The Gaza Project 3: The Element of Subscribe

I don't like asking for Subscriptions, but I want people to understand the importance and value and power a subscription has as far as the internet community goes. The more subscriptions the more weight this site carries. People will see that it has a following and causes worth caring about like the newly established GAZA PROJECT, which is especially important being that it is non-profit. With that said...

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I'd like to thank the rush of people who have been visiting my blog the past few days as well as those who have shared it with your friends or posted it on a board on Facebook or YouTube. I would like to ask for one more thing from you, [if you are dedicated to my blog and want THE GAZA PROJECT to succeed,, please Subscribe!] Even if you don't find this site worthy, tell me why in a comment and I will improve it. I am pretty much going off of 4 subscriptions and no feedback. I would love to see more subscriptions and know people are paying attention to this cause. If you felt it was worth while to share it with friends (thank you, again) then please Subscribe! And ask your friends to subscribe as well. If you did not or weren't going to subscribe because you don't have a blog, you can set one here in less than 5 minutes  www.blogspot.com.
I am trying to get at least 1000 subscriptions in order to ask for funding as paying out of pocket is extremely expensive. Many of the posters I am making I can not make as big as I want, and I am worried that with the material they are made of people will just destroy them as easily as I put them up (see below post on THE GAZA PROJECT). If you find this a worthy cause please help me out, it's as easy as a push of a button. Thank you in advance to all who subscribe.

The Gaza Project 2: (Some of) My Images

These are the images I have created thus far using text and images I have chosen for this project. Feel free to click on the image as it will enlarge it and give you a better quality. Sorry for the small scale, it won't stay large when I upload it for some reason.

(These images are meant to be read from Right to Left as you would be driving by. Please leave any comments or suggestions. My Goal is to one day get these images as big as billboards or on the side of buildings insha Allah. Dream big!)

(Although I know it is expensive, perhaps I can get enough support to fund it insha Allah. Please tell your friends and family. -Picture of IDF attacking Turkish Flotilla on right, resulting in many deaths, and Turkish funeral for those lost on Left.)

(Here is an example of the more informative ones.)

(Remember to read from Right to Left. A cancer victim who died because she could not get to a hospital in time due to Israeli blockades and laws.)

(On the left, Turkish Flotilla about to be attacked by Israeli soldiers from their boat on the right.)
Please keep Gaza, Palestine, and all who suffer under occupation, all the children, all the men and women, the elderly, the poor, in your prayers, and if it is in your heart then please pray that this project becomes a success insha Allah. Jazakallah Kheirun.)

The Gaza Project

Because of the ties Israel shares with the United States, and the United States is one of the five permanent members on the UN Security Council, any time Israel's tactics are in question the subject is automatically vetoed by America and never up for discussion.The frustration and anguish I and many others feel on this subject has been bottled up for two long, and humanitarian aid has tried to reach Gaza by land, by air, and now by sea. I am sure most of you have heard about the Turkish Flotilla headed to Gaza. You may click on the link to find out more or type in "Turkish Flotilla" in your search bar to find out more. 6 ships of poets, journalists, authors, men, women, and children set out from several countries. Those countries included Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey, which made up the majority of the people. These brave civilians embarked on a journey to the Gaza Strip, a small piece of land wedged between the Egyptian and Israeli border, and occupied by the State of Israel. Their goal was to bring items from much needed food, fresh drinking water, to the simplest things like building materials and toys for children that have been banned from entering the country due to a severe illegal blockade set up by the Israeli government that has not been lifted since the Israeli Siege in December 2008. The ships went through customs before departure to ensure they were not harbouring any weapons or trained military officials, only ordinary people. Only distraught civilians who could no longer watch as Gaza suffocates at the hands of Israeli injustice. Upon approaching the border, even though their departure and plans had been openly broadcast several weeks in advance, they slowed their ships down as it was night and did not want to seem as if they were sneaking in or be confronted by Israeli armed forces. Still in international waters, they were attacked by a small Israeli military boat as well as a helicopter and boarded. They were shot at and at least 9 people were killed within the first hour and many more wounded. The death toll rose as those with severe injuries were not able to get the medical attention they needed and succumbed to their wounds. This sounds like a nightmare in itself, but as they were in international waters it also makes this attack, along with most attacks by Israeli Defense Forces illegal.

What I am calling The Gaza Project for now is a series of images I have created and plan to blow up big enough to post on the sides of roads and street corners so that when people drive by they can see them and read them. Many posters are simple, some with images only to capture the essence of what is going on. Some are simple to provoke curiosity in the subject in hopes that people will want to learn more when they go home. It is simply to spread awareness and to call out to anyone who has a heart to help stop the massacre that has been happening in Palestine for over 60 years. I am starting with the Turkish Flotilla as it is most relevant at this time and is still in the news and will continue with other issues as there are a myriad to choose from (Israeli government bulldozing Palestinian homes, ancient olive trees, arresting and molesting Palestinian children, preventing the sick and pregnant to reach a hospital across illegal checkpoints resulting in many unnecessary casualties....the list goes on forever).
Israel has thought for too long that it can do whatever it wants without any repercussions, and has moved from torturing and killing innocent Palestinians to now attacking other nations' civilians in international waters! It is time to put an end to it. it is time to say NO to Israel.

Palestinians Donate to Haiti

The Earthquake in Haiti has effected the lives of thousands. For many others it has reminded others how precious life is and how thankful we should be every day for what we have. To review the damage and extent of this catastrophe on an already poorly conditioned  nation, I made a video and posted it on YouTube. After reading so many articles on the problems that followed (many having to do with illness spreading do to unsanitary conditions and infrastructure instability and people living in tents and shacks) I started really thinking about the similarities between the effects of this natural disaster in Haiti and the siege on Ghaza. Both horrible outcomes with thousands killed and thousands suffering. I posted this video comparing the two on YouTube in hopes that people will contribute their donations to Haiti, and if they see fit to donate to Haiti they would not resist the Palestinians the same rights. In the beginning of the video at around 00:20 there is a link you can click showing people in Ghaza donating what little they have to help Haitians get back on their feet. I found it a very emotional scene when people under the same conditions are giving up their means of living to help those they sympathize with and understand their condition. Please watch. Jazakallah Kheir. May God reward you for your contributions and help.

http://www.youtube.com/user/bluerim?feature=mhw4

U.S. Condemns Israel?

March is almost gone and the U.S.-Israeli alliance is making headlines in a teetering relationship that I thought I would never be alive to see. After Israel's "military offensive" in Ghaza in December 2008 in which 13,000 Palestinians were killed (along with 13 Israeli soldiers), Israel got a slap on the wrist from the United States, who still remained on their side during the initial U.N. vote when it came to sanctioning Israel's actions. Two weeks ago when Vice President Biden of the U.S. visited Israel to construct peace talks, Israel announced the continuation of 1,600 new Jewish settlements to be built in East Jerusalem. An "anger march" erupted in Syria while Biden had to keep Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waiting over an hour before dinner while he figured out how to address the sudden announcement. "I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units in East Jerusalem. The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I've had here in Israel. We must build an atmosphere to support negotiations, not complicate them." I bet that dinner was intense. Perhaps my generation will live long enough to see a time when Israel can't do anything it wants. We'll see. insha Allah.

Putting Palestine on the Map

A day to remember Ghaza and put Palestine's struggle out into view. Join me in praying for Ghaza, for Palestine, and for all good people who struggle under tyranny and corruption. Pray that the little we can do to help in the present inspires others to do the same in the future, and in turn make a difference in the world that we share. May Allah keep them strong and protect them and help all of us on our paths in life no matter how different they may be, Ameen.

I've listed several websites on the sidebar (to the right) that are helpful if you would like to contact anyone for information, fund-raising, protests, etc..

The Power of Imagery

I made this image out of a photograph I found of a woman in Ghaza standing up to a group of Israeli soldiers who bombed her village. I did not alter the content of the image, only the colour scheme and hugh, and adding a part of a poem I wrote in the backdrop. I found it to be a very strong image without any alteration, and a great symbolism of what I believe to be representative of the caliber of women in Islam that is too often overlooked and ignored. I have been creating more images lately, some with words, some simply defining the tone or texture of an image. It's therapeutic in a way for me to convey how I feel through imagery and words. The images often say what the words cannot.

“On the Day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions.” [Surah Noor 24:24]

Al Mu'minun

"Until, when death comes to one of them, he says, ‘O my Lord. Send me back to life. In order that I may do good deeds in the things that I neglected.’ By no means! It is but a word he says. And before them is a barzakh until the day they are raised up." (Qur'an Al Mu’minun ; 99-100)

On Gaza: To the People

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●●GAZA - we all support you●●


Please visit (Warning-link contains graphic violence): http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=bdf_1231004162

My Beloved Children of Palestine

Children of Palestine
come to the walls
Press your ears close
and await your freedom
Listen to the trembling ground
Ready your slingshots
and recite the Qur'an
Stand tall like the olive tree
Bend with its branches
Your freedom is coming
For these walls will fall
and if not today
you will fly up as doves and kiss the sky
and forget the torments of this life
In your flight
You will hear a man fall
from his precious tank
carrying weapons
and all of his armor
crushing his spine from his gluttony
screaming
and begging
and pleading with God
but God has no mercy for the merciless
You will sore above him
the truth makes his ears bleed
he will be ground to dust
made up again
and be ground to dust
Your freedom is coming
For these walls will fall
and if not today
you will fly up as doves and kiss the sky
and forget the torments of this life
and upon your flight
your people will reclaim your lands
your waters your soil your streams your hills
your plants your animals your stories your history
your people your life your blood your soul
God's land for you will be yours again
and you will testify against those who
stayed in their homes
stayed in their mansions
to throw their money
and count their sons
and who clasped their hands together
in glee
who drank with the enemy
who danced with shaytan
who held hands with evil
and who kissed the cheeks of cruelty
they will awaken with widened eyes
in darkness
clasping their hands together
in utter fear
they did not know this day would come
they did not believe this day would come
yet their testimony is written pulled up on a plank
blowing in the wind made for all to see
but them
You will stand before them
and the truth makes their ears bleed
The trumpet will sound and pierce the sky
but for these men it will pierce their hearts
it will penetrate their temples
crack down their bodies
and split them in two
For that is all they ever were
half-men
Remember David
who threw the stone
and killed a man many fold stronger
Who through his faith
Won the battle
Who won the kingdom
O Mighty soldiers
O soldiers of God
Throw your stones
Your freedom is coming
For these walls will fall
and if not today
you will fly up as doves and kiss the sky
and forget the torments of this life