Life in the West Bank
I met Abu Fadi when I was mailing a package to the U.S. for a friend. Â He was abundantly helpful and welcoming, even during this short business transaction. Â Awhile later, I stopped by his office just to say hi, and he invited me to his home for a Ramadan dinner. Â He and his wife cooked together and cracked jokes, while I chopped vegetables for a salad. Â After a delicious meal, we sat on the porch drinking coffee and chatting about Ramadan.
Here are some of the things we talked about.
Nasreen and her siblings
One of my Advanced English students, Nasreen (she’s wearing the white headscarf in this photo), invited me for Ramadan iftar (dinner) with her family on September 5th. Â She lives in a village near Nablus, called Sarra. Â We ate on their second floor porch with a beautiful view of the magnificent sunset and the hilly, desert countryside spottedwith olive trees and villages.
Fire in Sarra
Israeli Army jeeps drove by the fire and did nothing. This happens all over the West Bank all the time, especially in villages like Sarra, that are surrounded in all directions by Israeli settlements. Â Did this make the news?
No.
Fire in Sarra
Read the original article on www.antiwar.com
AZZUN ATMA, Northern West Bank – For seven years Majda Abdul Qader Sheikh, 38, has not been allowed to visit the home of her parents, just a few hundred meters from her house.
“I tried to get a special visitor’s permit for a quick visit during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but I was refused,” says Sheikh, mother of seven children. “I have had no problems with the Israeli authorities, nor am I considered a security threat,” she added.
Sheikh is not trying to leave the West Bank or even travel to another city. Instead she is trying to access another part of the Palestinian village Azzun Atma where she lives with her husband and children.
This agricultural village of 2,000 residents falls in Qalqilya district in the northern West Bank. It is one of more than 50 Palestinian communities, comprising 35,000 people, trapped in a “seam zone” and surrounded by Israeli settlements on three sides.
The seam zone is located between the Green Line (GL) — Israel’s internationally recognized border with the West Bank — and Israel’s separation barrier, supposedly built for “security reasons” in 2003. The barrier, comprising fences, ditches and walls, veers off the GL and cuts deeply into Palestinian territory.
The barrier, deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, has been designed to incorporate many of Israel’s settlements in the West Bank as well as the Palestinian land which has been illegally acquired.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says the barrier leaves almost 10 percent of the West Bank territory on the Israeli side, but outside the Green Line. Qalqilya district alone has lost 70 percent of its land to the barrier and to the 50,000 inhabitants of the 14 illegal settlements around it.
In addition, there are parcels of territory within the seam zone — adjacent to the Green Line — which the Israeli authorities have declared “closed military zones” or “no-man’s land”. For the past seven years, the 10,000 Palestinians living in these zones have had to apply for permits to continue living in their own homes.
Eleven families from Azzun Atma are trapped in this no-man’s land. To access the rest of the village, residents have to pass through a security gate manned by Israeli soldiers which is open daily from 5 am to 10 pm. Palestinians, such as Sheikh, wishing to visit family or friends in the closed zones have to apply for special visitors’ permits. Only a few have been granted.
The communities trapped on both the Israeli and the Palestinian sides of the barrier are suffering economically. “Only 18 percent of the 30,000 farm workers who were earlier employed in the seam zone area have been granted ‘visitor’ permits today,” says OCHA.
Even fewer farmers have obtained permits to enter the closed military zones. “The gates are opened several times a day for half an hour, during specific periods such as the olive harvest,” says Nidal Jallaoud, Qalqilya municipality’s public relations’ officer.
“This means that farmers are not able to tend their crops throughout the year. But even the gate opening times depend on the mood of the Israeli soldiers. Sometimes they are abusive and violent and turn people away,” Jallaoud said.
“Village residents also struggle to access health and educational facilities located outside the seam zone. Azzun Atma has a basic medical clinic which opens for only two hours a week,” he added.
“A farmer who was trapped underneath his tractor when it overturned, bled to death on the way to hospital as the villagers carrying him were forced to wait for an hour and 40 minutes at the Israeli checkpoint,” says Abdul Karim Atmawi, Azzun Atma’s village council secretary.
He added that would-be mothers leave the village weeks before they are due, to avoid complications caused by delays at the checkpoint.
But Azzun Atma is one of the luckier villages. Some months ago, the Israelis decided to open a gate leading to the Palestinian side of Qalqilya during evening hours, citing “improved security conditions.” But Majda Abdul Qader Sheikh is still unable to visit her family in the closed military zone, and farmers struggle to reach their land through a solitary checkpoint in the south of the village.
“Maybe one day I will be able to see my family down the road and celebrate Ramadan with them,” Sheikh said.
Read original article on Khabrein.info
11 August, 2010
Ramadan 2010 USA: From New York to New Delhi it is time to fast, Ramadan timetable 2010. Ramadan arrives, millions of Muslims start to observe fasting in holy Ramadan.
Month of purity Ramadan arrived for Muslims across the world on Wednesday. One billion Muslims all over the world will observe fasting for coming thirty days abstaining from foods, drinks, smoking and having sex from dawn to dusk.
Ramadan is a month to teach faithful Muslims lessons of sacrifices and piety. Muslims all over the world will spend most of their time in Ramadan in prayers to God, mainly in the evenings.
Religious authority of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where Islam was born, announced Wednesday as the first day of Ramadan. The announcement follows the sighting of crescent moon on Tuesday evening.
Declaring the beginning of Ramadan, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said that it is the time for Muslims to seek mercy and blessings of God. “The holy month inspires Muslims with the noble meanings of compassion, mercy and kindness,†the King, who is the savior of Holy Mosques of Islam in Mecca, said.
Fasting in this Ramadan will be a challenge for Muslims in the Middle East countries due to soaring temperatures. Reports suggest that burning heat in Muslim-populated countries such as Lebanon, Egypt and United Arab Emirates will be a threat for fasting Muslims.
Many of those countries have permitted civil servants and laborers to reduce their working hours from normal months. The UAE has issued an edit that will allow laborers working in difficult situations to eat or drink if necessary.
Israel has also brought some restrictions on its approaches toward Muslims in Palestine. The military of Israel will stop attacking over fasting Muslims in Palestine.
Furthermore, men over 50-years-old and women over 45-years-old will be allowed to enter holy mosque of Muslims in Jerusalem, Masjidul Aqsa without former permissions. Military personnel of that country will also refrain from taking foods or drinks in public until Ramadan ends.
A few weeks before I left for Palestine one of my professors suggested that, when I arrive, I make a point to write down anything that surprises me. These are the things, he said, that one forgets after becoming more accustomed to a new country or culture.
Nablus
SERVICE OR TAXI? EITHER WAY, A NICE CONVERSATION.
I take a “service†everywhere around town (pronounced ser-vees). They are yellow and black, with black decals separating them from the taxis that drive around town charging 5 times more for the same ride.  When I first arrived, I couldn’t tell which was a service and which was a taxi, so I just flagged down everyone and struggle in my minimal Arabic to decipher how much the ride will cost. If the driver speaks English, he will ask me questions and welcome me (Where are you from?  How long are you staying?  Do you like Nablus?).  If he doesn’t, he’ll ask me questions and welcome me in Arabic that I barely understand, making attempts to chat even when my ignorance is clear.
KINDNESS, OUT OF THE BLUE
The biggest thing I’m struck with is the sincere welcome and kindness offered to me every single day by people I’ve never before met. Yesterday, I took a taxi home from downtown and a few hours later, walked out of my apartment to head back downtown. The same taxi driver pulled over and offered me a ride back. When I gave him money for the ride, he refused.
I mailed a package today and chatted with the man at the DHL store, who lived in Texas for six years. He talked about the wonderful hospitality he experienced in Texas and how his three kids are all abroad now. He invited me to celebrate a Ramadan dinner with he and his wife sometime this coming month.
A few days ago, around lunchtime I was in Ramallah on my way to Jerusalem. I wanted to buy a banana from a vendor accustomed to selling bananas by the kilo. When I asked for one, he said, “Wahad kilo?†(“One kilo?â€) and I said “La, wahad wahad,†(Bad Arabic for, “No, just oneâ€). He just gave it to me at not charge and smiled at the idea of me buying just one banana.
When passing through the checkpoint from Ramallah to Jerusalem, Palestinians encourage me to stay on the bus and pass easily though, even though they have to exit the bus and submit to a much longer screening. When stopped by a police officer on the way from Ramallah to Nablus, I ask what he wanted and the woman next to me said, “Maybe there was a problem.” She went on to ask where I’m from and when I say America, she looked me in the eyes and said a very sincere, “Welcome to Palestine.” After checkpoints and being stopped by police, I was warmed by the sincerity and humility with which she welcomed me to her land.
I only hope that visitors to the States feel the same sort of welcome that I’ve felt here.
(Want to help welcome people visiting the US? Host travelers from www.couchsurfing.org!)
SUPER LOUD MUSIC
From late morning until after sunset, Arabic tunes and pop music thumps through the entire city, including the little suburb where I live, so loudly I sometimes can’t hear the TV in my apartment over the beat of the music. The music is turned off when the call to prayer plays over a loud speaker from the local mosque and is quickly turned back on when prayers are over.  Taking a nap to escape current heat wave is a difficult thing!
EXTRAORDINARY ARRAY OF OUTFITS
As I walk through downtown Nablus, one large circle encompassed by a movie theatre, an ice cream shop constantly packed with people, the Arab Bank and lots of other shops and falafal stands, I see women wearing an extraordinary array of outfits. From black embroidered abayas and hijabs to black leggings and high heels. At the hairdresser, I watched women get their hair washed, straightened and glued into place, only to put their hijabs right back on before they left the salon. Â I felt like I knew a great secret!
THE LADIES HOOKAH LAIR
In Chicago, I got into the deliciously bad habit of smoking a hookah with apple tobacco a few times a week. I like the sound it makes and the way it smells, I like the taste of the apple tobacco, and I love the decorative bowl and tasseled hose. Here, I’m never quite sure where I can grab a hookah because the cafes are typically filled with men. As a foreign woman, I imagine I could go in for a hookah and tea and not seem any stranger than I already am. If I want to smoke with women, the only places I’ve found so far are the fairly expensive hotels in the neighborhood. I’m looking forward to finding the secret lair.
NABLUS TASTES BETTER
At home here in Nablus, a falafel sandwich costs 2 NIS (about 50 cents). When I went to Jerusalem, I paid 6 NIS for the same thing. Not only does it cost less in Nablus, but it tastes better! In Nablus, I know a great place where I can put all my favorite falafel fixin’s on myself.
RAMADAN
Ramadan began today. Yesterday, the market was packed with people buying food. The town bustled and people seemed busy. It was also a bit cooler than the past couple weeks, which only added to the fun atmosphere. Today, things seem to be moving at a more purposefully slow pace. My favorite falafel stand was closed for repairs around lunchtime, when usually it’s packed with customers elbowing their way to condiments and salad for a sandwich.
(Pakistanis set for Ramadan amid flood misery)
MALAYALAM? ITALIAN? NOPE, ARABIC.
I’m struggling with my Arabic. I ask questions and read my workbooks and listen to Omar Othman teach conversational Arabic on my computer, but still Italian and Malayalam come to my lips first. It’ll be a wonderful day when I feel comfortable chatting with a cabby.