Let my people go free!
This is the Jewish holiday of Pesach, or Passover. It is a celebration of LIBERATION! The Jews were free from the slavery of the land of Egypt and they left to go to their own land in Israel. They had to have FAITH!! It was a long struggle. It was a long journey and it must have seemed impossible. While the men may have wondered how the sea was going to part, I think Miram did not have a doubt. Miriam, proving herself a true leader, started playing her timbrels and led the women to dance across the sea of reeds with FAITH!
Does this picture look familiar? Does it look a bit like a dance of liberation? I think so. It is a photo of Kurdish Peshmerga Women securing the city of Kirkuk two years ago...and they dance the dance of LIBERATION.
I sing to them a song of freedom...from the women that came before, to the women who are so brave today.
MIRIAM'S SONG
Music and lyrics by Debbie Friedman
Based on Exodus 15:20-21
And the women dancing with their timbrels
Followed Miriam as she sang her song.
Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted.
Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long.
And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety.
The tapestry she wove was one which sang our history.
With every thread and every strand she crafted her delight.
A woman touched with spirit, she dances toward the light.
As Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed across the sea,
The wonder of this miracle she soon came to believe.
Whoever thought the sea would part with an outstretched hand,
And we would pass to freedom, and march to the promised land.
And Miriam the Prophet took her timbrel in her hand,
And all the women followed her just as she had planned.
And Miriam raised her voice with song,
She sang with praise and might.
We've just lived through a miracle, we're going to dance tonight.
Biji Kurdistan
posted by Emmunah at 11:45 PM
24 Comments:
Happy Pesach to you Dear Friend. I really wish happy days for you
Nice to see your post on my blog.
Todays liberal is not the same as President Truman or President Kennedy. These men were not isolationist they believed in a very active foreign policy. In this regard President Reagan was much closer to Truman than the current democratic party. Prime Minister Blair is a liberal of the Truman mold. In fact Joe Lieberman seems to be of this mold as well.
The problem is that the far left is having its effect on some in the liberal world esp in the acidemic world. This problem is more pronouced in europe. An example of this would be the Anti-semitism that has infected the far left.
Happy, but belated, Pesach. I loved the photo and the song. It warmed my heart that women from totally different faiths and countries are able to sing the same song to liberation - theirs, their homes, and their futures. Shalom.
happy nakba day to you
How come Jordan and Egypt did not create a palestine state between 1948 and 1967 when they had control of the west bank, east jerusalem (including the jewish qt) & gaza? Or for that matter how come they did not accept the U.N. partition and creat the palistine state in 1948? If they had accepted Prime Minister Berak offer they could have had a state with out all of the blood spilled in the last 4 years.
It is well known that 800,000 safardic jews were forced out of the arab world.
Anonymous: Is it possible for you to talk about Kurds? I suppose not, but for those who read your propaganda (and I know you are not Arab, because you simply do not know enough to be Arab AND furthermore, any Arab is easier to talk to than you prove to be everytime you drop by.
Here is the declaration of Independence ASKING ALL PEOPLE to stay and build a country. Those that did stay, 25% of the population, have on current fear...that in the negotiations they might be traded to the Palestinian government and lose their Israeli citizenship. It was said, by Arabs routinely, that "Israel's hell was far better than Arafat's paradise".
Oh well..even though I know it will do no good to tell you that Saudi, Iran, and Syria are using these poor Palestinians (as if Arafat hadn't used them all enough as it was) to fight a proxy war with Israel. If you do not grasp this, then you are simply ill informed. You have been witnessing a war, but you view it as a war between Israel Jews and Arab Palestinians. It is nothing like that at all. It is a war between Israeli Jews, Arabs, Druze, and many dozens of other groups, and the Arabs who could never come to terms with a non-Arab run state because it was an affront to their pan-arabist ideas.
Declaration of Independence: (notice the inclusiveness and look at a 1948 textbook or magazine and see if you can find ANY nation with this kind of tolerance? the US and Canada did not.
From the Israeli Declaration which all Arabs and others heard too, at the same time, and made their choices accordingly:
".. will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; will be based on the precepts of liberty, justice and peace taught by the Hebrew Prophets; will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed or sex; will guarantee full freedom of conscience, worship, education and culture; will safeguard the sanctity and inviolability of the shrines and Holy Places of all religions; and will dedicate itself to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations."
"...In the midst of wanton aggression, we yet call upon the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to return to the ways of peace and play their part in the development of the State, with full and equal citizenship and due representation in its bodies and institutions - provisional or permanent.
We offer peace and unity to all the neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all.
"...With trust in Almighty God, we set our hand to this Declaration, at this Session of the Provisional State Council, in the city of Tel Aviv, on this Sabbath eve, the fifth of Iyar, 5708, the fourteenth day of May, 1948."
The same people fighting the US in Iraq, are the same people, that fought the Israelis...in some case, quite literally the same people. They behead people, blow up innocents, hang collaborators and want a return to the old ways of dictators. They were just afraid that democracy might spread then, as they are now.
Hopefully, enough people are tired of this proxy war they fought on behalf of the oil oligarchs and other Ba'athists there may be peace...then...do you think you could devote as much thought to Kurdistan? That would be nice!
http://web.israelinsider.com/Views/5585.htm
Self-inflicted 'Nakba'
Hi,
I would just like to inform you that anonymous above is not me, the anonymous who challenged your view that Kurds should reach out to Jews in order to learn good techniques for lobbying and nation-building.
However, I would have to agree with the anonymous person above. Citing a peice of paper as proof that Israel is a paradise in the middle of backward, violent arabs is to deny the obvious blatant facts. I did not feel it would appropriate to bludgeon you over every issue, so i didn't post anything until the pot started boiling this time.
I would encourage you to celebrate any day which genuinely results in freedom and justice and I will let you decide whether this is true or not. I don't think this particular celebration has anything to do with the modern state of Israel -- I fail to see why the post by the anonymous person above would even register as it's off-topic (despit being accurate). I don't see why you see being Jewish as being so intimately tied to the modern state of Israel.
Israel's constitution sounds woonderful, but it is too bad it did not prevent that soldier from shooting the 13-year old girl (unarmed and on her way to school) and then ridling her body with bullets. It also did nnot prevent the justice system in that country from completely exonerating him. Israel has large glaring flaws, it would not kill you to acknowledge them. I also don't see how the previous anon's post was anti-Kurd (I just it implicitly is since it is favourable to arab palestinians).
Anonymous: Nope, you're right. I don't think the Americans were punished enough for Abu Graib. I don't think that the French were ever punished enough for Algeria, nor their recent incursion into the Ivory Coast. I doubt that anyone will be punished for the Oil for Food scandal. I doubt Kofi Annan will have to resign, even though he has presided over three genocides. I think you're right about the tendency of countries and international bureaucracies to protect their own.
Nor did I mean to imply that a piece of paper makes everything wonderful in a country. It does not. The constitutions of many countries are neglected and meaningless. Especially when there is some state of emergency called that prevents everyone from voting for 25 years.
Yes...I would not hurt for me to admit that Israel has it's problems, but nothing is perfect...we have to try to make things more perfect, but only God can make perfection. We are lucky if we can get basic freedoms. I am simply on the side of those basic freedoms as opposed to what some would like to have. I actually do worry about people that are going to be "traded" that don't want to be? Not only Jews are getting moved around, but Christians and Muslims too. What am I to say to them when they say "please don't take away our Israeli citizenship and make us live in Palestine?" I don't know. I don't have all the answers to that.
I know that anonymous 1's comments are "off topic", and I thought of deleting them, but then...free expression is a big deal so...I tried to let him speak. I know that no country has a virgin birth. i know that when Mexican Indepence Day, or Bastille Day comes or Fourth of July comes, that all those celebrations accompanied other people's loss. But that does not stop the celebration. I must also add, that there were not a lot of people in 1948 that were particularly tolerant of others. Mind you, much of the world were still keeping slaves, and colonialism was still in effect in most of the world. So, it may have been only a proclamation, but I believe that Ben Gurion and most of the Jews really did want to live in peace. They did not want war, and endless conflict. Now...it's so tangled...I can only hope that it works itself out soon. Peace/Shalom/Salaam...maybe I'm a dreamer, but that's my dream.
There is always a dark side of every truth.It is heart warming to see those young brave Kurdish women dressed as Peshmerga during Liberation of Kirkuk. The Reality is that women are looked at inferiorly in patriarchic Kurdish society especially in Erbil and Duhok areas, Women are killed with impunity for mere suspect of an emotional or sexual relationship in the name of honour killings.
Thousands and thousands of widows or mothers or sisters of Anfall genocidal victims are exploited by Kurdish parties KDP and PUK for their own propaganda, when in reality they are left in destitute and poverty without any real financial help, just as the plight of palestians are exploited by authoritarian regimes of Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia to maitain their grip on power and to divert their people from their just demands for freedom and democracy.
The simple Kurdish people are not only the victims of Saddam regime but they are also victims of reckless and careless Kurdish administrations in Iraqi Kurdistan !
It`s great that a jewish Kurdish women writes about Peshmerga women!
Visit my blog:
http://iraqikurdistan.blogspot.com
Note to all: This is NOT a discussion of the relative merits of the Palestinian or Israeli arguments. If you feel you MUST have this endless discussion, there are plenty of places out there for you to do just that. It is a great topic, and many people are interested in obliging you. This is a blog about Peshmerga Women, Kurds, Jews, nation building, economics and anything else I find helpful to Kurds, encouraging to Kurds and Jews, encouraging to women everywhere, no matter what their faith is, or is not. It is not a forum, it is not your blog, and it's not a free for all against Israel, Kurds, Zionists, or Jews. Comments are accepted, but insults and diverting tactics that always lead back to the Israel/Palestinian debate will be removed. Not because of your freedom to speak your mind, but because of MY right not to engage in a debate that has nothing to do with this blog.
Thank you to everyone for your understanding and your comments. I am aware that there are wrongs in the world, and I'm trying the only way I know how to fix them in the best way I can.
Congrats, Emmunah, on your "A" on your econ paper.
YOU ARE MY ECON PROFESSOR!!! You are really too good AGA...too good! LOL! You made my day!
Mr anonymous arab, as you see I am not anonymouse like you....
you arabs used to cover yourface and blown yourself among poor peoepl .
Mr Arab , remeber, You arabs killed millions of the Kurds....Israel never has used Chemical weapons on you ...
even after those genocides you ARabs comimted on Kurds, We Kurds never blown ourself with Coverd Face, like a facless coward, among civil arab .,
I ask you someting and you answer is it you heart, "how many millions of kurds been killed by arab? with mass killing weapons ? how many handreds of thousands of the kurds been replaced in Kirkuk ? "
if there is a n allha, he will not forgive you arabs.
and today you come here with an anoynoymos name ! it is a nomral to me !
just let me say something, Emmunah is a Polite girl and everybody loves her, and we all respect her.
we do not allow you to come here and offend to her with annoymous name...
you are faceless ! nobody knows you so you dare to say everything...
I as a not anonymous , ask you leave emmunah alone, this is her personal blog... and you are just destroing yourself and arabs by commentiong with an annonymous name , in somebody who is so respected by everybody.
just leave here and go somewhere else to talk about your supid bulshits.
God Bless You and your people Emm! I pray for you and all the people around the world in turmoil today. I pray that good will conquer evil in the end as I know it will. I just got through reading some Kurdistan blogs and I have to say I am saddened. I actually thought they were our friends. In America the people here pray for them as much as any Iraqi citizen. We hear from the news media that they have things under control in there areas and have alot of respect for their determination and strength. It is sad to hear how much they despise us in America. We Americans had no idea, I don't even know if I want to break the news to them. We hear nothing about it here. There comments are very nasty and very hurtful. They don't understand that we are just learning about their culture and they don't know much about us except what they see on the news there. It's pretty sad, without governments, we might actually get along. Take care and stay safe!
Zip: There are many Kurds, with many opinions (indicating freedom of expression and though), but the majority of Kurds are more pro-American than almost anyplace on earth. Yet, many do have realistic questions and real complaints, but that's not anti-american, just criticism. I think that most of the people who post are irritated because they voted to be independent and Kurds do not want to be part of Iraq and never have. It was an artificially created country. Another thing you might be seeing is maybe a handful of posters who are not really serious, just griping. It's natural, and they will always be close with America. American soldiers LOVE the Kurds and trust them, which is not something I can say about other groups. Kurds gave shelter to our special forces. Kurds threw flowers and candy, and yes...life in a war zone produces complaints, because life is hard in that environment. Also, don't discount that Kurds are fighting against all the anti-americanism in the media, and have to overcome it, and not fall into believing these things they hear. They are far better friends then we even realize...even if they are airing complaints, I've also seen them offer solutions, and in the region, that's different! "The kids are going to be alright" to quote some old song:) They really are...keep praying and keep talking to Kurds..you will see it.
Pope John Paul III, I gues you like John Paul the II better huh? LOL...thank you brother. You are amazing LOL. The best lesson your post shows to the world is that Kurds make loyal friends and fierce enemies. I never doubted that! Her Bijit PJPIII!
Thanks Emm for your insightful comment and explanation. It is also frustrating for us Americans to hear us bashed because of a few bad apples and all people have them in their midst. The American people want what is best for the world though some do not believe that because of the media. We think all people should have the freedom that we enjoy. America has it's problems too but we still have our freedom. It's true I would not want to stifle people's right to voice their opinion but at the same time they should also be careful what they say as to not enbolden others to want to fight against what we are trying to accomplish over there. It gives these terrorists an excuse to do more. I understand they are young so I will not take it too heart too much. But I wish they could understand we are fighting beside their brethren for them also. I suppose in time they will understand this. Take care and stay safe!
JPIII: I am not an Arab (maybe the first anonymous is but I don't know). I don't think I'm against Kurds (unless criticizing the popular concept of a Kurdistan makes you an anti-Kurd racist) or Jews or anyone else, but you could check with your local neocon first. And its not stupid bullshit--it's called facts. Feel free to dispute them. I guess things like those don't belong on a personal blog though, so don't worry about it.
Emmunah said:
American soldiers LOVE the Kurds and trust them, which is not something I can say about other groups.
I am sure the rest of the 'undesireables' in Iraq would love US troops, if only the troops would stop shooting them indiscriminantly, leveling their towns and torturing them in prisons. Kurds don't have that problem because the main political parties have used the plan of the neocons to conquer Iraq to their advantage well. However, freedom for a minority who are compliant is not freedom (you try to explain that one Emmunah since it is your mission, or you could just delete this post as well which would save you the trouble). The war in Iraq has been a disaster. It's funny how freedom has not allowed the Kurdish parties to anything to help all those Kurds who are destitute (I notice you ignored nezhad's comments). Or maybe this is a faulty assumption and they are doing plenty of work to help their own people?
If you are anonymous #2, that's okay..it was anonymous #1 who I felt was diverting the purpose of this blog. Do you have a name? Can you just make one up...it's weird to talk to anonymous 1 or anonymous 2. LOL!
No, I did not ignore nezhad's comments, I answered them on his blog:)
I am what could be described in US political terms as a "hard Wilsonian"...so...my position is that I really want to "make the world safe for democracy". I'm not sure that ALL the "neo-cons" are all acting in good faith. I have my suspicions about them too, but I kind of reserve them for the Cheney types who seem to look more for profit than ideology. In their case, I would say that they may have done the right thing, for the wrong reasons.
Some of those who you call "neo-con" like Shaha Riza, Peter Beinert, Noni Darwash, Tony Blair and Natan Sharnaky or Thomas Freidman are really idealists who believe, as I do, that there are too many people in the world, that can see the prosperity in the west and have no hope of getting any freedoms and they feel humiliated, and hopeless. They turn to radical Islam as an idea to oppose modernity, as they see this as challenging their value system, while at the same time they are humiliated that the entire middle east has a total GDP just above the single country of Spain.
There are too many dictators, who love to use religion as a way to keep their citizens from overthrowing their rule, and because the world is becoming so tiny, the previous way of dealing with this was to let those countries just propagandize their people, and it would not harm anyone is outdated. The cognitive dissonance in the youth of the Islamic world, leaves them wanting to be like the west and wanting to be strict Muslims too...and this often results in the terror attacks we have seen all over the world by groups of Political Islamists. They metaphorically explode from internal dissonance, and the exeranl is the excuse used to resolve the congnitive schizoprenia they feel inside, as two different forces pull them apart.
The only answer I can see, is to break down the dictators rule, by war or by internal revolt, or pressure these governments to engage in reforms. That gives the Islamic world a chance to throw off their chains and join in the global world.
Ideas have to be fought with better ideas...and all in all...for all it's faults, democracy is a better idea than trying to recreate a perfect 7th century world.
Yeah, it would be better if we had "smart bullets"..the kind that only kill the guilty, but we don't. This is quite a problem and I concede that point. I do not think our mistakes, excuse these terrorists blowing up civilian targets on purpose, then celebrating it, or attacking the Iraqi or Kurdish people trying to build the country and threatening everyone is a proper response. You leave out the beheadings of these terrorists, and the cages found that help the Brit Bigley, as well as the numerous mass graves uncovered every week it seems. Saddam alone did not do that, it took his army to do it, and they did not seem to have any problem with it. I think some were following orders, but many were not and they are likely a good part of the people that you think we are harming unjustly. That is not to excuse any mistakes made by coalition forces...but to put some context into the equation.
I do not really define Iraqis as "undesirables"...I think they want the same things in life we all want...a decent home, job, and a better life for their kids. I painted my finger blue on election day, not just for Kurds, but for all those who were brave enough to vote. I define undesirables, as those who wish to establish a repressive regime, and not a representative democracy.
I don't think your "compliant" fact/opinion really holds up to the light. The Kurds have been asking for intervention for decades, and though it is coming late, it is better than facing the future without intervention. Kurds would be more honestly termed, the ones that asked us to come, so they are "co-conspirators" if you will:). For example: If I ask the police to come and rescue me, and they come and arrest the perpetrators, I can hardly be called a victim of the police, but rather a victim of those whom the police arrested.
As for the Kurds who are destitute...well...many have fled the places that Saddam resettled them over the past two decades and went home, but find themselves without a home unless they threw out the family now living there since Saddam moved them there by decree to "Arabize" the Kurdish areas. There are some skirmishes, but for the most part, the refugees are living in a soccer stadium and others are helping them to build new and better houses and letting the Ba'ath residents decide if they want to live there. Some are persecuted, most are not.
I think that there are billions of dollars being invested in the Kurdish region because it's safe, stable, and has most of the resources...I mean they have no real need for Iraq except for refining capacity for oil and pipeline tranfers to the port of Basrah.
There are many places on earth that suffer from backwards traditions like honor killings, female genital mutilation, infanticide for female children and suri or self-emulation on the pyre of the husband. In india, many wives are burned because their husband's family did not pay the dowry. But you have to start somewhere. No involvment, means nothing ever gets done...and I'm too LIberal to stand idly by and say, "well, I've got mine so to hell with the rest of the world". If you want to have influence to stop these culturally insane practices, you have to educate and provide a framework where women can be independent and vote too!
I think I agree with you that the Kurdish Parties are not seeing to their people as much as I would like them to. Do you have any suggestions on how to make that happen? Seriously, I'm interested in improving things...not interested in making things turn out bad...in more ways than one..."that's my blood over there", and I want the best for all involved.
This war started, and whether it was right or wrong, is something we can always agree or disagree on, but I do not want the Kurds or the US to lose...I do want Al Zarkawi and the beheaders and defilers of Islam and all other defliers of humanity to lose.
I'm trying to make it work, not trying to curse the darkness, but instead to light a candle. I may be wrong...I may be dreaming...but it is a dream that I will fight for, because I truly want the most liberties for the most people possible, and that's where I'm coming from. It's not a position that I haven't thought through...it's one I believe in. I do not want more tyrannies, and it's as simple as that really. I know we have to deal with *some* of those dictators, because we do not have any alternatives, but I sure wish I had a "dictator elimination button".
This blog is dedicated to Kurds, and so I do not often discuss how I feel about the Uzbeks, the Nepalese mess, or the Afghanis. I could get another blog for that if I wanted. This may seem to be an insult to the rest of Iraq, but it isn't...it has to do with my family, my life experiences, and an age-old friendship between Kurds and jews that has been so damaged by a sort of Ba'athist Iron curtain.
that is the funniest picture ever. hahaha.
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I am an American citizen from birth, who does not reside in the USA by choice.
I have supported the creation of a Kurdish state for more than 30 years. My passion for Kurdistan is stronger than ever. I detest how the USA has repeatedly encouraged Kurdish nationalism, then let it drop for geopolitical reasons. I condemn with all my might the anti-Kurdish genocide of Sadaam Hussein, and the oppressive and assimilationist policies of the Turkish nation towards Kurds.
If only we people of the North Atlantic would wake up and look: the Kurds could become very warm Middle Eastern friends of the European Union and North America. Kurds would immediately prove false any notion that to be a Muslim means to hate the First World.
Because I am 56 years old and am raising a daughter, I have no business joining your struggle. I also do not speak a word of Kurdish. If I were not married, and my mother were dead, I would move to Kirkuk or the like, and donate US$40000/year to the Kurdish national struggle.
I have read with great pleasure Peter Galbraith's recent writings on the Kurdish national struggle in Iraq. I have had the pleasure of discussing Kurdish issues with his brother over dinner.
Finally, Kurdish women are the bravest on earth. Their bravery and determination sets the Kurdish national struggle apart from all other modern struggles for self-determination. Kurdish women are worthy successors to the Amazons of Greek legend. I would gladly go into battle with them.
This post may be circulated among any Kurdish nationalists.
All hail Kurdistan!
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