Thursday, March 17, 2011

الفعل... والفعل المضاد



لقد ترقب الشعب الفلسطيني بفارغ الصبر وحبس للأنفاس لقدوم الخامس عشر من آذار لعل الحالة الفلسطينية تلتئم من حالة التشرذم التي تمر بها عشية الإنقسام الفلسطيني، والذي، بلا شك، أضر كثيراً بالقضية الفلسطينية وترك المجال واسعاً للأعداء لينهشوا من الأرض والبشر. جاء الخامس عشر من آذار ونزل الآلاف من الشعب الفلسطيني في الضفة الغربية وقطاع غزة إلى الشوارع رافعين حناجرهم ومنددين بالإنقسام.
ولكن ما حدث في غزة قد تميز بخصوصية لما تبعه من أحداث. وكان أبرز هذه الأحداث ما يلي:
- إن المراقب لإعتصام الشباب يوم الرابع عشر من آذار في الجندي المجهول والخامس عشر من آذار في أرض الكتيبة يدرك بأن هناك عدة مجموعات شبابية تقود الحملة الشعبية، وكل مجموعة تريد أن تخطف الأضواء لصالحها. أنا أعي أهمية الحشد الجماهيري بكل طوائفه، ولكن بإعتقادي أن هذا الجهد الكبير كان يمكن أن يؤتي ثماره بصورة أفضل لو كانت الجهود موحدة.
- كان نزول عناصر حركة حماس بالرايات الخضراء في شوارع غزة خطأ لا يغتفر، حيث أن حماس تعلم أن الشعار الرئيسي للحملة الشعبية هو العلم الفلسطيني تحت شعار "إنهاء الإنقسام". ولعل السبب في ذلك هو معرفة حماس المسبقة بحجم التعبئة الجماهيرية في قطاع غزة للحملة، وبالتالي لم تكن ترغب أن تبقي نهاية الركب. أنا أعتقد بأنه لو نزل عناصر ومناصري حركة حماس بالعلم الفلسطيني لكن الموقف يصب أكثر في صالحهم وبالتالي يحرجوا الأطراف الأخرى.
- إن لجوء الشباب إلى أرض الكتيبة هو بمثابة حركة منظمة من أجل التفرد بقيادة الحملة الشعبية لإنهاء الإنقسام، وبالتالي لا تستطيع باقي الأحزاب والتيارات السياسية من خطف هذه الجهود الشبابية لإنهاء الإنقسام. ولكن الناظر لمجريات الأحداث في أرض الكتيبة يدرك بأن الجهود المنصبة هناك كانت جهود مبعثرة وبلا تنظيم أو قيادة. أستطيع أن أوصف ما كان يجري بأنه عبارة عن متنفس للحرية والتعبير أكثر منه عمل منظم، كما شابه كثير من التقليد لثورات عربية أخرى برزت في الشعارات والتعليقات، وهذا أفقد حالة التفرد والإبداع لدى هؤلاء الشباب.
- في الساعات الأخيرة من نهار الخامس عشر من آذار بدأت الجماهير في قطاع غزة بالتوافد إلى أرض الكتيبة، وبدأ عدد الخيام بإزدياد، ولم تكن ترى سوى العلم الفلسطيني في منظر يشرح الصدر ويسر الناظرين. أعتقد أن الحكومة الفلسطينية في غزة بدأت تشعر بأن الأمور تؤول تدريجياً إلى فقدان السيطرة حيث أن الأعداد تزيد، فما كان منهم سوى إنهاء هذا التجمع بأي شكل من الأشكال. نزلت القوات الأمنية إلى أرض الكتيبة وبدأت تضرب وترعب الجماهير المحتشدة بطريقة عنيفة في محاولة لفرض هيبتها على الأرض لتقول أن لا صوت يعلو فوق صوت حركة حماس. كثير من الصحفيين والشباب والفتيات تعرضوا للضرب دون أدنى إعتبار لحرية تعبير أومهنة صحفية. أعتقد أن هذا الفعل يفقد حركة حماس كثيراً من شعبيتها على الساحة الفلسطينية، ويضعف الإيمان في صدق نواياها بإنهاء الإنقسام. الأهم من هذا كله أن هذا الفعل يزيد من حالة الإحتقان على الساحة السياسية.
- في السادس عشر من آذار قامت قوات الشرطة والأمن الفلسطيني في غزة بالإعتداء على الطلاب والطالبات في جامعة الأزهر وجامعة القدس المفتوحة، وهذا يعتبر تعدي واضح على حرمة الأماكن التعليمية بالإضافة إلى أنه نوع آخر من الإعتداء على حرية الرأي والتعبير. إن هذا السلوك لا ينم عن ممارسة حقيقية للعملية الديمقراطية في المجتمع الفلسطيني ويجعلنا أكثر بعداً عن المدنية.
أنا أعتقد بأن ما حدث في غزة وما تبعه من أحداث على أثر الحملة الشعبية لإنهاء الإنقسام هو مؤشر بأن حركة فتح وحركة حماس بعيدتان عن النوايا الصادقة والمخلصة من أجل إنهاء الإنقسام واستعادة الوحدة الفلسطينية. أدعو الله عز وجل بأن يهدي الطرفين ليحكموا ضمائرهما وأن يتقوا الله في الشعب وفي فلسطين لأهنا أكبر منا جميعاً.

Monday, September 06, 2010

My trip to Ramallah

It was a one day trip to Ramallah, August 2010 where I participated in a one day evaluation workshop at the PRCS. Although the trip was very short, it was very nice to get out of Gaza for some time.

Mohammed

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Disaster Continues


Sixteen days since it began, the war on Gaza rages on. It's a war that does not exempt from its targets a child, a woman, or old man, or a school, a mosque or a house.

I am still following the news minute by minute to check on my family in Gaza; it is so hard to see a real war waged against your people, and you far away and can't do anything to help them.

Western media present it as a war against Hamas, yet what is happening on the ground is a war against civilian people. So far, more than 800 persons have been killed and at least 3,500 injured. Thirty-five percent are children and women. Mosques, United Nations-administered schools and houses are attacked, which means that no place is safe in Gaza.

All of my family are staying in one room. Expecting that a missile could attack them any moment, they prefer to die all together. My little brothers and sisters are very scared and don't sleep well and the bombing goes on day and night.

My pregnant sister, and she is due next week, and she is having a very hard time. My niece Basmala, three years old, is very scared as well, and when I talked to her she said: "I am afraid from the missile, it destroys our house, it killed my friends whom went with me to the kindergarten." Her friends were four-year-old Deema and three-and-a-half year old Ahmad who were attacked by an F-16 rocket while they were staying with their family at home. The rocket killed three other brothers, 13-year-old Sudqi, 12-year-old Ahmed and 15-year-old Muhammad. Their sister Alaa is 11 years old and lost her arm and their mother is in trauma. This is an example of a family that lives not far from my house. In addition, eight houses in my neighborhood were completely destroyed. This is why I am so worried about my family.

The day Israel began bombarding Gaza, an acquaintance of mine, Ayman, a 23-year-old from Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, went to check on his fiance in Jabaliya refugee camp. He was having a cup of tea with his fiance when a rocket attacked the house and killed him.

I cannot express enough how dirty this war is, and the amount of destruction it has made. My family tells me that Gaza is completely different now. Israeli aircraft changed the whole Gaza Strip. This happens after a year and a half of closure, causing widespread shortages of basic commodities and fuel. My family has had no power or water for 15 days. Luckily, the telecommunication is still working, otherwise I would go crazy.

Hospitals in Gaza lack medical support; it reached a point where there injured are treated on the floor, as there are no more beds available. The morgues are filled to capacity with those who have been killed.

The UN Security Council called for ceasefire, but Israeli forces do not care. I wonder when the so-called international community will take real action to stop this war.

However, the people of Gaza are very pleased by all demonstrations going on in the world in solidarity with them, as they make them feel that they are not alone.

Palestinians are human beings, and they are asking for the protection and freedom enjoyed by other people in the world. They want to live peacefully, and move freely. Yet, they still need your prayers.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

My trip to Washington D.C and Florida (August 2008)

It has been three years since I left Gaza and the sanctions against it continue to prevent me from going back home to Rafah. It was late July when I decided to spend my annual leave. My dream was to spend my vacation back home with my family and friends but I had no hope that the borders will be opened anytime soon. Therefore, I thought if I can not make it home, at least I might make it back to my “home away from home”. It was a blessing that I was able to get a visa to US, and I decided to go to D.C and Florida.

It was an eighteen hour flight from Khartoum to get to Washington D.C. The flight was so long for me, not because of the long time it took, but because I was looking so forward to getting there after one year of being gone. Finally I got to the National Airport in D.C, and I took the metro to the centre of the city where everything looked familiar to me. I had a feeling that I have never left there. I felt that I was a way only for one week or so, it was a very nice feeling though.

I am not a tourist in D.C, as I lived there for about two years and have already been to most of the tourist places in the city. The first thing I wanted to do, after I woke up the next morning and had my breakfast, was to go to school. American University is my home; it was the place where I learnt new things, found friends and had a great time. It was my academic and social life. I took the bus and went to school; it was a great feeling to walk in the quad again and to meet my professors, supervisors and friends again. I did this for two weeks; I spent most of my time in meeting friends. I also celebrated my birthday in D.C. with some of my best friends. It was so nice and I had a good time. The only tourist place I have been to in DC was the Capitol. Oh, and I finally had Mexican food, which I missed so much.

After two weeks in D.C, I flew to Orlando, FL for a week. I have been to Cocoa Beach, NASA and Disney Land. Cocoa Beach was a relaxing place, where I enjoyed swimming in the ocean and watching the lightning. I did many enjoyable things: went on a kayaking tour in the lagoon, watched manatees and jet skied.

At NASA, I was really impressed by the highly advanced aeronautic technology of the USA. I actually learned a lot. My trip there put a new lens on my eyes to see the entire globe, and to see how we are only small part of the whole solar system. It was great to see REAL rockets which had been to the moon, and how the launching process takes place from earth to the International Space Station. I also have been to the point of launching the rockets. I also got to do the simulation of the space shuttle launch.

Disney Land was amazing. Starting from the Magic Kingdom building, passing through different exhibitions of nice articulated arts, you feel the whole city is a toy. After waiting for an hour, I managed to take a photo with Mickey Mouse. I liked the adventure land and “It’s a Small World.” I also liked how everything in the kingdom reflects the place in that everything there tells you that you are in Magic Kingdom like the cups, napkins, ice cream, etc.


At the very last day of my trip in Orlando, I just soaked myself in the swimming pool and the hot tub. I just needed time to relax before my eighteen hour flight back to Khartoum. My visit to the US was so relaxing and enjoyable.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

My trip to Indonesia- March 2008


I have been to Indonesia for my leave where I spent one week. I have been to Banda Ache, Sapung Island and Jakarta.

There are more than 1200 islands in Indonesia. Banda Ache is located in the Northern angle of the island of Sumatra, which is considered as the largest island in Indonesia and the sixth largest island in the world. Ache has been hit by Tsunami, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which was a massive disaster to the whole area. About 170,000 Indonesians were killed, and more than 500.000 became homeless. You can realize the massiveness of the earthquake when you see a big boat over a house in the middle of the city and when you see a huge power station which was based in the ocean and the waves kicked it out 5 km from its base, and now it is in the city. Tsunami earthquake made the biggest catastrophe in the world.

Banda Ache is still recovering from Tsunami, and you can see it in the eyes of its people. Everyone you meet has a story to tell; some has lost members of their family and others lost relatives. Two months a go, the alarms on the beach turned off for some reason, and the people got very scared and got started running towards the city thinking it is a second Tsunami. I could not understand how the people feel when they see the remains of Tsunami every morning.

I went to Sapung island, which is few kilometers a way from Ache. I had a feeling that I am in Hawaii. The view is amazing; coconut trees and many hammocks are all over the beach. It is a real place for relaxing and having fun. There are little wood houses built over the ocean with little hammocks in the terrace of each room with an ocean view. It is just terrific.

In Ache, I hanged around the city, thanks to my dear friend Gavi whom I know from Washington D.C, I went to the market, rice farms and rode an elephant, which was a lot of fun. I felt that the people in Ache have good hearts, and always smile. They always ask about my nationality, and I was impressed how acknowledged they are about my home. The majority of the people there are Muslims, and that could be the reason. Further, Ache is recognized as Shariia Law area, every woman has to cover her hair as part of the law. No Alcohols are allowed in the province. The most interesting things I experienced in Ache are the grilled fish, avocado juice and the SPA of course. Literally, I had fish every day.

After five days in Ache and Sapung island I flew back to Jakarta. I spent two days with three old friends of mine (Eli, Katrina and Evim) whom I met in Japan in 2001. You came to realize how small this world is when people meet again after a long time. We all together had a wonderful grilled fish dinner “again” over the ocean. Jakarta is a beautiful city and I was really impressed by the high architectural design of the houses, building and the hotel. Globalization is part of the city, you see Starbucks, MacDonald’s, pizza hut..etc everywhere.

It was a magnificent time, and I strongly recommend it for vacations.