“So I will not give you the gift of hating you. You certainly sought it, but replying to hatred with anger would be giving in to the same ignorance which made you into what you are. You want me to be frightened, that I should look into the eyes of my fellow citizens with distrust, that I sacrifice my freedom for security. You lost. I will carry on as before”
The above are some of Antoine Leiris’ words whose wife, Helene Muyal, was killed in the recent barbaric terrorist attacks in Paris.
Antoine’s poignant words are a window into his soul. A soul touched by the magic of love, devoid of capacity to be bitter and hateful. A kind, hopeful soul committed to humanity and its potential for good.
Antoine has a kindred spirit; a world leading Palestinian infertility expert called Izzeldin Abulaish.
Dr Abulaish’s book “ I shall not hate” is a must read; an incredible account of daily life in Gaza and a moving story of compassion and capacity for forgiveness.
Here is a passage from his book describing the moment he entered his daughters’ room after his house was hit by a Israeli rocket during the 2008/2009 relentless shelling of Gaza: [warning: disturbing content]
“The sight in front me was something I hope no other person ever has to witness.
Bedroom furniture, school books, dolls, running shoes and pieces of wood were splintered in a heap, along with the body parts. Shatha was the only one standing. Her eye was on her cheek, her body covered in bloody puncture wounds, her finger hanging by a thread of skin. I found Mayar’s body on the ground; she’d been decapitated. There was brain matter on the ceiling, girls’ hands and feet on the floor as if dropped there by someone who had left in a hurry. Blood spattered the entire room, and arms in familiar sweaters and legs in pants that belonged to these beloved children leaned at crazed angles where they had blown off the torso”
Izzeldin’s three oldest daughters were the apples of his eye, the joys of his life. They were brutally murdered by one of the most powerful evil monsters on earth; that is the Israel military machine.
Yet, Izzaldin hopes for peace and continues to believe in humanity and the possibility for reconciliation.
If men like Antoine Leiris and Izzaldin Abuelaish only know love and peace, they are plenty others who know only how to hate.
The Republican presidential candidate, Ben Carson, wants the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the US halted. Here’s what he had to say “If there’s a rabid dog running around in your neighborhood, you’re probably not going to assume something good about that dog,”
Donald Trump has hinted on the possibility of a special ID for Muslim Americans.
In a country where mass shootings are commonplace, more than half of American governors are now refusing to accept desperate Syrian refugees because of one fake Syrian passport that was reportedly found on one of the terrorist mass shooters in the recent Paris attacks.
The French President Francoise Holland might be stupid enough to support the US’ misguided policies in the Middle East but he knows better than playing into the hands of ISIS. His announcement to welcome 30,000 Syrian refugees is a sure slap on ISIS’ face.
Now is the right time for New Zealand to follow France’s lead and defy ISIS by announcing a permanent increase in our refugee quota.
New Zealand, in its compassion and humanity, must follow in the footsteps of great men and women whose rectitude and capacity for love paves the path for peace.
Men like Antoine Leiris and Izzaldin Abuelaish and women like the recently elected Mhairi Black, the youngest Scottish National Party MP since 1667.
Black has worked hard to convince her supporters to join her in welcoming the recently arrived Syrian refugees to resettle in her constituency. If they can do it in Glasgow, why can’t we do the same here in New Zealand?
Thank you Donna for mentioning Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish. We missed him when he was in NZ but were fortunate to happen to be in Melbourne when he was promoting his book at a well attended event. I’d like to share a quote from him.
“We need to have an accurate diagnosis. Palestinians are occupied. The Israelis are the occupier. Palestinians are the weak. Israelis are the strong. Palestinians are the oppressed. Israelis are the oppressor. But in order to get rid of this oppression and occupation, all should be free in order to live together.”
Lois, thank you for sharing Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish’s words with us. Izzeldin’s honesty, compassion and dignity is truly inspirational.
Fantastic! There is not a word I would add, remove, or change from your piece, Donna. It conveys everything I feel as well.
To stop taking in refugees is to surrender to the fear that terrorists want us to feel and suffer paralysis.
I refuse to be paralysed by their terror.
The best way for our Esteemed Dear Leader to “flip the bird” at ISIS, is to increase our intake of Syrian and Iraqi refugees even more.
If that doesn’t send a message that we refuse to be cowed, then ISIS isn’t paying attention.
Thank you Frank. I always appreciate your input.
You’re welcome, Donna. And I always appreciate thoughtful, in-depth writing.
Plus, from a self-interested point of view, my parents were refugees, so my sympathies are with those good people who’ve been forced to flee their homes in Syria, Iraq, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere. When I see them, I see myself and my parents and siblings…
‘God’ help us, more people without any appreciation of science, evidence and reason.
Stone age beliefs yep that will move the world (and the NZ economy) forward.
Will their children be allowed to mix with, and even marry, yours, or are you infidels (if you are a believer, as long as you are the right sort of believer, you may be acceptable) not good enough.
As soon as I know someone believes I am going to hell, and prays for it to happen, that’s enough to count me out. Why is that acceptable (and even welcome) to you fools, have a bit more respect for yourself and your children.
Wait until daddy comes knocking at your door and tells you your son is not allowed to talk to their daughter (they may be ‘friends’ when they are young but that will change once they reach about 12) and remember you brought it on yourself.
Ah, the irrationality of bigots like you, “Miss World”. You are so confident in your “appreciation of science, evidence and reason” that you can’t even bring yourself to put a name to your bigoted diatribe?
The greatest irony is that not only do we get much of our science from the Middle East (eg; Algol, Rigel Kentaurus, Sirius, Deneb, Alpheratz, Betelgeuse, Achernar, being Arabic astronomical nomenclatures) but the numerical system you use to make a phone call (or your computer’s IP number) is Hindu-Arabic. Prior to that, Europe was using the cumbersome Roman system.
The rest of your rant could apply to any religion.
You may be willing to fulfill ISIS’s plans, but other clear-headed people will resist terrorism.
Not many people know sheep, cattle and grain all originate from the Middle East. And gardens is the great left over from the Mesopotamia (that’s another old name for Babylon or Iraq) they even had batteries. I’m not kidding : https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_Battery.
But alias, all that history lost to the sands of time. IS hasn’t help much either
And when they discovered the numerical system and made great strides in science they were enslaving millions and waging Jihad. Not exactly evidence of a wonderful society, advanced sure, but still barbaric. Of course the West wasn’t much better, difference is we have moved forward since then, the Middle East has sunken further into zealotry.
Lol. Where not that superior our shit don’t stink
Visual aid: http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/dynamic/162/photos/792000/620x/186792.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dailystar.co.uk/real-life/420446/The-Queen-Barack-Obama-toilet-pant-down&h=388&w=620&tbnid=mC0EhTYN9epeTM:&docid=uyYvhzdrMouQQM&ei=3XRSVrniKOXGmAWYg7KgAg&tbm=isch&client=safari&ved=0ahUKEwj5xO39uqXJAhVlI6YKHZiBDCQQMwgsKBEwEQ
‘The rest of your rant can apply to any religion …’ now there we are agreement.
Example – we have JW’s where I live, they are bat shit nuts and it’s sad, but they live quietly and don’t bother anyone (as far as I know).
I daresay if they started committing violent acts while shouting ‘for the love of Jehova’ things would change, for them and us.
Miss World – But they (the JH’s) aren’t committing acts of violence. And neither are muslims here in New Zealand.
And even overseas, it’s a minority.
Just as we didn’t label all Christians “terrorists” because of the actions of Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, or American fundamentalists who bomb abortion clinics…
So really, smearing an entire ethnic or religious group based on the actions of a few?
Nah, we should be better than that.
utter nonsense
Public tantrum? Are you ok? Need help with something? Maybe you should call 111 or seek professional advice.
Can’t help much here. Sorry
Hey where the empathy. …….or is that only for killers…
How about some care for those of us who work for a living, ask for nothing (just as well as we get nothing) and who’s idea of protest is a ‘strongly worded letter to the local rag..’
A bit of appreciation is due …
A but unfair to censor my right of reply – thought you smarty people supported free speech, can’t you handle debate, rather cowardly to launch personal attacks and then cut off the response.
No one is threatening to jail any over freedoms of speak? Did/ has any one threatened you with arrest for something you said?
just don’t expect any one to care about your first world problems.
Caring is what makes great nations. How odd you think you get nothing in return. The doctors and nurses that slog it out at uni so they can care for people at there most vulnerable, same with soldiers, fire fighters and police men, teachers. Professionalism isn’t just taught, it takes time to grow, and a democracy that protects them.
These low hanging fruit of economic development requires massive and on going investment.
With strength through peace, we have spent billions on drown tech, spooks, milk? A defence force not well suited for live in the southern ocean, and on trade deals hoping New Zealand will one day fill economic capacity, and have the income to enjoy our toil?
Still a big question mark on that last one, Japan hasn’t solved there recession problems, do you think New Zealand could do anything different and get out of the deflationary debt spiral?
With Peace through strength, that’s to say strong trade relations, education, health, all that democracy provides, There is nothing New Zealand could not over come.
nonsense
Chris, is your spell-check stuck on just one word?
Better phone Geeks-on-Wheels.
Or if your keyboard is haunted – who’re ya gonna call—?
…policemen?? Come on you really must try harder to pretend you are not misogynists …
Male privilege as usual, anyway you hate cops (male and female) on this site, don’t you ever notice your own double standards.
Paris is first world, yet you call for empathy for killers ….
Someone should explain to those poor unloved people that the appropriate first world response to abuse, marginalisation, offence….etc… is a strongly worded letter to a local rag, or maybe write to a democratically elected MP or Minster, of course letters don’t change anything, killing gets the empathy and attention.
Does anyone here actually worm for a living??
Do you work? I sit behind a computer all day checking my spreads, and calling in all my putts.
Iv come across a lot of vets in my short time. Some even came to me for advice to do with work. And every time I found that it wasn’t advice about how to be a better miner I was going, it was always about money and woman (you know all those dear john letters miners and veterans get, because there wife left, the numbers are huge, all of 2007 our work place was getting one dear john letter per WEEK, I’m not kidding, half the wives left)
so we would go through a lot of financial literacy, who gives good advice, what was bad advice, look out for seductive sales techniques ect ect. And identifying risks in an underground mining environment, like where to put stuff so it is impossible for it to brake, or will be safe till you get back in time so no one thieves your favourite hose clamp. Generally how to make stuff look pretty with out killing anyone.
Then my bosses started giving me all the green horns, I found that they where just older guys in waiting, making the same mistakes as the older guys. Sure I could teach people how to use radios or make safe underground work sites and set them up for the heavy machinery to roll in, any shmuck can do that, the hard part is teaching them so they don’t kill no one, and that takes a lot of honesty, people use to come to me and ask, Iv got to go to the bank, pick up kids, all that. The correct answer is no problem. The team can cover you. We do everything together.
Three main thoughts-
1. Family should be the first charity. Sort out our own homeless children etc. before taking on others.
2. We could take in a hundred thousand refugees but still would not solve any problems. Not really an argument against i guess, every live is a life worth saving.
3. Most of the people coming in from Syria will likely be Muslims. We really don’t want an evil ideology such as Islam to spread in our country.
Those are dumb ideas. Let me get this straight.
1) Our giving is dependent on you being like us? If not you can drown with the rest of the refugees? That’s not how giving works
2) refer to question 1
3) refer to question 1
I see that a lot from, not just the left. The idea that Muslims are motivated to blow themselves up because we let woman drive cars is a nonsense. They hate us because the west suck up all there natural resources and bomb the crap out of them.
Anti insurgency in Foriegn countries works in much the same way as defusing hostage situation on home soil.
You cut off the power and all outgoing coms, negotiate, give food and medical, as soon as bullets start flying swat moves in and shoots until the threat is no longer effective. It’s pretty much the same for combating IS militants. Just in a wider area.
The only deferences that come into it is
A) Who’s holding a gun
B) who’s not holding a gun
Religion is way down the list of how to deal with refugees
I don’t really care where a person comes from I am happy to help. But from a government point of view, your first responsibility is to ensure the wellbeing of your citizens. Shouldn’t it be sorting out poverty before worrying about foreigners? Moot point I suppose because even without the refugee crisis we probably wouldn’t be seeing a huge amount of change in those areas. Not enough people jumping up and down about it.
I don’t know about Muslims wanting to kill us, all the one I’ve met are good people. But i don’t think we should be turning a blind eye and telling people to be tolerant of an ideology that encourages rape, paedofilia, genocide, etc.
That’s one of the oldest cliches employed to justify xenophobia masquerading as limiting acceptance of refugees. Using that rule, immigration to this country would’ve been almost zero. Practically no one would’ve been allowed in.
That’s a bit rough on the Catholic Church, isn’t it? Not all Catholic priests are paedophiles, and their genocidal practices ended over a century ago.
Yeah I think I agree with your first point.
Members of the Cathic church may have committed those crimes, but their actions are not condoned by the church or the bible. The bible dosent command its followers to slaughter non believers, it dosent detail and encourage practices for molesting children who are two young to be raped, (under nine I think) among other things most of us would consider evil and unacceptable for our scociety.
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