in 1941. Darwish ran away from his village when he was 7, after attacks ensued on his village by Israelis. He ran away to Lebanon without knowing much of his true identity or roots.

A few years later he went back to his village and realized it was destroyed. He wrote his first poems while in Elementary school and was put on house arrest by the Israelis several times. He was denied higher education.

This is one of my favorite poems that he has written.

Identity Card
Mahmoud Darwish - 1964

Write down!
I am an Arab
And my identity card number is fifty thousand
I have eight children
And the ninth will come after a summer
Will you be angry?
Write down!
I am an Arab
Employed with fellow workers at a quarry
I have eight children
I get them bread
Garments and books
from the rocks..I do not supplicate charity at your doors
Nor do I belittle myself at the footsteps of your chamber
So will you be angry?
Write down!
I am an Arab
I have a name without a title
Patient in a country
Where people are enraged
My roots
Were entrenched before the birth of time
And before the opening of the eras
Before the pines, and the olive trees
And before the grass grew
My father.. descends from the family of the plow
Not from a privileged class
And my grandfather..was a farmer
Neither well-bred, nor well-born!
Teaches me the pride of the sun
Before teaching me how to read
And my house is like a watchman's hut
Made of branches and cane
Are you satisfied with my status?
I have a name without a title!
Write down!
I am an Arab
You have stolen the orchards of my ancestors
And the land which I cultivated
Along with my children
And you left nothing for us
Except for these rocks..So will the State take them
As it has been said?!
Therefore!
Write down on the top of the first page:
I do not hate poeple
Nor do I encroach
But if I become hungry
The usurper's flesh will be my food
Beware..Beware..Of my hunger
And my anger!

Occupation 101

This documentary was so heartbreaking, but it really gives you a feel for what is going on. It talks specifically about the children. It's fairly new, it was posted only 5 days ago on YouTube.

Palestinian Factions Agree on Unity

According to Al Jazeera, "Palestinian factions have agreed to establish five committees to address key issues for unity." The article discusses the talks between 12 Palestinian factions, which began on Thursday.

One of the issues being discussed was the idea of forming a unity government, which would be created to help with rebuilding institutions, security services, reconciliation, and est. presidential and legislative elections.

They believe that they will begin work on March 10 for the remainder of the month. The hope is to use this unity government to reconstruct Gaza after the 23 day strikes Israel had ensued.

This picture depicts that even though the 23 day air strike is over, both Palestinians and Israelis are still attacking one another.

One quote taken from the article in reference to this being a breakthrough, "The agreement today on these five committees and that these committees will take decisions unanimously, it wont be a voting system ... and every party will respect it is a breakthrough."

The hope is that these groups would be able to compromise for the sake of their people and their nation.

The Palestinian Holocaust

There's a website called Voices for a free Palestine. This organization is based out of Seattle, Washington. It is a community organization that holds strong ties to Palestine. Most of the members in the group are US citizens, most of them were even born in the US and have never even visited Palestine, however, almost all of them have family ties in Palestine, or just sympathize with the Palestinian cause.

The organization works on fundraising, public debates, demonstrations, and various kinds of educational activities to bring awareness to the general public regarding the occupation of Palestine.

The hope is that one day the website will be shut down, when there will be no real need to advocate for these issues.

What I like about this website is that it has information regarding the history of the occupation and discusses current events as well. The website talks about US Policy and also discusses issues and policies in Israel.

Unfortunately, the website does not seem to have been updated more recently. I liked how this website was set-up and I'd like to see something similar put up, which is more current.

The reason I bring this website up is because I think it's a great resource for looking up past information and history, which has led to the current situation. It has an AMAZING photo gallery, this one being one of my favorites: What's the difference between the Jewish Holocaust and the Palestinian Holocaust?

Injustice

I have decided to change my topic for today's blog. I was on AIPAC's website today and the headline was, "Iran Hiding its Nuclear Intentions." I decided to read on. When I clicked the link to read on, I saw a long list of articles regarding Iran's "illicit atomic work."

This was my favorite quote, "During a visit to Moscow on Tuesday, Iran's defense minister will seek to convince Russian leaders to deliver an advanced missile defense system to the Islamic Republic..."

Take note of the last part of that quote, the emphasis on THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC.

Does anyone say, for example, "During a visit to the holy sites in Jerusalem, Israel's prime minister welcomed all foreigners into their holy land. Everyone was excited to deliver their respects to the holy monuments located in this ancient land, although some did not seem too excited to visit the monuments so shortly after the 22-day attack issued by the Jewish State..."

The terms Islamic, Islam, and Muslim have all been associated with negative connotations. If not to emphasize the threat of Iran anymore than AIPAC already has, they thought, "Hey! Let's just remind everyone out there that it is an ISLAMIC REPUBLIC." Although this statement is true, it was obviously placed in this context to reaffirm the threat of anything associated with ISLAM, which, according to AIPAC, is the real threat of the situation.

Are we really gonna let those Muslims have nuclear weapons? Do you know about the Muslims? They are suicide bombers who believe that if they sacrifice themselves they will have access to as many Virgin women they want in heaven! They believe in ALLAH! They live in caves and mountains and plot against any free world! They hate what we stand for!

Idiots! I'm so sick of this. This is my stance against all of you who believe that Muslims kill themselves because of Democracy. There is a little thing called FANATICS. Everyone has them! Has anyone heard of the Phelps Family who live in the US? They are their own branch of Christianity and they are FANATICS! They represent less than half a percent of the Christians around the world. However, is everyone going around comparing the Phelps Family to ALL Christians?? NO!

Same goes for the fanatical Muslims. Why does everyone associate all Muslims with a group that represents less than half a percent of the Muslims around the world? AND CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE IN THE QURAN (OUR HOLY BOOK) IT SAYS THAT A MAN CAN SACRIFICE HIMSELF AND END UP IN HEAVEN WITH AMPLE AMOUNTS OF VIRGIN WOMEN? I haven't seen that verse!

If you have ANY SENSE of the history of Islam, it would explain why men were allowed to take more than one wife. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T- During the time of Islam there were wars. The Muslims were attempting to spread the word of Islam, which OBVIOUSLY resulted in resistance and war. Many men DIED during these wars, leaving more women then men. During this time, NOT BECAUSE OF ISLAM, it was very DIFFICULT for a woman to survive without a man, ONCE AGAIN- NOT BECAUSE OF THE RELIGION. Therefore, these women were considered ORPHANS, either without fathers, brothers, sons, or husbands. Our religion allowed men to take more than one wife so that these women would not be left homeless. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL REASON WHY OUR RELIGION ALLOWS MEN TO TAKE MORE THAN ONE WIFE. Now, whatever reason men currently take more than one wife, I cannot attest to.

And are people so ignorant that they don't understand what ALLAH is? Allah is the Arabic word for GOD! The same God Christians and Jews worship. It's like when someone says DIOS in Spanish, it's the same God everyone else is worshipping. In farsi, although Iranians are Muslim, the word is KHODA, unless used in prayer where the word is Allah. KHODA, ALLAH, DIOS, IT ALL MEANS GOD!

Muslims DO NOT hate what Democracy stands for! Look at countries like Dubai, which is a Mulsim country. Dubai has become a cosmopolitan! A nation with nightclubs, fancy hotels, huge malls, etc. MUSLIMS DO NOT HATE DEMOCRACY! The FANATICAL Muslims are not killing people because they hate that we have music videos, dance, and go shopping at malls. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It must be something else...it must be about money, power, and control. They obviously dislike Israel, they obviously want control over their nations, they obviously want MONEY, they obviously dislike the American GOVERNMENT! There is a long history of disdain and dislike between the leaders of these fanatical groups and the United States, ex. the Kuwait War, the Russian Occupation of Afghanistan, and the US Support of THE JEWISH NATION, excuse me, Israel.

FANATICAL MUSLIMS KILL THEIR OWN PEOPLE! THEY KILL OTHER MUSLIMS, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN. THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE.

Now, I don't really know or care what the hell is going on in these fanatical Muslim's minds. My only purpose is to let people know that this is NOT what the Muslim faith stands for and people need to stop associating all Muslims with a group that represents less than half a percent of our population.

Also, I'd like to say that I'm so SICK and TIRED of all the movies and representations of any Middle Eastern country has to do with a negative Muslim stereotype, ex. TERRORISM, BOMBS, KILLINGS, BEATING WOMEN, HATRED TOWARDS WOMEN, etc.

I am PROUD to be a MUSLIM WOMAN and I receive TONS of respect from my family and other members of the Muslim Community. I am not degraded because of my status as a Muslim woman by other Muslims, instead, I am treated with RESPECT. My husband does NOT beat me, my father did NOT force me to get married, my mother was NOT cursed at and yelled at and hit, I was NOT forced to cover my face and my hair with a scarf, etc.

So, before everyone begins making these ABSURD assumptions about Muslims and our faith, why don't you do some research?

I'M ANGRY!

Home

I love Palestine.

I support their cause and their passion. They are a wonderful people and deserve to have a HOME. A home is something we may take for granted....but the idea of a HOME is extremely important. No one should be deprived of a home, their family, and their life.

The Palestinians have no home, their family members are being murdered, they are not given the freedom to live their lives.

This is a crime against humanity.

Naji Al Ali

Naji Al Ali was born in 1937 in Palestine. When Naji was 10 years old, he was forced out of his home country of Palestine. Naji and his family, along with many other Palestinians settled in a refugee camp in the South of Lebanon, after being kicked out of his own country.

"As other kids in refugee camps, I was facing harsh times, and one of the ways of expressing my frustrations and agonies on the situation of Palestinians in refugee camps was through organizing and participating in demonstrations which almost always led me to prison," Naji Al Ali

Naji did end up in prison and this is where his cartooning began. Each time Naji ended up in prison he took a pencil with him and would draw along the prison walls. Naji depicted, in his cartoons, the Palestinian struggle and the hope of one day returning home.

Handala was born.

Handala is a famous character created by Naji. Handala was a 10 year old boy who never grew old in Naji's cartoons. He represented the poor Palestinian who was agonized and frustrated. He was always drawn with torn clothes and barefooted. Handala was a refugee, however, he was outspoken, honest, and always spoke the truth. Handala always stood with his hands behind his back to symbolize a rejection of all Arab regimes. Despite Handala's international fame, he never faced his public. He always stood with his hands behind his back, a distant spectator.

Handala represented the honest Palestinian.

On July 22, 1987 Naji was shot in the head in London, he slipped into a coma. He died August 30, 1987.

To read more about Naji and his career, click here.

*All images were taken from the Naji Al Ali official website.

"I dream that they are throwing bombs"

So, I found a short 5 minute video made by a BBC reporter documenting the lives of the Palestinians after the 22 day attacks, in the Gaza Strip. This video was posted on Youtube, but it is a BBC video.



The video was heartbreaking. The worst part was that the children being interviewed were so young and now have these horrible memories that will live inside of them for the rest of their lives. Children that age in many countries will never have to experience what the Palestinian children experienced in their entire lifetime. The whole ordeal is devastating.

Amira's Story

This picture was taken on February 2nd, 2009 by a BBC reporter. It depicts a homeless camp of Palestinians in Gaza.

There is an online diary on BBC's website, which is written by an aid worker currently living in the Gaza Strip, his name is Hatem Shurrab. Hatem writes about his experiences as an aid worker in the Gaza Strip. He writes about the families and the people that he deals with on a daily basis.

One quote which really caught my eye:

"...13-year-old Amira. She had come into the hospital having lost a lot of blood.

She had lost her father and two brothers when her home was hit by a missile.

Amira was also injured - she managed to crawl into her neighbour's house and hide there. She spent two days there bleeding, in fact she was slowly bleeding to death.

Luckily for Amira, her neighbour returned to the house to check on its state and found Amira and got her to hospital. She survived despite her injuries." (Shurrab, 2009).

This was posted six days ago on BBC.

I was left...speechless.

The Carnage Counter

I think this pretty much speaks for itself. The counter is reflecting the recent attacks on the Gaza Strip. War crimes anyone?

First Time Blogger

I liked this picture. I found it on Al Jazeera's homepage this evening, in reference to the current economic state of our nation. I found it relevant, seeing as I am a first time blogger and I am introducing the idea of being a blogger to myself.

Seeing as I am a first time blogger and newly exposed to this foreign online experience, I am learning the "tricks of the trade" as I go along. If I had not enrolled in Communication 361 this semester at Mason, I daresay I would ever would have experienced the "art" of blogging. I find it all somewhat fascinating and mysterious. Of course, I have heard that people "blog", but I always asked myself what the POINT of blogging was. Did people really have time to just logon to the internet to read random people's opinions on various topics? How does one obtain "credibility" within the blogger world? What makes your opinion respected and considered within a blog, can't ANYONE blog? As these questions arose in my mind, I simply shut my mind to the idea of a blog altogether, coming to the conclusion that there was nothing to gain in reading random opinions written by people who were not credible within the topic with which they were discussing. However, after attending a few classes I have realized that blogging can actually serve a PURPOSE. There are endless topics and ideas with which people attribute blogging to. My question regarding credentials was also answered, after seeing a few guest speakers who hold impressive resumes speaking about their blogs. Then I realized that celebrities and TV personalities also have blog accounts! All of this, by the way, I would have been ignorant towards if I had not taken this class. Then I thought to myself that blogging can't be that bad after all!


After my little introduction on being ignorant about blogging and then finally realizing that blogging is actually the complete opposite of what I assumed it to be, here I am, with a blog of my very own. I have decided to dedicate my blog to the invisible aspect of the Palestinian people and how the occupation has affected their lives and the controversy surrounding their situation. Not being a Palestinian, but an avid supporter of the idea of a Free Palestine, I feel that this topic is only appropriate, especially with the election of a new U.S. President and the recent 22 day Israeli attacks on the Palestinians.


Being that it is a cause, which I personally believe in and support, I do not expect others to agree with my opinions or point-of-view. So, I guess that the purpose of my blog is to support my ideas and my opinions, based on current (or past) news articles/stories/statistics, etc., which I may find of interest. I do not expect that all readers of my blog will agree with these ideas, however, since it is a cause in which I am passionate about, I feel that it would best serve my needs as a new blogger and writing in regards to an issue that I believe in.


That being said, here is my first blog link! By the way, this picture was taken from Al Jazeera in reference to the article I am about to link. My favorite part of this picture is the baby :) The picture was taken in Belgium and it shows demonstrators accusing Israel of war crimes. The article was written on Thursday, January 22, 2009 and since it was written by Al Jazeera, it has a viewpoint different than that of an American reporter or news broadcaster. However, the author of the article is Anita Rice, who is a Western reporter. The article addresses potential war crimes and accusations against Israel after the recent attack on the Gaza Strip. The article is called War Crimes Convictions After Gaza?