Kashmir's Martyrs

This is an announcement to my fellow readers that an account has been set up on  twitter that will specifically post up tweets on the names of Kashmir's martyrs. Their names, ages, and place of death (if known).  I am hoping that you share this with family, friends and colleagues. Feel free to re-tweet, post it on your blogs and on your facebook pages. The account name is @KashmirShuhada.

I also request that if you have any links that has names of any Kashmiris that have been killed by India's inhumane army and acts of aggression, no matter how far back it may be, to please post the link in the comments. My friends and I will try our best to honour Kashmir's martyrs, no matter who may dislike us doing so.

Thank you so much for your help.

Palestine's Martyrs

This is an announcement to my fellow readers that an account has been set up on Twitter that will specifically post up tweets on the names of Palestine's martyrs. Their names, ages, and place of death (if known). The list of names is very long and I am hoping that you share this with family, friends and colleagues. Feel free to re-tweet, post it on your blogs and on your facebook pages. The account name is @PalestineShuhda.

I also request that if you have any links that has names of any Palestinians that have been killed by Israel's acts of aggression, no matter how far back it may be, to please post the link in the comments. My friends and I will try our best to honour Palestine's martyrs, no matter who may dislike us doing so.

Thank you so much for your help.

Zionists: Help Europe's population. Go back home.

For a population to remain stable, births should match deaths.

Furthermore, in order for population to sustain itself, a country needs at least a birthrate of 2.1. 

Looking at Europe, an estimate of the population put a figure of 726 million people in 2003. That number is projected to slump to 696 million by 2025.

European women, on average, seem to be putting off having their first child. The average woman has 1.5 children, significantly lower than the 2.1 rate needed for Europe's population to sustain itself.

In addition to fewer children being born, Europe's population is ageing. Italy alone is projected to have no more than 45 million people in 2050, with a disproportionate share of them being 65 years and over.

Europe's future doesn't look too bright. Unless governments decide to increase immigration levels, which seems unlikely due to xenophobia, the population will continue to age and there will not be enough children being born to replace them.

Which brings us to the next point: why not have Zionists who occupy Palestine move back to their homeland?

Before going any further, let me be clear: I am not referring to Jewish people who have lived in Palestine, prior to 1948. I am referring to the extreme Zionists who consider it permissible to expel millions of Palestinians from their homes, both Muslim and Christian.

After the end of WWII, the British government promised the Jewish people a "homeland" in Palestine. This document came to be known as the Balfour Declaration.

According to the British government at that time, for the sake of showing "sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations", it was perfectly okay to oust many Palestinians from their rightful homeland.

The United Nations, in Article 11, gives refugees the Right of Return- to return to their homeland. However, many Zionists and their supporters fail to acknowledge this. The full article reads as follows:

Article 11 reads:

Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.

Wouldn't it be much simpler for Zionists to just pack up and go back home to Europe? After all, many of these Zionists who claim to be Jewish, actually aren't. Their ancestry can be traced back to Europe rather than from the Holy Land or any surrounding countries. 

It is interesting to note that a few weeks back, an article noted that many Israelis hold a second passport. You know... just in case of another intifada, or uprising, they can just pack up and go back home. 

It's a win-win for everyone if Zionists can go back home to Europe. Europe's population will increase and Palestinians, millions who have been barred from going back home for more than 63 years, can finally return.

Walk of Shame

This post is inspired by something I saw on the 6 o'clock news today. The Annual "Walk with Israel" took place in Toronto today. According to the Toronto Sun, "thousands turned out for the 44th United Jewish Appeal for Greater Toronto's Walk for Israel" (Read more here: http://bit.ly/iJ22hE).

My question is: Don't these people know that Israel receives $3 billion per year from the US? It doesn't need any more financial support, let alone support of any kind! Maybe they do know, maybe they don't. If they do, then they are blinded by Israel's lies any time it opens its mouth. Lies about the occupation, lies about the illegal settlements, lies about the illegal siege on Gaza, lies about the attacks on the flotilla, lies about wanting to establish peace with the Palestinians, lies about wanting to be a partner for peace and security. All lies.

If anyone has watched the speech Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made at AIPAC 2011, he made it perfectly clear that any talks for peace will not be made based on 1967 lines. Not only that, but according to him, Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Oh, but that's not all. Any future Palestinian state must be "de-militarized". That's being hypocritical much. You know, since considering that Israel receives more than $1 billion per year in military aid alone.

Netanyahu isn't giving Palestinians much to work with here. How can anyone expect Palestinians to negotiate with a madman who demands to set out all the rules? Not gonna happen. 

But anyway, back to the Walk with Israel. I'm probably lumping all these people together but I don't care: Anyone who supports Israel blindly supports its policies of genocide against Palestinians, supports its illegal acts against international law & supports its attacks against humanity at large. 

These supporters in Toronto have sadly been blinded by Israel's many lies. Maybe if they see Israeli soldiers in action they would change their mind? Maybe. Maybe not.

Or... maybe if these Israeli supporters lived 1 day in the shoes of Palestinians who live in the West Bank or Gaza, they would change their outlook in a heartbeat. Until then... they will continually be proud to partake in the "Walk of Shame" aka "Walk with Israel." 

From Childhood to The Real World

Life is a long series of discrete events, all leading to one all-important discovery.

Childhood was the time of innocence. At that age, concerns were limited to not being allowed to play after dark, not getting what you wanted at the mall or being forced to sleep early by your parents. I experienced all three. That time seemed so long ago J

“What do you want to be when you grow up” was one frequent question I heard when I was in elementary school. The answers varied from 1 child to the next. “I want to be a doctor” “I want to be a fireman!” & “I want to be a teacher.”

To be honest, I never really knew what to answer. “Teacher” “Nurse” “Social Worker”… ironically, my choice of career now is the last one. But I never really liked that question because thinking of it now “what kind of question is that to ask a child about?”

Next came the teenage years- every parent’s worst nightmare—although they’ll never admit to it. Each individual begins a process of self exploration. Peer pressure is so very common during this time & more often than not people go with the crowd. Some people though choose to stand out & be themselves rather than being one of the herd. Maybe or maybe not, they faced ridicule for being “weird”, “strange” or a “freak”.

Navigating the hallways of middle school & high school teaches you something: Have a goal, make a plan & then execute it to achieve desired goal. There will be hurdles and you have to be prepared to overcome them because achieving your goal is the most important thing.

Something that teachers and guidance counselors don’t tell you, or at least not bluntly, is that life can be harsh to good people & be good to undeserving people.

During this stage, sometimes people will get in your way of achieving your aspirations and goals. For whatever reason they justify for doing hat, do not let it deter you. Some people get a kick for pulling people down with them. With these types of people, it’s best to ignore them. Be better than them, raise your head high & keep moving forward.

  

Now fast forward a few years—graduating high school & then graduating university or college. “The Real World.” The Real World can either be a huge slap in the face, if you’re not prepared, or it can be what you’ve waited to experience for so long.

The Real World always has twists and turns, detours and U-turns.

With so many responsibilities: working to pay bills-rent, utilities, mortgage, cable, TV, phone, cell and so forth. It’s easy to get stressed out. It’s easy to burn out. It’s easy to want to go back in time & rewind to the care-free days. And it’s easy to become overwhelmed by your problems. It’s easy to become distant from others. Never mind your close neighbours, but from people around the globe. And this fits perfectly into the plan of various groups, who shall remain nameless for now, who want individuals to remain individualistic with no room or thought for a people’s movement—A People’s Movement for justice, for peace, for human rights & lastly, freedom for illegally occupied nations.

What was once a dream is now becoming a reality