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Mind The Strip, Lessons Learned
un article par Ayman Qwaider (abridged)
Video: Mind the Strip
I was helped by people I have never met in my life when i was stuck in Gaza and was being prevented by Israel to go to Spain to complete my masters. My newfound friends, who were different in colour, religion, nationality and language, assisted me without any pre-existing conditions. They initiated a media campaign to pressure public opinion so that Israel would allow me to leave Gaza, simply because we share the most important aspect of what can bring all peoples together and that is humanity.
click on photo to enlarge
When I asked them why they helped me, someone that they had never before met, they replied that they believed that what was happening to me was unjust and that they were in a position to help me and so they did what they felt was natural and right. It is important to stress here is that humanity and a belief in universal justice can transcend all nations and all tribes. At this point, I would like to bring to your attention an important verse from Sura al-Hujurat of the Quran which highlights this point:
O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).
Secondly, we should never overlook or undermine our power as people to make significant changes in the world today. When I was stuck in Gaza and was struggling to leave Gaza for nearly two months, we did not give up. We created peaceful and powerful tools and strategies to put pressure on the Israeli state where we knew it would be most effective: public opinion. . . Through our access to social media networks and local Catalan media and through another Spanish media contact in Jerusalem, we managed to reach the Spanish mainstream media that reported my story in the major Spanish media outlets, and it spread like a wildfire! The major social media tools that we used included Facebook, Online Petitions and Twitter, however it wouldn’t have been successful had we not taken the effort to reach a more broad audience through traditional media outlets. However we likely would not have been successful in reaching the mass media without firstly instigating the social media campaign.
Thirdly, we learned to never be afraid to demand your basic human rights because it is yours and no power on earth should deny you these rights. . .
Fourthly, all human rights violations should be documented because it is the only way to raise awareness of these plights to a wider audience. . .
And finally, in situations of injustice, never wait for others to assist you. We should always take the lead to change realities of unfairness and injustice. We should always utilize all possible means available to us in order to remove or contribute to removing injustice. Others will be convinced later and take the initiative and complete the path.
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) liée(s) à cet article:
Do idealistic initiatives have an impact on history?,
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Commentaire le plus récent:
| Quote (CPNN Administrator @ June 29 2003,08:20) | | Readers' comments are invited about this discussion question or about the article on which it is based. |
I believe that only idealistic initiatives have a postitive impact on history. I am thinking of the positive outcomes of the work of Gandhi and Desmond Tutu -- two idealistic, smart and committed people. Due to the many difficulties their historical movements, faced their positive impact seemed uncertain.
Similarly In the case of Isreal in Palestine the positive outcome of idealistic peace initiatives also does not seem certain now. However, in the future the impact will be clear in retrospect. PEACE WILL REIGN!!
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