“Not the Mother of All cities” is an interesting feminist perspective of Jerusalem, the holy city. In the article by Hsan-Rokem, she Is saying how Jerusalem should not be seen as a female figure. In my own perspective, I see Jerusalem as a mother and a beautiful female, what is better than seeing Jerusalem as a mother, as a women who is facing all kinds of division and discrimination, destruction and apartheid. We all pray for a just peace in Jerusalem based on human rights, international laws and equality. I can understand the view of Hasan-Rokem as feminist and how she views Jerusalem, after all, Jerusalem is the beloved, whether it is viewed as male or female.
Questions to Miss Hasan-Rokem:
Q1) Does it really matter if Jerusalem is seen as female or male? Isn’t it of best interest for everyone to view it as a city that is deprived from equality, freedom, peace and justice?
Q1) Does it really matter if Jerusalem is seen as female or male? Isn’t it of best interest for everyone to view it as a city that is deprived from equality, freedom, peace and justice?
Q2) Regarding the Jerusalem Link project, where is it now? And what are its contribution to the just peace between Israel and Palestine?
Q3) From a feminist perspective, how do you see the future of Jerusalem, the city?
“Sharon and My Mother in Law” by Suad Amiry is a story from Palestinian real lives. Although Amiry is mentioning the brutality of the curfew, but you can sense the laughs of the people. من رحم الاوجاع تلد الضحكه meaning in English that from the suffering, laugher is born, this is how Palestinians are, we have been facing harsh situations, but the sense of fun and laugh never left our stories. I remember once I asked my mother about all the duct tapes surrounding the holes of the doors of our house in Ramallah, she told me that they were afraid of chemicals getting into our house, at the times of the gulf war. When reading the first chapter about the Gas Masks, I thought for a while that she is telling the story of the 40 day curfew to the West Bank in 2003. And curfew for those who haven’t witnessed it means, that no person is allowed to leave his/her house under no circumstance, until the Israeli soldiers remove it. Meaning, no one is allowed to leave the house to neighbors, markets, schools, hospitals or work, otherwise he/she are putting their lives at risk of being killed.
The “Dog’s Life” chapter is a humorous one. The difference between me and Amiry, is that although my family and I can go into Jerusalem, but we preferred to have Dr. Hisham himself to seek our 4 dogs back in 2005! How small the world is!!! In this chapter, if you look beneath the lines, you can see how much Palestinians who have the Jerusalem ID which differs than the Israeli passport are facing. My family and I have the Jerusalem IDs, and for that we had to buy a house in Jerusalem to keep an address so the ID wont be taken from us, and although we have had the American Greencard since 1996, but if we dare and took the American passport, then the ID will be taken from us by the Israeli Interior ministry. This is how we as Palestinians of Jerusalem are discriminated against by the Israeli policies and regimes.
Wow how did Palestinians get food during the curfew? That sounds like a very frightening event.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how do you get the Arabic font?
Well, we used to buy food and everything we might need for the whole month because no one knows when the curfew will start or is off. Some others who have children, might call the ambulances to bring them food and child stuff,but also no one knows if it will arrive safely or not.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Arabic font, you can go to google, and search Download Arabic font. Or under the fonts, you can choose the Arabic font type.
That is really rough to have to live with a curfew. I cannot imagine living like that. I mean kids 17 and under in Ohio have a curfew of midnight. But it is not imposed like that curfew.
ReplyDeleteI also could not imagine this kind of curfew. On any night of the week you can see students walking down high street through all hours of the night getting food and what not. To not be able to have this ability is unfathomable for me, especially living on a college campus for four years. Yet reading this, I also appreciated that the author was still able to find humor in her life. I think fidning humor would be the only way to get through their day to day life.
ReplyDelete