On the "immortal olive tree" and tears...

On the “immortal olive tree” and tears…

Photos via Wikipedia and taayush.org

Some childhood memories never fade.

I still remember sitting on a small stool in our kitchen in Baghdad, naughtily dipping my finger, again and again, in a large aluminum can of olive oil and licking till practically falling sick.

It was that time of year, usually in November, when Teta Rose, my grandmother in Bethlehem, sent us our annual supply of olive oil and olives following the Olive Harvest.

The new crop of still bitter green olives, cracked with a small piece of rock that we always kept for that purpose, were and remain my favorite.

You would be hard-pressed to find an Arab kitchen without its jars of olives or a plate of olives at the table.

I think of all the delicious foods around the world, the best must be a slice of bread and olives.

But the Olive Harvest comes at a heavy price, especially in Palestine and this year in Syria too.

As the late poet Mahmoud Darwish wrote of the “immortal olive tree”: “If the olive trees knew the hands that planted them, their oil would become tears.”

Tears indeed as the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the occupied Palestinian territory (OCHAoPt) last month released its Olive Harvest Factsheet.

It says that in the occupied West Bank, over 7,500 olive trees belonging to Palestinians were damaged or destroyed by Israeli settlers between January and mid-October 2012, albeit 2,000 fewer than during the equivalent period in 2011.

The Olive Harvest Factsheet for Palestine also states that:

• Nearly half (48%) of the agricultural land in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is planted with eight million olive trees; the vast majority is in the West Bank.
• The olive oil industry makes up 14% of the agricultural income for the oPt and supports the livelihoods of approximately 80,000 families.
• The number of Barrier gates increased to 73 in 2012 but most (52) are closed year round, except for the olive harvest period and only then for limited hours.
• In 2011, 42% of applications for permits to access olive groves behind the Barrier submitted prior to the harvest season were rejected, compared to 39% in 2010.
• Only one of the 162 complaints regarding settler attacks against Palestinian trees monitored by the Israeli NGO Yesh Din since 2005 has so far led to the indictment of a suspect.
• In the Gaza Strip, 7,300 dunums [7.3 million square feet or 1,825 acres] of land along the perimeter fence with Israel that were previously planted with olive trees have been leveled during Israeli military operations.

Having had the privilege to stand on the Mount of Olives overlooking the Holy City of Jerusalem, I cannot but cry each time I hear of the uprooting or destruction of an olive tree in occupied Palestine, where there is always a peak of violence related to the harvest this time of year.

The olive tree, a symbol of abundance, glory, peace, wisdom, fertility, power and purity is now fought as a human right. It is a struggle under occupation to keep the groves from destruction, burning and uprooting, which impact on the people, the land, the animals, and the water…

The restrictions on the joyful harvest season have been in place since the 1967 occupation and have severely affected the Palestinians dependent upon the olives for their livelihood. This has severely compromised the culture and traditions of olive farming and harvesting.

But the olive tree is a part of every Palestinian and will remain so. The olive tree is “immortal”…

Prayer beads go digital

Whoever says Subhan Allah wa bi Hamdihi (Glory be to Allah and Praise Him) 100 times during the day, his sins are wiped away, even if they are like the foam of the sea. [Sahih Bukhari; #7:168]

Working in an eclectic boutique for the past year, I usually get a view of the trends and fashions to come at least six months in advance. And if I miss something, the ladies who visit the boutique are either wearing it or know about it.

One accessory I seem to have missed, however, is the tasbeeh ring. I noticed it on most of the Gulf ladies coming into the shop over the Eid al-Adha holidays. They were pink, blue and green. Some were plain, others encrusted with diamonds…

The prayer rings come in all colors

I didn't know what it was. After seeing a few, I had to ask a sheikha… And what a great idea! The prayer ring has replaced the prayer beads, and it is not something new. While reading about the rings and prayer beads in general, I found that Rosary rings were given to some Catholic nuns at the time of their solemn profession.

Prayer beads are widely used in various religions -- Hinduism, Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Anglicanism, Islam, Sikhism and the Baha’i Faith -- to count the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions, such as the Rosary of Virgin Mary in Christianity and dhikr (remembrance of God) in Islam.

Writing about prayer beads reminded me of a family visit to the Vatican under Blessed John XXIII in the early sixties. We were fortunate to attend an audience with the Pope and I had a treasured Rosary, bought at the Vatican souvenir shop, blessed by the Holy Father.

The number of beads varies by religion or use.

The traditional Masbaha

Prayer beads, Masbaha or Tasbeeh in Islam, usually have either 99 or 33 beads. Buddhists and Hindus use the Japa Mala, most commonly with 108 beads -- or 27, which are counted four times. Baha'i prayer beads consist of either 95 or 19 strung with the addition of five beads below. Roman Catholics use the Rosary with 54 beads and an additional five, whereas Eastern Orthodox Christians use a knotted Rosary with 100 knots, although prayer ropes with 50 or 33 knots can also be used.

Prayer beads are fingered in an automatic manner and allow the user to keep track of how many prayers have been said with a minimal amount of conscious effort, which in turn allows greater attention to be devoted to the prayers themselves. And that’s where the ring comes in. You click after each prayer and can keep track.

There are three widely accepted uses for prayer beads: Repetition of the same devotion; repetition of several different prayers in some pattern, interspersed with or accompanied by meditations; and meditation on a series of spiritual themes, as in Catholicism or Islam.

In Islam, the Masbaha or Tasbeeh have 99 beads, corresponding to the 99 Names of Allah. Sometimes only 33 beads are used, in which case one would cycle through them three times to equal 99.

The beads are traditionally used to keep count while saying the prayer known as Tasbeeh of Fatima, which was a form of prayer offered as a gift by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to his daughter Fatima.

Tasbeeh Fatima is recited as follows: 33 times Subhan Allah (Glory be to God), 33 times Al Hamdulillah (Praise be to God), and 33 times Allahu Akbar (God is the greatest). It is highly recommended to recite this prayer after the daily five ritual prayers.

The tradition of Tasbeeh Fatima, narrated by Abu Huraira, goes like this: Some poor people came to the Prophet and said, "The wealthy people will get higher grades and will have permanent enjoyment and they pray like us and fast as we do. They have more money by which they perform the Hajj, and Umra; fight and struggle in Allah's Cause and give in charity." The Prophet said, "Shall I not tell you a thing upon which if you acted you would catch up with those who have surpassed you? Nobody would overtake you and you would be better than the people amongst whom you live except those who would do the same. Say Subhan Allah, Al Hamdulillah and Allahu Akbar 33 times each after every (compulsory) prayer.”

Abu Huraira continues: We differed and some of us said that we should say, Subhan Allah 33 times and Al Hamdulillah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 34 times. I went to the Prophet who said, "Say, Subhan Allah, Al Hamdulillah and Allahu Akbar all together for 33 times." [Book #12, Hadith #804]

A Rosary

"Rosary" is used to describe both a sequence of prayers and a string of prayer beads used to count the prayers. The sequence of prayers in the Rosary is the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary 10 times, and the Glory Be to the Father, sometimes followed by the Fatima Prayer ("O My Jesus, Forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy"). Each sequence is known as a decade. The praying of each decade is accompanied by meditation on one of the Mysteries of the Rosary, which recall the life of Jesus Christ.

A Rosary ring (via Wikipedia)

The Christian Rosary ring, although not digital, has 10 indentations and a cross representing one decade of a Rosary. Smaller ring rosaries became known as soldiers' rosaries, because they often took them into battle, most notably during World War I.

Many people still prefer fingering the prayer beads. My friend Nada told me she has a prayer ring but still uses her Masbaha. She explained that after each recitation, a baby palm is planted in Heaven.

Whether through manually counting or clicking, the image of palm groves in Heaven seemed magical.

A Nobel Peace Prize for Malala and Hina

Pakistani teenagers Hina Khan and Malala Yousafzai

When two teenagers take on the might of the fundamentalist Taliban in a conservative and poor area of Pakistan in the name of education and girls’ and women’s rights, they need all the support they can get.

That’s why I back the global appeal to the The Norwegian Nobel Committee to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Malala Yousafzai, Hina Khan and girls’ education.

While 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai is recovering from being shot in the head by a Taliban gunman earlier this month, the Taliban are threatening to target another Pakistani teenager, 16-year-old Hina Khan.

After the Nobel Peace Prize going to U.S. President Barack Obama (2009) and the European Union (2012) -- shocking choices in both cases -- what better way to encourage peace than through education generally and girls’ education specifically?

Malala recovering in Birmingham (photo via dailymail.co.uk)

On October 9, a Taliban gunman shot Malala while she was returning home on a school bus after taking an exam in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. She is now on the long road to recovery in a Birmingham hospital in the UK.

On her being identified, the Taliban gunman shot her twice, once in the head and once in the neck. Two other girls, Kainat Riaz and Shazia Ramzan, were also wounded.

Malala is a pupil from the town of Mingora in the Swat Valley. She is known as an education and women’s rights activist in the area, where the Taliban have banned girls from attending school.

She drew attention when, in January 2009, she posted her first anonymous entry to the BBC Urdu blog that would later make her famous. She used the pseudonym "Gul Makai" -- meaning "corn flower" in Urdu -- so as not to be targeted by the Taliban. She wrote about her life under the Taliban regime, their attempts to take control of the valley and her views on promoting education for girls. Later that year, the Pakistani military intervened, culminating in the expulsion of the Taliban from the Swat Valley.

Hina in front of the family home painted with a red "X"

Last week, a red “X” was painted on the gate of Hina Khan’s family home in Islamabad. Hina is also known as activist for education and women’s rights.

A Nobel Peace Prize for Malala and Hina will send a clear message that the world is watching and will support those who stand up for gender equality, universal human rights and the right of education for girls.

After removing the graffiti, the red “X” reappeared the next day and the Khan family got a phone call warning that Hina is the Taliban’s next target.

Hina at a press conference with her mother and father  (via daily mail.co.uk)

The Khan family is originally from the same Swat Valley area of Pakistan as Malala. It was under complete Taliban control from 2007 to 2009. Hina and her family were forced to move to Islamabad in 2006 after publicly criticizing atrocities committed by militants.

Her father, Raitullah Khan, said: “A few days ago when I came out of my house I saw a red cross on my gate, which I removed, assuming it might have been drawn by some kids. But the very next day it appeared again, which really terrified me. We [then] received a call that Hina will be next after Malala. We have already been fighting death threats for many years when my wife started speaking for women rights and girls' education.”

Hina first attracted the wrath of the Taliban in 2008, when she held a press conference after militants started bombing schools in a campaign of intolerance against girls’ education.

Her mother, Farhat, is a social worker and was already a target of the fundamentalist Islamic group after organizing a handicraft exhibit for Swati women in 2006 and supporting women rights and girls’ education.

Malala is joined by her family in Birmingham for Eid (via dailymail.co.uk)

Malala, who cannot speak at the moment, was in a medically induced coma on arrival in Britain on October 15, but has since regained consciousness and has stood for the first time since the shooting.

She was struck just above the back of her left eye, with the bullet travelling down the side of her jaw and damaging the skull. It went through her neck and lodged in the tissue above her shoulder blade. University Hospitals Birmingham said Malala “remains in a stable condition.”

The road to peace is walked one step at a time, one educated person at a time. Malala and Hina have taken the first steps, at a very high cost. By supporting them, keeping them safe and honoring them, we can help make the world a better place to live.

Related post:

The Power of We… for education – October 15, 2012

Beirut, murder, Proust and champagne

My friend Alexander McNabb (@AlexanderMcNabb) has gone and done it again. This month saw the publication of a second novel in which I was somewhat involved -- albeit as a beta reader -- and I’m feeling like the mother of the bride.

After the first, Olives, I couldn't wait to get my PDF version of Beirut -- An Explosive Thriller. It's dynamite! And now I look forward to the third, Shemlan.

Instead of the usual book review, I sent Alex a few questions about one of the characters in the book – Leila Medawar. Alex gave me the answers in a post published on his blog, Fake Plastic Souks on Friday (October 19):

Beirut And The Disposable Character

Lynch called across to Leila. ‘Where’s Deir Na’ee?’

She uncurled and came to him, looking over his shoulder at the screen, her blouse opening to show the warm brown mound of her breast. ‘Deir Na’ee? The lonely home? Sounds like something up in the Bekaa. Never heard of it. Try Googling it. Might be a village somewhere.’

‘And “Spike”?’

She paused, then turned to regain her place on the sofa. ‘No idea, habibi. I’m not a phone book.’

Lynch chuckled, the search phrase ‘Deir Na’ee’ for some reason returning the Irish poem A bhonnán bhuí, The Yellow Bittern. He read it out loud, the Irish words coming back to him from the mists of distant childhood, the disinfectant reek of the Sisters of Charity’s classroom. ‘A bhonnán bhuí, is é mo léan do luí, Is do chnámha sínte tar éis do ghrinn, Is chan easba bidh ach díobháil dí, a d'fhág i do luí thú ar chúl do chinn.’

Leila was laughing at him. ‘What are you saying?’

‘It’s Irish. Deir Na’ee gets that in Google. Christ alone knows why.’

‘That is not a language. It sounds like dogs fighting.’

‘Póg mo thóin.’

From Beirut -- An Explosive Thriller

Today brings a treat -- a guest post and quizzing from Micheline Hazou, patroness of genteel blog Mich Café, friend and Beirut wandering companion as well as beta reader of Beirut – An Explosive Thriller...

It is quite exciting to be a beta reader. It is also something I take very seriously.

I had the privilege to beta-read Alexander McNabb’s first novel, Olives – A Violent Romance. I was even more flattered to be offered the chance to beta-read Beirut – An Explosive Thriller a couple of months ago.

It’s not as easy as it seems, because you often get sucked up in the story and forget to keep an eye out for anything that might be wrong, from proofreading to translations and anything you don’t quite like. So I had to re-read many a chapter with that in mind.

From the first few pages of Beirut I felt Alex had come into his own. I got caught up in the “explosive” thriller and rediscovered the main character, Gerald Lynch, in another light. Whereas he had seemed pompous, uptight and unlikeable in Olives, here he is chasing the bad guys with a conscience and sexy on top of it.

As with Olives, I was drawn by the local female characters in the books. I can identify with them. And I wonder why they are so disposable. As most of you have read Olives by now, you must know Aisha Dajani’s fate. But Leila Medawar? Why, Alex?

As described in the book, Leila Medawar is the “student activist, dissident, blogger and poet to the leftist anti-sectarian intelligentsia. Born into wealth and privilege she was heartrendingly idealistic… beautiful dark haired Leila, lover of freedom, equality and British spies. Well, spy.”

Without giving too much away, here are a few questions I would like to ask about Leila Medawar, Gerald Lynch’s lover:

I like Leila Medawar. She humanizes Lynch. Why is she so disposable? That's partly why she's there. And partly it seals her fate. It's odd but I seem to have this habit of killing the characters I love the most, from the delicious Kylie in my first book, Space, through to a number of characters in Olives, Beirut and, yes, Shemlan. 

I often recall an incident involving The Niece From Hell. We were on a walk along the Thames when I was pulled up by the realization I recognized a particular bench on the towpath. ‘Wow,’ I exclaimed. ‘I killed a guy on this bench!’

The niece glanced carelessly at the bench and shrugged. ‘Whatever.’

I know I am involved in murdering a number of attractive Arab women, but don't take that personally -- I'm an equal opportunities killer. I do for a number of occidental men in my books too. And some of them are quite ugly.

On the bright side, it's probably a good thing I'm getting this stuff out of my system. And anyway, there are a thousand and one Leilas...

I sound like I’m gabbling guiltily. I probably am.

How come she knew he was in Intelligence? It's how he met her -- when on a surveillance job involving a student protest. In fact, that’s not mentioned until much later in the book in the 'beta' MS but part of the feedback from readers made me bring that history right up front.

Lynch isn't really very good at observing some of the traditional modalities of Intelligence, he's far too Arabized for that. Leila is very much into his 'home life'. They live a cocooned existence together -- she has his key, they keep their relationship secret (she leaves the room when Palmer comes from the embassy with Lynch's ticket because they have agreed discretion is the way to go for both of them) and Lynch knows who she is. She trusts him not to spy on her and he, I rather think, trusts her not to use her relationship with him in her activities.

Where is Leila’s family? How is it that she was able to live with Lynch, and then in the flat he provided her?

She doesn't actually live with him, just has a key and comes around a lot. He was hoping the flat in Hamra would be a bolt hole for them both but was surprised by the strength of her reaction to the news he would be shacking up with another spy type. 

Her family is living in Dubai, as it happens -- but she's got away with going back to Beirut to study at AUB. That gives her independence beyond reason -- and the freedom to go out with a man over twice her age.

And no, it's not one of my secret fantasies sneaking into a book. There's a certain journalist living in Ain Mreisse who might be influencing some of Lynch's lifestyle...

What is the story of the Orrefors tumbler? I've long been a huge fan of Orrefors glass and have a number of those beautiful pieces with the blue teardrop.  It just seemed natural that it should sneak into the book -- and tells us that Leila's moneyed, incidentally. That stuff's hideously expensive.

Leila being particular about how she takes her whisky is a mannerism I stole from a rather lovely Lebanese friend...

I also let my personal preferences sneak in with the Lamiable champagne later in the book, which is a stunning single grower extra brut -- a hard champagne to make well as it has little or no 'dosage' and is therefore incredibly dry. I have a nice chap called Charles who ships it to me in the UK. One has a literary agent and a vintner, don't you know...

Why the choice of Proust? And which of his works was she reading? Remembrance of Things Past of course, silly! Probably The Prisoner, a reflection of Lynch’s ardor for her mixed with a desire to control her, perhaps why he offers her the flat in Hamra. Leila’s not Albertine, of course -- but she is enjoying casting herself in the role. 

Leila is possibly reading it because she likes Proust, or because she likes to be seen to be liking Proust -- that’s a very Lebanese dilemma. She was reading it in the original French because, of course, she speaks French like a native. And she likes to tell friends she finds the Moncrieff translation sloppy.

Why did Lynch only try calling her? Why didn’t he go over to see her? And why didn’t she have protection? He was scared of finding some ape from AUB in her bed. He was also rather busy saving the world and flying to and from Europe. He talked to the concierge, too, which just confirms his worst fears. 

Lynch had checked with the concierge and yes, she moved in to the flat in Hamra. Yes, she had indeed taken male company, the old crone told Lynch, laughing dirtily and pocketing the fifty thousand lire tip.

There was no protection -- Lynch operates as a lone wolf most of the time, he's not often part of the 'framework', but a maverick operator Channing uses for the messy stuff. His approach to intelligence is 'go local, go low-key' rather than bringing in the Keystone cops every time. It's one reason why he prefers to use a servees rather than an embassy car.

Part of Lynch would also let her cool her heels, perhaps even be angry at her and take an 'Youse know what? F youse too' approach to her flouncing off like that. And yet she's under his skin. Not quite as much as Michel gets under hers, though...

Does Lynch fall in love again in Shemlan? Please say yes…

 No, but Shemlan is very much a love story -- although not a very straightforward one.

To find out how to get a copy of Beirut – An Explosive Thriller shipped to your doorstep or downloaded instantly to your reader, please visit the Beirut website.

Related posts and reading:

“Olives” -- the book variety that is -- January 16, 2012

A feast of 12 summer readings -- Jul 18, 2012

Alexander McNabb’s blog Fake Plastic Souks

The Olives website

Will “binders full of women” sink Romney?

From bindersfullofwomen.tumblr.com

As of October 1, 2012, the United States had a total resident population of 314,592,000, according to Wikipedia. It is the third most populous country in the world, after China and India.

More importantly in 2009, there were 155.6 million females compared to 151.4 million males. At age 85 and over, there were twice-plus as many women as men.

In his second presidential debate with Barack Obama on Tuesday night, Republican candidate Mitt Romney chose to categorize this female population as “Binders Full of Women.”

Will he get away with it when American women go to the polling stations on November 6?

Every three years, we spend a fourth waiting and trying to guess who will be the next president of the United States. With just 18 days to go until we find out whether it will be Obama or Romney at the White House, Tuesday night’s debate was the coup de grâce for the GOP and their candidate, or at least I hope so.

Anyone who has access to the Internet is by now aware of the “Binder” boo-boo coming from the man who could become the leader of the “Free World.”

Romney was responding to a question about inequalities in the workplace and fair pay for women. He talked about his time as Massachusetts’s governor and how he wanted to hire some women for his cabinet:

From nydailynews.com 

“And -- and so we -- we took a concerted effort to go out and find women who had backgrounds that could be qualified to become members of our cabinet. I went to a number of women’s groups and said, ‘Can you help us find folks,’ and they brought us whole binders full of women.”

You need help to find women for top posts -- in the U.S.?

His patronizing went even further: “Now one of the reasons I was able to get so many good women to be part of that team was because of our recruiting effort. But number two, because I recognized that if you’re going to have women in the workforce that sometimes you need to be more flexible.”

He explained his chief of staff had two kids that were still in school and that she couldn’t work late because she had to be home “making dinner” and “being with them when they get home from school.” Romney added, “Let’s have a flexible schedule so you can have hours that work for you.”

So, for Romney, the “binders” can be opened for women to get out and go into the kitchen to “make dinner.”

The GOP put its foot in its mouth on a number of occasions during his election campaign, even before this new “Binders Full of Women” blunder.

For instance, Missouri Senate Republican candidate Todd Akin in August said on national TV that in cases of “legitimate rape,” pregnancy is rare because “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

And vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan supports a constitutional amendment that would ban abortion in all instances, including in the case of rape and opposes abortion except in cases where the mother’s life is in danger.

Romney’s ignorance of the region was disclosed in September by Mother Jones, which published exclusive video footage of him speaking to donors at a May 17 fundraiser. Romney pontificated that peace in the Middle East is not possible and a Palestinian state is not feasible, telling donors Palestinians have "no interest whatsoever in establishing peace and that the pathway to peace is almost unthinkable to accomplish."

With so much riding on the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections in our region, and with everyone waiting to see what effect, if any, the new U.S. administration will bring to bear on the Syrian revolution, it is frightening to think of Romney at the helm.

As an Arab woman, I have been categorized in many different ways, but never yet put in a “binder.”

Again I wonder, will America’s women accept to be put into binders, or will they make Romney and the GOP pay for such out of date, patronizing, sexist and unacceptable thinking?

Good luck ladies.

Related posts:

The Savage, Civilized Man & Mitt Romney -- September 19, 2012

 I agree with Obama: Rape is rape -- August 21, 2012