Blog

Khader Adnan: dying 2 live - new poster

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:28:01 +0100

For many days now, Khader Adnan has been waging a principled hunger strike against the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. At the time of this blog post, his hunger strike has been going on for 58 days. Khader was imprisoned in December without any charges, a very common practice of the Israeli occupier. After having been subjected to torture and humiliation - which is also standard practice in Israeli jails in these cases - he decided he would no longer accept these humiliations...

NUI$ance or not, money can't change the truth

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:29:28 +0100

Day in day out, Palestinians all over the world and their supporters are investing their time, resources and energy into getting the word out about the grave injustices that are being perpetrated against the Palestinian people by the Zionist state. The Zionists have now - yet again - decided to respond by reaching deeper into their wallets, as was recently revealed by Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada. The results of pro-Palestinian efforts, although relatively poorly funded, are baffling ...

Over our dead bodies

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:59:25 +0100

by Tariq Shadid - Hypocrisy runs worldwide; it is known as one of mankind's ugliest traits. However, at some points in time, at certain locations, it takes such wildly ludicrous shapes that it turns human beings into caricatures of themselves. One such example can be found at the official Israeli response to the recent desecration of 15 Muslim gravestones at the Ma'man Illah cemetery in Jerusalem, also known as 'the Mamilla cemetery'....

What they told the Palestinian

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:19:33 +0100

Do you want to know what they told the Palestinian? First, they told him he did not exist. Then they told him he wasn't Palestinian, just Arab. In the mean time they were spending a lot of effort on brainwashing the remaining Arabs that they weren't Arabs, but Jordanians, Iraqis, Saudis, Egyptians, Libyans and Yemenis. Then they told the Palestinian his land was a complete desert until they turned it into a green garden. They ignored the fact that the vast majority of Palestinians are farmers f...

Normalization extravaganza: Palestinian artists at the 'Israeli' Oud festival

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:08:30 +0100

There are various degrees of what we call 'normalization'. As indicated in a recent article at the Musical Intifada, in some exceptional cases it can even be described as 'understandable', or to a certain degree 'acceptable' if not entirely 'inevitable'. However, at the opposite end of that spectrum there are displays of normalization that are completely uncalled for, and nauseatingly reprehensible. One such upcoming feat of normalization is the participation of Palestinian artists at the 'I...

Natacha Atlas BDS? Great, but some criticism is due

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 15:07:03 +0100

All of us BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions)-supporters undoubtedly are happy to see any artist join the boycott against the racist Zionist entity that calls itself 'Israel'. Therefore, there is reason to applaud Natacha Atlas' recent decision to cancel the performances that she had scheduled there. However, a closer look at this issue and this artist reveals that this enthusiasm also deserves some serious footnotes.While most pro-Palestinian organizations and websites are meeting her decisi...

Sabra and Shatila: never forget, never forgive

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:00:38 +0100

Today, September 16th 2011, it is 29 years ago that the horrendous atrocities committed by Israeli-allied phalangists against Palestinian and Lebanese civilians took place in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, Sabra and Shatila.According to some estimates, the number of victims numbered 3,500. The images of the unimaginable acts of cruelty that took place between the 16th and 18th of September of 1982 are forever engraved in the collective memory of the Palestinians. This post does not aim...

Goed nieuws: ‘Nederlandse Moslimlente’ is op komst (Dutch)

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:33:00 +0100

door Tariq Shadid --- Titel gelezen? Stel dat dit echt waar zou zijn. Stel, dat naar analogie van wat door velen de ‘Arabische Lente’ wordt genoemd, er een vergelijkbaar bloeiseizoen zou aanbreken onder de Nederlandse Moslims. Interessante gedachte, toch? Men lijkt wereldwijd aardig onder de indruk van de ogenschijnlijk onstuitbare opmars van vrijheidsdrang van de bevolking in de Arabische wereld, tientallen jaren lang geteisterd door koloniale en daarna dictatoriale onderdrukking. Is h...

Salute to the Flagman!

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:46:38 +0100

We live in very difficult times ... we live in a time where sowing death and destruction with the most horrendous weaponry upon civilians is deemed acceptable by leaders in the Western World and elsewhere, who dress up in suits, attend fancy banquets and diners, and proudly brag to one another about their refined 'civilization'. Gaza is being bombed with utter savagery, and those heartless leaders are deeply satisfied by the carnage. They are cheered upon by the ignorant, selfish and materia...

Preserving Palestinian tradition: the shibbabeh

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:25:35 +0100

Even if you are of Palestinian origin yourself, or perhaps even a Palestinian living in Palestine - if you are of a somewhat younger age you may not even have heard of this instrument that is commonly known in Palestine as the 'shibbabeh'. I am not an expert on Palestinian culture and traditions, nor do I pretend to be. All I know about the shibbabeh is what has been handed over to me through my own father as a cultural heritage from our region in Palestine, the Sha3rawiyya region in the north...

Greece proves it: no massacre needed to stop a Flotilla

Sun, 03 Jul 2011 08:15:41 +0100

I wish to be clear about one thing: this is article is NOT a compliment to the Greek government. Greece has played a treacherous role in the recent Freedom Flotilla saga , and undoubtedly had long decided to stop the boats before it actually implemented its slavish role in maintaining the Israeli blockade of Gaza.Despite the long history of close relations between the Greek and Palestinian people, the current government that rules Greece has apparently decided to switch sides. Based on strong pop...

Hasna: Don't Rock the Boat Baby (Dutch)

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:27:44 +0100

Soms zie je het gewoon niet aankomen: een plotselinge harde klap die niet door de tegenstanders aan de andere kant van het net wordt uitgedeeld, maar door hen die zich als medestanders hebben opgesteld. Op deze wijze heeft Hasna el Maroudi vandaag de Palestijnse zaak en de Nederlandse deelname aan de Flotilla naar Gaza op onverwachte wijze een dolkstoot in de rug gegeven, met een stukje dat zij vandaag publiceerde op Joop.nl . Voor een beter begrip van deze negatieve evaluatie van het artik...

Palestine's 'Amandla!' moment: not a dream, but a vision

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:10:53 +0100

I don't have a dream. It would perhaps be great if I did, but I don't. Dreams, to me, are a distortion of reality, a way for your emotions to deal with realities that your conscious mind finds too hard to digest. They are, by default, irrational responses that serve to maintain an emotional balance, but have no problem-solving capabilities.As a Palestinian, I don't like today's realities, and I find them utterly indigestible. I therefore firmly believe that they should be changed. I view things f...

How to make a Palestinian shibbabeh and play on it

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:29:46 +0100

This is a tutorial - which includes a video - on how to make a Palestinian shibbabeh and the basics of how to play on it! In the video, it is explained how to make a shibbabeh, and also how to master the technique of producing sound from it. Towards the end of the video, some examples of Palestinian melodies are given. On this page, the exact measurements of the shibbabeh are given as well. So if you are gripped by the amazing sound of this traditional Palestinian instrument, don't hesitate, ju...

A Facebook Milestone - thanks to YOU

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 10:17:27 +0100

When I first entered Facebook, I was a little skeptical about the whole thing. I was never too impressed with Myspace, where my friends list was growing rapidly but I felt there was little interaction on my Doc Jazz page there - so I expected Facebook to simply be more of the same.How wrong I turned out to be! Only yesterday, the number of fans who have 'liked' my Doc Jazz fan page, has crossed that magical line of 10,000, and I am amazed and filled with gratitude. I so appreciate your comments a...

Doc Jazz: an Arab voice speaking in the language of the world

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:02:30 +0100

Don't be fooled by the stage name: Doc Jazz is an Arab. If you would stumble upon his music by accident, and hear one of his non-political songs, you might think you are dealing with your regular Western musician, possibly American or European. But then again, perhaps that is exactly the purpose behind choosing that alias.Maybe you are intended to walk into Doc Jazz's musical realm without any prejudices or suspicions, and be enticed into listening further. But if this indeed happens, you are bou...

إذا الشّعْبُ يَوْمَاً أرَادَ الْحَيَـاةَ - الشاعر ...

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 06:42:56 +0100

إذا الشّعْبُ يَوْمَاً أرَادَ الْحَيَـاةَ فَلا بُدَّ أنْ يَسْتَجِيبَ القَـدَر وَلا بُـدَّ لِلَّيـْلِ أنْ يَنْجَلِــي وَلا بُدَّ للقَيْدِ أَنْ يَـنْكَسِـر وَمَنْ لَمْ يُعَانِقْهُ شَوْقُ الْحَيَـاةِ تَبَخَّـرَ...

Doc Jazz looks back upon 2010

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 10:17:20 +0100

The end of 2010 is nearing, quite shortly after the start of the Islamic new year 1432. It is obvious that the rhythm of day and night, moon cycles and earth rotations around the sun can be counted and numbered in different ways according to ones culture or religion. At work however, I am accustomed to entering the Gregorian date and year many times a day, and as such this is a rhythm that has some meaning to me, and to the majority of the people in the world. Therefore, this looks like a good t...

Dried Fruit - a short story from the East

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:49:00 +0100

By Doc Jazz A wise man one day was spending his day teaching his students, between morning and afternoon prayer. The topics that were discussed were deep and complex, and he gave his students plenty of opportunity for questions; he invited them to question everything they were told, and to ponder on their own thoughts and emotions about the meanings of life. ...