Articles

Why you should listen to the music of Doc Jazz

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:47:49 +0100

By Imane Mahi - translated from Dutch - Soon, on May 12th, Doc Jazz will come and perform his songs in Amsterdam. I don’t want to miss it, and you shouldn’t want to miss it either! Maybe you are thinking: 'Doc Jazz? Old-fashioned jazz music with all kinds of complex improvisations? Not for me!' Well, I am a big fan of his music, while I usually never listen to jazz music. In fact, it isn’t really typical jazz, although it does have a “jazzy flavor”. It is beautiful music that is easy o...

'Futile Dialogue' : a Zionist strategy

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 07:07:28 +0100

By Tariq Shadid - The struggle for Palestinian rights has always been operating under tremendous pressure. The Zionist war machine has never ceased its expansionist drift ever since it forced its illegal roots into Palestinian soil in the beginning of the 20th century, and has never changed its modus operandi. It has always paired ruthless military aggression, ethnic cleansing and land theft with a narrative built on misleading euphemisms such as 'progress', 'civilization', 'democracy', 'security...

IAW-organizer Eman Sourani: 'We expect one thing: action'

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:37:27 +0100

On March 12, students in Gaza are slated to mark the international Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) with activities that aim to empower the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaign against Israel. In their own week of action, organized by PSCABI1 together with ODSG2 , PACBI3 and the BDS group in Gaza, the Gaza contributions feature a promising program of speakers, musicians, activists and writers from a variety of backgrounds, who are active for the Palestinian cause. There will be discussio...

Review of Tariq Shadid's book 'Understanding Palestine'

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 16:06:19 +0100

By Sadika Arab - user review on Amazon - `Understanding Palestine' is the kind of book you wish you had read years ago. It has all the right ingredients that make a great volume. It's smart and sharp, opens your eyes to a new perspective, and challenges you to think. This is the kind of book that will get a prominent spot on your bookshelf or a permanent one on your bedside table. It is a definite must-read for every Palestine supporter. The book consists of previously published articles b...

Tweeting for Khader: major kudos and a point of criticism

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:48:34 +0100

The past week has been an amazing week for Twitter activism for the Palestinian cause. In fact, the achievements could be described as historic. For 6 days in a row, hashtags related to Khader Adnan's hunger strike managed to make it to the world trending list 7 times in total. The success of these online demonstrations must be attributed mostly to those (mostly Palestinian) 'tweeps' who organized it, and secondly to those who responded to the calls in a stunning display of harmony and cooperatio...

My Palestinian Realization - by Adam Akkad

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:32:12 +0100

By Adam Akkad - The moment I stopped believing in the 2 state solution was the moment I realized that the path to freedom for Palestine travels through the Palestinian people. Many in the Palestinian community continue to have hope in negotiations and the so called ‘peace process’ due to a belief that only Israel can improve our condition. Our problems will never be solved by Israel; we must solve them on our own. One of the most fatal flaws we can make is to fall in the trap of definin...

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...

La lucha de los palestinos es una lucha contra el sionismo

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:22:47 +0100

Tariq Shadid - Traducción para Rebelión de Loles Oliván - La esencia de la lucha palestina es la batalla contra el sionismo. Es una batalla contra su racismo, contra sus asesinos crímenes de guerra, contra su insaciable apetito territorial, contra de su desprecio por los derechos humanos no judíos, y contra su determinada pretensión de destruir la identidad nacional palestina. Según aumentan las voces a favor de la normalización y los medios de comunicación social se invaden de blo...

Palestinian Culture - by Abbas Hamideh

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:52:50 +0100

The Palestinian culture is part and parcel of the Arab and Islamic world. The Palestinians are deeply rooted in their rich culture and history which contains all 3 major religions of the Abrahamic faith with Islam being the dominant faith practiced by the majority of Palestinians. The Palestinian society and their Holy Land is also solidly connected with the oldest Christian community in the world where Issa (Jesus) was in fact born. Yes, like it or not, Jesus was Palestinian. The cul...

Anti-Zionism in the 21st Century: the struggle continues

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:36:30 +0100

The essence of the Palestinian struggle is the battle against Zionism. It is a battle against its racism, against its murderous war crimes, against its insatiable territorial hunger, against its disdain for non-Jewish human rights, and against its devoted attempts to destroy Palestinian national identity. As voices of normalization are on the rise, and social media is invaded by paid pro-Zionist bloggers, there is an increased need for anti-Zionists to draw attention to the crimes committed by 'I...

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 ...

Omar Ghraieb from Gaza: we moved on

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:41:37 +0100

by Omar Ghraieb, Gaza, December 27 - Today we mark the 3rd anniversary of Israel’s vicious war on Gaza. Three years have passed. Wow. Three years ago today, at 12:30 pm, I was playing with my nephew in the living room when the whole ground shook. Israeli F16s, Apaches and drones suddenly filled the air and bombings were happening. We never guessed it was the start of a vicious war that will leave us with no water, electricity, food or movement for 24 days. I remember running to m...

Book Review of 'Understanding Palestine' by Tariq Shadid (Dutch)

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:49:56 +0100

A book review by Songül Arslan, Wijblijvenhier.nl - Als het om een oplossing voor het Israëlisch-Palestijns vraagstuk gaat, dan is een democratische, seculiere Israëlisch-Palestijnse staat waarin iedereen vredig en met respect voor elkaar en elkaars fundamentele rechten samenleeft een grote utopie. De vraag tegenwoordig is of ‘twee staten, twee volkeren’ ook niet een utopie is. Hoewel de arts-schrijver Tariq Shadid op de bovenstaande vraag geen antwoord geeft, geeft hij in z...

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'....

Sailors jailed, Freedom Waves Flotilla sails on

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:29:37 +0100

by Tariq Shadid - The past years have seen a rise in non-violent activism against the Israeli occupation and against the blockade of Gaza. It is quite important to realize that the success or failure of these actions usually does not depend on the achievement of the direct physical aim of the protest, but much more on the indirect symbolical effects of it. Seen from this point of view, we can safely say that most of the protest activities of non-violent activism undertaken for the Palestin...

A review of Doc Jazz's album Front Door Key

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 11:32:08 +0100

By Hanane Harram, Rotterdam (Netherlands) - Doc Jazz is a music artist-activist with songs for all generations. He has created a very nice form of art based on the Palestinian cause. You can feel the strong emotions in his fantastic songs. His music spans the entire musical horizon - it rocks, it grooves and it has a strong and powerful message. His voice is nice and smooth but at the same time it's powerful. Doc Jazz is master of his instruments. In 'Intifada' he introduces an authentic Palestin...

Doc Jazz: "Recht op Terugkeer is het hart van de zaak" (Dutch)

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:21:57 +0100

Een interview door de website Oh My Gaza. Vertaling: Musical Intifada Action Committee (MIAC) Het is mij een eer Doc Jazz aan u voor te stellen, een trotse Palestijn die een nieuwe betekenis geeft aan hoe bewustzijn en solidariteit in de wereld uitgedragen kan worden met betrekking tot de Palestijnse zaak. Wat heeft u geïnspireerd om chirurg te worden? Ik kom uit een familie met veel artsen; mijn eigen moeder is huisarts. Ongetwijfeld heeft zij me op de een of andere man...

Doc Jazz: 'The heart of our cause is the Right to Return' - interview with Oh My Gaza

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 07:16:48 +0100

The wonderfully active and comprehensive blog 'Oh My Gaza' has done an interview with Doc Jazz about the Musical Intifada. Also discussed are Zionism in the Netherlands, and thoughts about global activism for Palestinian rights. It is republished here, but the original can be read at Oh My Gaza here. --- I am honored to introduce you to Doc Jazz, a proud Palestinian who is reshaping how to get awareness and solidarity out into the world in regard to the cause and struggle of Palestine. ...

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...

Anti-normalization: a necessary part of BDS-campaigning

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:19:08 +0100

by Doc Jazz - Some people have been wondering why the word 'normalization' is being used by pro-Palestine movements more and more frequently. Many seem to be puzzled by this word, not knowing exactly what is meant by it. What probably strikes them the most is that this expression, based on the word 'normal' which ordinarily has a positive connotation, is used in this context as something that is looked down upon or even despised. It therefore seems important to clarify what it means, why it is se...

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...

Did words ever end an occupation? Still, Unity First

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:41:24 +0100

by Tariq Shadid - September 23, 2011 was a memorable day. On that day, we watched the President of the Palestinian Authority unleash a barrage of strong words against the Zionist colonialist state of Israel, using language and meanings that we had rarely heard him use before on the international diplomatic stage. He mentioned the Nakba, the ethnic cleansing, the racist annexation wall, Israeli state terrorism and settler terrorism. Interrupted by loud roars of applause from the audienc...

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...

Occupation and the Need for Resistance

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 16:14:26 +0100

by Tariq Shadid This article was originally published at the Palestine Chronicle (2002), and is also present in the 358-page book 'Understanding Palestine' that contains many essays by this writer. It is available through Amazon. Click on the image to view/purchase. Many admirable volunteers from countries all over the world have felt the urge to follow the voice of their internal instincts, revolting against injustice. Many of them have been putting their lives on the line at various f...

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...

Boats, Boycotts and Backdoor Politics

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 15:28:44 +0100

By Tariq ShadidLike it or not, we are living in messy times, and the Middle East, bridge between three continents, is the region where many of the historical events of this troubled era are unfolding. The present chaotic situation also has a considerable impact upon the Palestinian struggle for liberation and independence, making it nearly impossible to view this issue as isolated from the rapidly evolving situation on a global level. In times like these, schisms between peoples and ideologies a...

Palestine is Full of Heroes

Mon, 04 Jul 2011 16:55:28 +0100

By Tariq Shadid This article was originally published at the Palestine Think Tank and the Palestine Chronicle. Republished here because basically, nothing has changed. Although people in our modern times have been educated to believe that having the 'right' ideas, methods or ideologies is what causes revolutions, history teaches us that drastic changes usually happen when the majority of the people rally behind a certain leader, more than behind an ideology. While Palestinian society cont...

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...

Nabil Mansour about his new song 'Yasmin'

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:54:04 +0100

Nabil Mansour, the brilliant Palestinian musician from Barcelona, has released a new song - his first song in the Catalan language - called 'Yasmin'. Doc Jazz interviewed Nabil about this new production, which was released with an animated music video made by Palestinian graphical artist Maysun Cheikh Ali. Nabil gives us the deeper backgrounds of this very special song, and we have some personal comments from Maysun as well, so read the interview and most importantly, check out this lovely song. ...

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...

Apartheid: some musicians oppose it, some condone it

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:20:02 +0100

As reported in earlier articles on this site, it seems like the world of modern music is becoming increasingly involved in the struggle against Israeli Apartheid. There are some artists who are taking courageous stands in challenging the musical establishment of the West, which is traditionally protective of the colonial Zionist project which calls itself the 'state of Israel'. However, other musicians are openly or quietly portraying themselves as being completely immune to calls from human ri...

Dave Randall, composer of 'Freedom for Palestine', about opposing Israeli Apartheid

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 10:22:22 +0100

Original link: The New Age (Although the Musical Intifada mainly presents original articles, it occasionally posts articles from other websites) --- On the band’s last tour to Israel, Faithless frontman Maxi Jazz and lead guitarist Dave Randall became acutely aware of the Israeli occupation and late last year – amid much public attention – Faithless cancelled its scheduled Israeli gig. Israel is the regional centre for all things cool, sexy and western – or so its government PR machin...

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...

Impressions from the Doc Jazz tour in the Netherlands

Mon, 30 May 2011 16:53:57 +0100

Doc Jazz has had an eventful week in the Netherlands and Belgium, with 4 performances, 3 radio appearances and an interview with a Dutch magazine, which all took place between May 13 and May 21. The performances were at fundraising events for causes relating to Palestine; the event in Brussels was aimed at collecting funds for the Askar refugee camp in Nablus, while the remaining ones were meant to help finance the Dutch boat in the upcoming Gaza Flotilla. On top of all this, Doc Jazz was also f...

Programma van de Doc Jazz Lowlands Tour

Wed, 04 May 2011 15:02:04 +0100

Wat bedoeld was als een kort bezoekje aan Nederland - het land waar Palestijnse chirurg en muzikant Doc Jazz geboren en getogen is - is inmiddels uitgegroeid tot een druk programma met optredens, interviews en radio optredens! Hoe kon dit gebeuren? Tja het een leidde tot het ander ... zo gaat het leven soms toch? Daarom, ondanks dat het inmiddels vrij kort dag is: hier is dan het programma van de Doc Jazz Lowlands Tour! Hieronder volgt een lijst van optredens, inclusief datum, locatie en ...

Doc Jazz treedt op in Nederland: wees erbij!

Sat, 30 Apr 2011 07:07:31 +0100

Wie weet heb je al wat geruchten gehoord, maar nu is het inmiddels definitief: Doc Jazz (Tariq Shadid) komt inderdaad naar Nederland. De oorspronkelijke reden van zijn bezoek zijn twee chirurgische congressen, maar inmiddels is er aardig wat aan het programma toegevoegd, aangezien hij in zijn vrije tijd muzikant is die een groot aantal nummers over de Palestijnse kwestie heeft geschreven. Hij is chirurg van beroep, woont en werkt inmiddels in de Verenigde Arabische Emiraten, en bezoekt ...

Nabil Mansour: rising Palestinian star from Barcelona

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:14:20 +0100

In the vast world of music in the Spanish language, a gifted and talented Palestinian musician is making sure the voice of his people is heard, in a way that in some ways is similar to what Doc Jazz is doing with music in the English language. His name is Nabil Mansour, and his music is sophisticated, easy on the ears, accessible, and rich in its compositions. Doc Jazz has interviewed Nabil, and is proud to introduce him and his music to his audience with great enthusiasm. After listening t...

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...

Mona Eltahawy Speaks To J-Street, But Who Is She Speaking For?

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:12:03 +0100

Reproduced from Ikhras.com. Although the Musical Intifada mainly presents original articles, it occasionally posts articles from other websites. Mona Eltahawy who takes pride in being “the first Egyptian journalist to live and to work for a western news agency in Israel” was a big hit at this year’s J-Street gathering. This is a video of her opening remarks at the racist, Zionist group’s 2011 conference. Eltahawy, unlike Ray Hanania and James Zogby, two other Arab-Americans who e...

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...

Macy Gray's Amazing Disgrace

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:43:43 +0100

Yes, this may indeed be a provocative and unfriendly title - but I personally think that she had that one coming. Macy Gray today sent the following message on her Twitter: "Dear Israel fans. Me and the band will be there in 20 days. Can't wait. See you then. Peace." How terribly disappointing.Only one day before, she had posed the following question to her fans on her Facebook page: "I'm booked for 2 shows in TelAviv. I'm getting alot of letters from activists urging/begging me to boycott by N...

Doc Jazz's 2003 reflections at Glasgow Caledonian University

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 13:08:02 +0100

Glasgow Caledonian University has a Centre for Political Song, which was one of the first organizations that took notice of my political songwriting. In 2003, after the Centre had published a number of Doc Jazz song lyrics, I was asked to write a short article about political songwriting. The original article can be found here, still on the University's website. Although some of the information is outdated since this was more than 7 years ago and many songs have appeared since, it may still be in...

On Improving Pro-Palestinian Activism

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 09:20:52 +0100

This article was written by Tariq Shadid (aka Doc Jazz) in 2002, during the time when he was a regular writer for the Palestine Chronicle. ZNet, the renowned progressive magazine, then republished it on their website. Although this short contemplative piece was written more than 8 years ago, much of it still rings true. There still is an urgent need for cooperation, and for the coordination of pro-Palestinian efforts. Very positive however, is that many of the people and web-projects mentioned in...

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...

'We're the Dream Team of Arabic hip-hop' - by Randa Safieh

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 14:44:19 +0100

In this article published in the November edition of Middle East magazine, Randa Safieh talks to some of the artists from the Lyrical Alliance collective, inspired by the legendary 'Mu'Allaqat' poems, which performed in Camden last month.Last month Dash Arts and the Camden Roundhouse presented a collaboration of some of the most prominent Arab hip-hop heavyweights. It was a ground-breaking event, with traditional Arabic verse at its core, hosted by DJ MK, of KISS FM fame, which succeeded in cross...

L'acide toxique de Wikileaks fuit dans toutes les directions, sauf vers Israël

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 12:58:22 +0100

Tariq Shadid - Réfléchissons un instant au sens de "fuir". Quand quelque chose fuit, on comprend habituellement qu'une substance fluide supposée couler dans une certaine direction s'échappe de sa trajectoire prévue à cause d'un défaut de la structure construite pour la guider. Habituellement, si un tuyau fuit dans votre circuit d'eau, votre problème principal est que vous ne parvenez pas à contrôler son débit, et l'eau va dans des directions où vous ne voulez pas qu'elle aille. ...

L’acido tossico delle fughe di Wikileaks va in tutte le direzioni tranne che su Israele

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 12:53:47 +0100

Tariq Shadid - Consideriamo per un momento il senso delle “fughe“. Quando si perde qualcosa, di solito comprende una sostanza fluida che si suppone fluisca in una direzione che sfugge dalla sua traiettoria pianificata, a causa di un difetto della struttura costruita per convogliarla. Di solito, se un tubo perde acqua nel vostro sistema, il problema principale è che non si può controllare il flusso e l’acqua va in direzioni che non volete che prenda. Tuttavia, la definizione di “...

El Ácido tóxico de Wikileaks se desparramó en todas las direcciones, excepto hacia Israel

Sun, 12 Dec 2010 12:47:30 +0100

Tariq Shadid - traduccion: Kora Zon // Pensar en un momento en el significado de "escape". Cuando algo "escapa", normalmente implica que una sustancia escapa de su trayectoria establecida debido a una estructura defectuosa construida para guiarla en una dirección. Por lo general, si un tubo tiene fugas en el circuito de agua, su principal problema es que no puede controlar su flujo, y el agua fluye en direcciones que no se espera que aparezca. Sin embargo, la definición de "Wikileaki...

'Peace of the Slave': a dead end street on a journey to independence

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 11:52:41 +0100

Palestine Think Tank - by Tariq Shadid - Albert Einstein, a man recognized as one of the greatest geniuses in the history of mankind, once said: "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it." It seems blatantly clear that those who are in power in the Palestinian 'National' Authority have either never read this wisdom, or are stubbornly refusing to understand its meaning, let alone put it into practice. The Americans have announced in the clearest of wo...

WikiLeaks ‘struck a deal with Israel’ over diplomatic cables leaks - Indymedia

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:04:29 +0100

From Indymedia -“Assange met with Israeli officials in Geneva earlier this year and struck the secret deal. The Israel government, it seems, had somehow found out or expected that the documents to be leaked contained a large number of documents about the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza in 2006 and 2008-9 respectively. These documents, which are said to have originated mainly from the American* embassies in Tel Aviv and Beirut, where removed and possibly destroyed by Assange, who is t...

Julian Assange praises Netanyahu - for praising Wikileaks

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 10:19:04 +0100

On December 2, 2010, Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz published an article quoting Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in full praise of Benjamin Netanyahu, "as an example of a world leader who believes the publications will aid global diplomacy."The statements made by Julian Assange corroborate earlier suspicions that drew attention to the peculiar position of Israel in the storm of events following the latest Wikileaks publications, emerging practically as the only country that was mentioned in the leak...

Wikileaks leaks toxic acid in every direction, except to Israel - Tariq Shadid

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:19:02 +0100

(Published also on Palestine Think Tank) Let us ponder for a second about the meaning of 'leaking'. When something is leaking, it is usually understood that some fluid substance that is supposed to be flowing in a certain direction, is escaping from its designed route because of a defect in the structure that was built to guide it. Usually, if you have a leaking pipe in your water system, your main problem is that you are unable to control the flow of it, and water goes into directions whe...

Don't Wait, Declare the State - Tariq Shadid

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:13:26 +0100

Mahmoud Abbas is left with only one opportunity to change the course of a failed diplomatic strategy: he should repair the ties with Hamas immediately, and subsequently declare an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital in the West Bank and Gaza, based on the borders of June 4, 1967. He should stop addressing the Israelis, but instead call upon the international community to recognize the Palestinian state that all the nations of the world have been waiting...

On-stage interview with Doc Jazz at al Quds University

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 14:59:41 +0100

On October 4th 2009, Doc Jazz gave a concert in the main auditorium at Al Quds University. "It was truly an unforgettable experience; the response from the audience was absolutely amazing. This concert was organized thanks to the interest of fans that live in the Jerusalem region, and who wished to hear me playing my songs live." (quote from the PTT interview) During the concert, an on-stage interview was held with Doc Jazz, about his music, his life, and his motivations. The video in this...

Police state in-the-making - Samah Jabr

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:57:08 +0100

Although United States-sponsored security coordination with the Palestinian Authority started in the nineties, the scale and nature of US intervention in Palestinian affairs intensified through the program headed by Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton that was launched by the Bush administration in 2005. When Hamas ousted Fateh from the Gaza Strip in June 2007, the atmosphere then became ripe to escalate the growth of this political mutation that transformed former "national heroes" into "terrorists". W...

Doc Jazz telephone interview on Press TV

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 09:17:17 +0100

This live telephone interview was held on Press TV on April 13th in the program 'Remember Palestine'. First, they broadcast a large part of the song 'Home (for Jenin)', then I was asked a few questions by telephone. Although I have often been interviewed, it is rather uncomfortable to be interviewed by telephone, those of you who have experience with it surely can confirm this. ...

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. ...

By Means of Deception

Sat, 06 Nov 2010 11:30:46 +0100

"By means of deception, thou shalt wage war". This motto of one of the most notorious secret services in the history of mankind, the Israeli Mossad, in fact forms the essence of the strategy of the entire zionist entity, ever since its inception in 1948. The principle described above is more sacred to the strategists of zionism than even the public secret of the huge Israeli arsenal of nuclear weapons, more than its Merkava tanks, more than its American Apache helicopters, and even more ...

Doc Jazz: "Independence cannot be given to you"

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:05:50 +0100

(This interview was originally published at the Palestine Think Tank) In December 2000, Doc Jazz released his first political song 'Intifada', which was listened to widely on the world wide web, and started his internet project 'The Musical Intifada'. Since that time, the collection of his self-written and -produced songs has grown to over 90 funky pop-songs, the majority of which have a political topic....

Heather Wokusch interviews Doc Jazz

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This interview was originally published on Heather Wokusch's website, under the category 'Inspiring People'. Can you tell us about your political activism? Well, I understand that what I have been doing over the years is likely to be termed activism. However, in my view it was more a matter of trying to actively participate in the democracy I was born and raised into. I believe it is upon us, the Palestinians in exile, the ones who are citizens of democracies, to do our utmos...