Tuesday 2 September 2014

Freedom

To wake up each morning, feeling blessed. Feeling the sun shining on you. Having clean drinking water, taking a shower, while listening to the birds singing enchanted love tunes; phoning family and friends telling them the joys you've planned for the coming days ahead. Walking down the street, breathing the fresh air, smiling at passers by, while secretly remembering happier times and imagining even greater times to come. Embracing life, that is what freedom is; the choice and freedom to do normal everyday things. Having the choice to be happy or sad. This is our God given right. Allah gave us free will, to be free!

Can you begin to imagine living in a world where you were imprisoned on a tiny strip of land, not having the ability to work, drink clean water, have a bath; and having no electricity for 20 hours a day. Being called a terrorist because you were born on this tiny strip of land; being shot at, bombed, robbed, prevented from doing anything, including receiving medical aid. This is what life is like for the people of Gaza.

 Lots of people call Gaza an open air prison, but it is so much worse than that. Prisoners have rights, three meals a day, learning and counselling opportunities, medical attention when needed, and not forgetting, at the end of their sentence, they get out and get their freedom back. Unlike the people of Gaza.

We are all equal, we are all the same, every life matters, every person counts. We all love and hate, cry and shout. We all bleed the same colour blood. We all need to be loved, but most importantly, we all need someone to love. I urge everyone to speak with the people of Gaza, see for yourself how kind, loving and caring they are; see how they welcome you into their hearts and family. Become part of them. Over the coming months I will be sharing the stories of a new writer from Gaza. Mohammad S Arafat. Fall in love with this beautiful young man from Gaza. Listen to his words and feel his pain, his longing, his ambitions. Like all people from Gaza, he loves life!


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