Israel Attacks Justice Boat

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE and ACTION ALERT

30 June 2009

ISRAEL ATTACKS JUSTICE BOAT; KIDNAPS HUMAN RIGHTS WORKERS; CONFISCATES MEDICINE, TOYS AND OLIVE TREES

(http://www.paltelegraph.com/palestine/gaza-strip/1228-israel-attacks-peace-actvists-and-humantarians-on-board-of-justice-boat-near-gaza)

For more information contact (in Cyprus):
Greta Berlin (English)
tel: +357 99 081 767 / friends@freegaza.org

Caoimhe Butterly (Arabic/English/Spanish):
tel: +357 99 077 820 / sahara78@hotmail.co.uk
www.FreeGaza.org

and in England:

Hilary Smith
tel: +447818040982

[23 miles off the coast of Gaza, 15:30pm] – Today Israeli Occupation Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, abducting 21 human rights workers from 11 countries, including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (see below for a complete list of passengers). The passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.

There are six British citizens on board the boat, including the captain, Dennis Healey.

“This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip,” said Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. Congresswoman and presidential candidate. “President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that’s exactly what we tried to do. We’re asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey.”

According to an International Committee of the Red Cross report released yesterday, the Palestinians living in Gaza are “trapped in despair.” Thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed earlier during Israel’s December/January massacre are still without shelter despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, because Israel refuses to allow cement and other building material into the Gaza Strip. The report also notes that hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of their patients due to Israel’s disruption of medical supplies.

“The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of Gaza, hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be able to transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the schools, hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the onslaught of “Cast Lead”. Our mission is a gesture to the people of Gaza that we stand by them and that they are not alone” said fellow passenger Mairead Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland.

Just before being kidnapped by Israel, Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza Movement chairperson and delegation co-coordinator on this voyage, stated that: “No one could possibly believe that our small boat constitutes any sort of threat to Israel. We carry medical and reconstruction supplies, and children’s toys. Our passengers include a Nobel peace prize laureate and a former U.S. congressperson. Our boat was searched and received a security clearance by Cypriot Port Authorities before we departed, and at no time did we ever approach Israeli waters.”

Arraf continued, “Israel’s deliberate and premeditated attack on our unarmed boat is a clear violation of international law and we demand our immediate and unconditional release.”

###

WHAT YOU CAN DO!

CONTACT the International Committee of the Red Cross to ask for their assistance in establishing the wellbeing of the kidnapped human rights workers and help in securing their immediate release!

Red Cross Israel
tel: +972 3524 5286
fax: +972 3527 0370
tel_aviv.tel@icrc.org

Red Cross Switzerland:
tel: +41 22 730 3443
fax: +41 22 734 8280

Red Cross USA:
tel: +1 212 599 6021
fax: +1 212 599 6009

###

Kidnapped Passengers from the Spirit of Humanity include:

Denis Healey, UK
Denis is Captain of the Spirit of Humanity. This will be his fifth voyage to Gaza.

Alex Harrison, UK
Alex is a solidarity worker from Britain. She is traveling to Gaza to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Fathi Jaouadi, UK
Fathi is a British journalist, Free Gaza organizer, and delegation co-coordinator for this voyage.

Adnan Mormesh, UK
Adnan is a solidarity worker from Britain. He is traveling to Gaza to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Ishmahil Blagrove, UK
Ishmahil is a Jamaican-born journalist, documentary film maker and founder of the Rice & Peas film production company. His documentaries focus on international struggles for social justice.

Theresa McDermott, Scotland
Theresa is a solidarity worker from Scotland. She is traveling to Gaza to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Khalad Abdelkader, Bahrain
Khalad is an engineer representing the Islamic Charitable Association of Bahrain.

Othman Abufalah, Jordan
Othman is a world-renowned journalist with al-Jazeera TV.

Khaled Al-Shenoo, Bahrain
Khaled is a lecturer with the University of Bahrain.

Mansour Al-Abi, Yemen
Mansour is a cameraman with Al-Jazeera TV.

Fatima Al-Attawi, Bahrain
Fatima is a relief worker and community activist from Bahrain.
Juhaina Alqaed, Bahrain
Juhaina is a journalist & human rights activist.

Huwaida Arraf, US
Huwaida is the Chair of the Free Gaza Movement and delegation co-coordinator for this voyage.

Kaltham Ghloom, Bahrain
Kaltham is a community activist.

Derek Graham, Ireland
Derek Graham is an electrician, Free Gaza organizer, and first mate aboard the Spirit of Humanity.

Mairead Maguire, Ireland
Mairead is a Nobel laureate and renowned peace activist.

Lubna Masarwa, Palestine/Israel
Lubna is a Palestinian human rights activist and Free Gaza organizer.
Cynthia McKinney, US
Cynthia McKinney is an outspoken advocate for human rights and social justice issues, as well as a former U.S. congressperson and presidential candidate.

Adam Qvist, Denmark
Adam is a solidarity worker from Denmark. He is traveling to Gaza to do human rights monitoring.

Adam Shapiro, US
Adam is an American documentary film maker and human rights activist.

Kathy Sheetz, US
Kathy is a nurse and film maker, traveling to Gaza to do human rights monitoring.

 

Kissed by Waves

Its been a while since I stood before an Ocean, the last time I did I had felt so heavy. It was a dark night on a beach that stretched 6 KM of the southern coast of Sri Lanka. As I stood before the ocean, I felt rooted at my spot. I wanted to go in, but I knew I was heavy. Neptune was very compelling and I stood there for a long long time in the dark silence, only the surf was talking, it spoke on Neptune’s behalf whispering “walk in, come in, come play with us”. It was a night in which I knew if I walked in I would never walk out.

But tonight it was different. This time the waves were happy, they came up and gently kissed my feet. Saying hello and welcome. I responded with smiles and playful walking up and down the shore, following the light lapping of the surf. It was calming, light and quiet. It was happy. I want to go back in the morning to catch the sun come up over that beautiful gulf.

 

Murder in the Name of Honour

A Jordanian journalist, feminist and human rights activist is now published. Rana Husseini’s new book Murder in the Name of Honour was launched in the UK May 28,  will be launched in Amman June 2 and will be launched in the US June 26.

You can attend the launch in Amman at Readers in Cosmo 7pm – 9pm and get signed copies.

Below is more about the book and the woman behind it as published in a press release from her publishers One World.

THE TRUE STORY OF ONE WOMAN’S HEROIC FIGHT AGAINST AN UNBELIEVABLE CRIME

RANA HUSSEINI

A leading investigative journalist offers the first definitive exposé of honour killings.

Rana Husseini’s hard hitting and controversial examination of honour crimes is a fearless, groundbreaking account of a topic that can no longer be ignored.  Claiming the lives of 5,000 women every year, and common in many traditional societies around the world, as well as in migrant communities in Europe and the USA, these so-called “Honour Killings” involve a “punishment” – often death or disfigurement – carried out by a relative to restore the family’s honour.

Breaking through the conspiracy of silence surrounding this crime, the book includes the personal stories behind many high profile cases that have recently hit the news, as well as many other, as yet unheard stories. Rana also describes her battle to change outdated laws and expose those countries that still, even today, legally allow killers who claim to have struck in the name of honor to walk free. No other writer has taken such an unflinching look at one of the most brutal practices that still exists in the modern world.

Journalist, feminist, and human rights defender, Jordanian RANA HUSSEINI is one of the world’s most influential investigative journalists, whose reporting has put violence against women on the public agenda around the world. The recipient of numerous awards for bravery in journalism, she is a regular speaker at major international events and has been interviewed by almost every major international broadcaster, from CNN to the BBC

 

Stop the Wall

A wall is being built that separates, divides, and excludes. It takes a play area, a view point, a rendezvous site from it community, from all of us in Amman. This wall is going up on around the lands near the citadel. The site is being expanded to include refreshment stands, bathrooms and a public plaza for events and concerts. But all this is being walled in by a massive concrete wall that will be beautified by laying stone on top of it.

The wall stands about 3.5 meters high allowing for the complete sanitization of the experience for who ever is inside while excluding everyone outside. The wall discriminates indiscriminately; you are either inside – after paying a fee of course, or outside.

This wall takes away the Jabal Al Qalaa play area where little girls and boys head to for some space away from the tiered and clustered homes they live in. It is where they fly their kites or kick around their balls. It is where they sit and look out a beautiful city they call home.

GAM has responded to a community concern on the website Creative Jordan with a response that does nothing to answer the issue but merely tries to justify the situation and actually reproaches us for our agitated state of distress because we care for our city not to be gentrified and sanitized for visitors of privilege whether they be tourists or locals.

I urge you each one of you to read the discussion thread and make your voice heard. We all have voices and this affects each and every one of us in Amman, not just the Jabal Al Qalaa residents.  The discussion can be found  here.

Jabal Al Qalaa- the citadel is a place where each one of us has a memory, a story, an experience… don’t let them take that away from you by modernizing a piece of history. History should remain untouched for us to interpret and understand through our senses not to be sanitized and modernized and made something it is not.

 

When in America

I was in the US last month and it had been 5 years since I last went. I knew I was apprehensive about being in the US and I still have not had time to reflect deeply on my experience but here are some impressions and personal opinions on things I liked and didn’t like while on my trip. This list is not definitive or set in stone, feel free to share anything you like or don’t like about the US, and maybe on my next trip I’ll watch out for these things.

I like	I no like
The Subway – and I aint talking about the sandwich	How fast everyone is trying to get somewhere – even if it is nowhere – they never arrive
The Met – its huge and parts of it boring but you can easily get lost for hours inside	Stepford wives/ office workers/ shoppers… etc. It’s a bit scary
The fact that museums in DC are free- YAY Smithsonian	The food – doesn’t matter what the cuisine is – its too much and too rich
The diversity in DC and NY in tongues, shapes and sizes	Lines – lines everywhere – I like organized chaos, not straight lines they are too boring
But my number one favorite thing in the US is TOILET SEAT COVERS! Available in most public bathrooms woohoo	Airport security- enuf said!

 

In Her Shoes He Was Not

I was listening to a speech at the Toastmasters Division Contest this weekend entitled “In Her Shoes” by a young man. His speech was about women. He started with skits about women drivers, about wives that spend all their husbands’ money and women among other derogatory scenarios. He moves into the body of his speech by saying he wants to put himself in a woman’s shoes and even puts on a blond wig for this part.

Askar talks about how easy it for women to get by on their looks. He does a skit in which the woman at the office is not available because she has sneaked off to get her nails. How about the idea that women get better performance appraisals at the office because they are pretty and flick their hair at the boss! How about the wife that calls her husband asking him for more money because she once again maxed the two credit cards and she needs to shop some more for frivolous unnecessary things. He spoke about how women have it easy in marriage as they lay out their conditions and put a price on their dowry.

The sexist comments and scenarios just kept coming and I couldn’t keep quiet. I called out bullshit a couple of times, and when I did it wasn’t just for me. It was for every woman who’s had to work twice or thrice as hard as the man sitting next to her, doing the same job and getting paid more than her. It was for every woman who has had a mate forced upon her by her father, brother, or uncle. It was for every woman denied education so her brother can go to school despite her being the better and smarter student. It was for every woman who has been slapped, punched, beaten, hit, or raped by a man because he could. It was for every woman who has been cat called, looked over, followed, touched, or objectified , for every woman sexually harassed on the street, in the office and in any public and private space. For every woman who stays at home because her father, brother, husband or son will not let her earn a living for herself and become independent. For every woman who toils in her house 24/7 making sure her family has a hot meal and clean safe home to come back to every day. For every woman on a diet trying to be that air brushed model in the magazine. This was and is for every woman and all women.

These women do not get by on their looks, or a flick of the hair. The speaker used stereotypes to get a laugh out of us. He pigeon-holed woman as objects of beauty and frivolity, bad drivers, and as lazy and unprofessional beings, that is what he saw when he put himself in a woman’s shoes! He then tried to turn his speech around not by negating any of what he said but by saying that women and men both have it hard and that both genders compliment and complete each other. To me this translated into him reinforcing these stereotypes, and saying they are OK because the men complete the other half of the equation. An argument I can NOT accept.

What angered me the most, and saddened me even, was that the women in his club, and area had said nothing when he presented his speech in these contests. Even the women in the room that day excused his misogyny because he said that one sentence at the end or because it was a humorous speech and therefore not a serious speech that warrants such a reaction from me. I was even chastised publicly, and officially complained against because I spoke out and up against this sexism.

Speaking up and against an injustice is never easy. It isn’t popular, it isn’t polite even. But it is the right thing to do. Women have been silent and silenced too long. We are forced to be submissive by culture, upbringing, guilt, shame and even coercion. Discrimination, misogyny, and sexism should not be tolerated, even in jest and in fact should be opposed.

I am sick of being shushed because it is not polite to speak up. I am tired of being told its OK because it is funny. I am exasperated by the people that tell me to look around me, it’s true – to them I tell them to look farther afield than their immediate circle of privilege and prejudice. I don’t see why I have to take this abuse quietly, do you?

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.” I will not be oppressed or an oppressor, and I did not appreciate the neutrality in that room that day, because with it came the tacit approval of our silence.

 

The Smells, Colors and the Sounds Of Amman

I know I have written about this topic before but it never ceases to catch me by surprise or inspire me. If you are wondering what I am talking about I am talking about this city, and walking its streets. Today, I left the office (a new office since I recently changed jobs) and decided to walk around the neighborhood as I headed home.

As I was walking in this quiet neighborhood, I turned a corner only to be confronted by the most exquisite fragrance. It was light, and full and sweet. I tried to find out where the smell was coming from but I didn’t succeed as I was surrounded by it. I was in such sensory heaven that I did really care where it came from, I just slowed my pace to take it all in.

After work I made it down to Ras Al Ein for a couple of events where again I was walking, this time through municipal grounds. We were in the middle of the valley surrounded by the tumbling hills of Amman terraced with homes in differing shades. But the surprise was this little yard filled with flowering trees, in full bloom with explosions of beautiful white flowers. And later still it was the Jasmine of Jabal Amman.

Throughout my walks the sounds of the city came to me whether it was the honking of the cars, the boys playing football, or the minarets calling out the athan at sunset, vibrating throughout the valley. But my favorite sound is that of the birds singing all over the city.

I really enjoy Amman and especially at this time of year. So go out, take a walk down some side streets and enjoy the smells, the colors, and the sounds of this city like I do.

Blooming Trees

Boys playing football

 

Only in America

I feel I have to share this as it shocked me so much when it happened. Flying in to JFK this weekend the pilot rocked as he arrived 40 min ahead of schedule landing at 5:20 am woohoo right? Wrong!

Apparently, and despite JFK being an international airport, we were not allowed to leave the plane until 6:00 am. The reason being that there was no customs staff and the airplane doors cannot be opened unless there is a customs officer.

This surprised me and shocked me because here we are in dinky tiny Jordan, a developing country, with an international airport that is open and fully operational 24/7; I’ve flown into various airports all over the world at odd hours and not so odd hours and this had never happened before. Yet here we have a massive, international airport in a major city in the US which could not accept an incoming international flight. And to add insult to injury, they had to make the passengers wait on the cramp crowded plane, we were already on for 11 hours and additional 40 minutes! How does that happen? You’d think NYC gets more air traffic than Amman and so would have even more reason to stay open and operational everyday, all day?

Anyways, we disembarked, got checked through immigration and cleared customs quiet easily after the delay, and so started my week long venture into Obamaland.

 

Soaring: A Weekend Of Kites and Request for Action

Kite Flying at Jabal Al Qalaa (Citadel)

A couple of weekends ago I was lucky enough to be part of the start of a new initiative. The aim of the initiative is to bring the diverse people of the city together and find fun and meaningful ways to connect and learn from each other outside of the traditional. What that translated to was that a group of friends and myself headed to the citadel to learn how to make and fly kites.

Arriving in the morning and seeing all the old friends arrive with their kids, walking over and meeting the other kids in the neighborhood youth center built up the anticipation to what was to become an explosion of colors, string, wood, and a lot of smiles.

I never expected kite making to be such an intricate science, and the way these kids made them made seem so easy, but kite making is exact, delicate and time consuming. What amazed me is the kids didn’t once use a ruler or measuring tool, they instead measured with the string they were using against the sticks. They used staples to put things together if they couldn’t tie them securely. And then when they were done with the body of the kite with string they made a tail. I learned that without a tail a kite won’t fly.

The kids were so giving and so full of information. Some were amazing teacher others were fantastic kite makers. But whatever role the children took on they gave willingly and freely. My friends and their kids all had a great time watching and learning, but what really made the difference to me was the connections they made with the people from the neighborhood over a labor of love and joy.

When we went to fly the kites everyone’s face was turned upwards watching their kites fly. Collectively they took pride in their efforts but everyone was overjoyed that they flew – the winds were not favorable that day. But despite the poor wind the kites fly high like the aspirations of everyone on that hill. I remember two women coming up to me and what they said “This is better than playstation” to her I say YES AKEED. The other woman said “my daughter has nevr been so happy”. Thank you to everyone for making it a great day.

But here is where I want to do a plug in about the neighborhood and the hill where we played. This is a small flat area, free of artifacts and ruins, it is not the best but it is the only place the kids of the neighborhood can play. Currently it is used a parking lot for the citadel and for RVs. If you want to help make the space free for all to play in and maybe even made into a community park then please contact Raghda Butros (raghda@gmail.com) an Urban Activist.

We each can make a difference go visit the space, understand the dynamics of the location, meet the people, and contact Raghda. Our children need to be outdoors need to play, need to grow. They have a right to all of that, help preserve those precious spaces today.

 

Kite Flying with Kids in Jabal Al Qala’a… wanna join?

Flying kites is a thing I have never really done. I don’t know how to fly a kite let alone make one. This weekend I have the opportunity to do both in a community event in Jabal Al Qala’a made possible by Adraaj Amman. So if you want participate in kite making and flying free up your Friday morning. Places are limited so do confirm your attendance.

 

Date: April 10, 2009

Day: Friday

Time:10:30 am 

Location:  Jabal Al Qala’a

Meeting point: Citadel Entrance

Cost: JD 5- 10 (you will participate in buying materials for both yourself and for a child from the Local Jabal Al Qala’a Community.

 

Contact info: Raghda Butros raghda@gmail.com 079-6637377

Confirm by: Thursday 3 pm

Note: Children welcome

 

See you all there and get read to see your creations, and those of the kids’, soar in a beautiful spring sky.