#general assembly
Editorial: October
- Ibrahim Hewitt, Chairman of the Trustees
As news that the latest attempt to break the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip has, once again, been impeded by the might of the Israeli military, it is important to remember that the spirit of these women, and the Palestinians who eagerly awaited their arrival remains unbroken. In the spirit of the Women’s Flotilla then, we are reminded of the importance of international efforts of solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of their prolonged plight. We can carry this collective spirit forward in order to honour the efforts of the Freedom Flotilla.
The past month has been filled with activities of celebration, sombre remembrance and the reappearance of the Palestinian situation on the international stage. Interpal’s Qurbani campaign united Muslims from around the world to feed the needy and share our blessings with those who need it most. September also marked the 34th anniversary of the massacre of Palestinian refugees at Sabra and Shatila, condemned as an act of genocide by the United Nations but one which has largely been forgotten by the international community. Developments at the United Nations have dominated the news over the past month, with the U.N. General Summit taking place in New York. The appointment of António Guterres as the successor to Ban-Ki-Moon is emblematic of public concern over the ongoing refugee crisis gripping the Middle East. Within this, however, it should not be forgotten that the displacement of Palestinians from their homeland is now the longest-running refugee crisis in the world. With the attention of world leaders focused mainly on those fleeing the violence in Syria, it is equally important to remember those Palestinians displaced in 1948 who have been uprooted once again.
As the nights draw in and the weather turns, we are focusing our attention to those who struggle throughout the long, dark winter months. Looking forward, the concern is always present that another emergency will unfold, leaving those already struggling unprepared and without hope of protection. Our #ChanceToLive medical aid fund prepares for any eventuality in order to be ready to distribute aid on the ground should such a catastrophe occur. In the meantime, we extend our thanks to you for your continued support and generosity, without which, our mission to help Palestinians in need would not be possible.
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“You can’t care about problems of every single country in the world!”
Beside the fact I’m human and I naturally wish everyone would get what I’m lucky to have, I’ll tell you why I do care.
I have friends in Ukraine. None of them have left or plan to do so. It’s their home and even though at least one of them has relocated, talking people out of returning home because it’s not safe, knowing damn well how it feels to miss your home, if it’s in the middle of a whirlwind or not, is not something I got prepared for. So I understand.
I have friends in southeast Asia. I would argue about how the palm oil is bad with anyone but them. Because they know. They do. But at the same time, they know that we have been going down this environmentally bad path for too long and cutting it off would make many of their fellow citizens fall into extreme poverty, the economy would fall apart and it’d be mainly the ordinary people who would suffer. So I understand.
I have friends in the US who are genuinely afraid of the prolife movements and feel sad when they hear how much we learn in our schools. The “stupid Americans” stereotype has made us mock the wrong people, those who became victims to the insufficient education system. So I understand.
I have friends in southeastern Europe. I have a friend in Azerbaijan. I have friends that are children of emigrants, that want to study abroad but don’t have finances, friends that are forced into some religion, friends that have never felt plight in their country, yet they’re not happy. Friends that are being told by ignorant people that they don’t understand their own history.
So I understand. I have opened my heart to people who are different from me, yet very similar and we talk a lot.
Before I met them, I had no idea what the world is like, that it’s so full of problems that get pushed aside. That we’d rather complain about how our problems are what we should focus on the most when some are dying for their ethnicity, religion, can’t find a job because of something their leader did and they speak against, are dependent on the brands we all know and love quite literally with their lives.
I decided to take the time to understand them. Because to understand is to love and to love is to understand.
