Gaza Musicians and the Struggle to be Heard

I’m a 23-year-old rapper, music producer and filmmaker living in the world’s largest open air prison.

I’m also a multimedia student at university. I’ve worked with many other young artists on creative projects, but unfortunately these projects never see the light of day, because no matter how hard we try, our dreams are constantly crushed by the tyranny of the limitations we face.

This article is my attempt to reach out to the world to share a different perspective on life in Gaza for musicians and rappers, to vent some of the frustrations we feel and to explain the obstacles we face. I hope to spark a discussion that could lead to change.

Of the many barriers artists and performers in Gaza face, the biggest of all is Israel’s ongoing siege and repeated wars and bombing raids. But we face many other challenges from the ground up.

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Gaza teacher challenges stigma of Down syndrome

The children counted in unison. One to ten. Their teacher, by way of encouragement, applauded in appreciation when they had finished.

It might have been any class in any primary school in Gaza except for one thing: the teacher and students all had Down syndrome.

Hiba al-Shurafa, 26, seemed confident and relaxed. Her manner was friendly and keen and her students responded during this recent class at the Right To Live Association in the eastern part of Gaza City.

The Right to Live Society is Gaza’s chapter of Down Syndrome International, an organization for those born with the condition.

It is here that al-Shurafa was trained to become the first Down syndrome teacher in Gaza.

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Gaza: Witnessing The War And Destruction

November 28: Anniversary of the Ascension of 'Abdu'l-Bahá

Born on May 23, 1844, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the oldest son of Baha’u’llah.

He passed away in Haifa, Israel, on November 28, 1921.

"O Thou Who art the apple of Mine eye!" Baha’u’llah, in His own handwriting, thus addresses 'Abdu'l-Bahá, "My glory, the ocean of My loving-kindness, the sun of My bounty, the heaven of My mercy rest upon Thee. We pray God to illumine the world through Thy knowledge and wisdom, to ordain for Thee that which will gladden Thine heart and impart consolation to Thine eyes." "The glory of God rest upon Thee," He writes in another Tablet, "and upon whosoever serveth Thee and circleth around Thee. Woe, great woe, betide him that opposeth and injureth Thee. Well is it with him that sweareth fealty to Thee; the fire of hell torment him who is Thine enemy." "We have made Thee a shelter for all mankind," He, in yet another Tablet, affirms, "a shield unto all who are in heaven and on earth, a stronghold for whosoever hath believed in God, the Incomparable, the All-Knowing. God grant that through Thee He may protect them, may enrich and sustain them, that He may inspire Thee with that which shall be a wellspring of wealth unto all created things, an ocean of bounty unto all men, and the dayspring of mercy unto all peoples."

            (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 135)

 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá who is the Center of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant  “incarnates an institution for which we can find no parallel whatsoever in any of the world's recognized religious systems, may be said to have closed the Age to which He Himself belonged and opened the one in which we are now laboring. His Will and Testament should thus be regarded as the perpetual, the indissoluble link which the mind of Him Who is the Mystery of God has conceived in order to insure the continuity of the three ages that constitute the component parts of the Baha’i Dispensation.”

                    (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 143)

“It would, however, be helpful and instructive to bear in mind certain basic principles with reference to the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Bahá, which, together with the Kitab-i-Aqdas, constitutes the chief depository wherein are enshrined those priceless elements of that Divine Civilization, the establishment of which is the primary mission of the Baha’i Faith.”

                      (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 3)

In His Will and Testament `Abdu'l-Bahá established the institution of the Guardianship as a hereditary office and outlines one of its essential functions as the Interpreter of the Baha’i writings.

We Baha’is pay homage to our living guardian on the day of passing away of our beloved Master, `Abdu'l-Bahá.

A programme is organised at Vasai, Thane district on Sunday 28th November 2010 at 10.00 AM. Mr. Trivedi will be giving a short talk on the life of `Abdu'l-Bahá.

The Birth of the Báb

Every religion has a herald, or forerunner, to prepare people for the coming of  that great Spiritual Counselor who is periodically sent by God to humankind to foster our spiritual development – that One whose divinely appointed mission it is to remind people to re-focus on what really matters, the eternal human spirit rather than the physical world, and to be helpful, kind, and loving to one another, rather than brutish, selfish and hateful, and to act with regard to one another responsibly and with justice in all aspects of life.
The Báb is that Herald for Bahá’ís – for those who recognize Baha’u'llah as the Creator’s guiding Voice and Spirit for this age. Today the 20^th October, is the anniversary of the Báb’s birth, according to the Gregorian calendar, the date on which He was born in 1819 in the city of Shiráz, Iran.

The National Baha'i Council of Orthodox Baha'is of India, National Teaching Committee and Local Council of Thane and Mumbai extend the hearties greetings to all the Baha'is of the world.
On this special occasion we pray for the long life of beloved living guardian of the Baha'i Faith Joel Bray Marangella.

IRANIAN BAHA'I PRISONERS: The Prisoners of their Conscience

Dear readers,

we the Orthodox Baha’is of the world bring to your kind notice that the newspapers of India and other countries have reported that:

The Iranian ISNA news agency has reported that seven Baha’is are to be put on trial in an Iranian revolutionary court on charges of:

1. Espionage for Israel

2. Insulting religious sanctities

3. Propaganda against the Islamic Republic.

Please note that we, as members of the Orthodox Baha'i Faith, are not affiliated with this Baha’i organization whose members have been accused allegedly of being against this government or country or shall we ever be involved in any kind of espionage, or be guilty of insulting any religion or issuing propaganda against the constitutions of any country.

We follow the commands of the living Guardian of the Baha’i Faith.Our beloved Guardian, Joel Bray Marangella, the third Guardian of Baha’i Faith, has taught us that according to the Teachings of Baha'u'llah, the Founder of the Baha'i Faith, a true Bahai must be completely obedient to the government and follow the laws of the country. We should not insult any religion and must respect them all equally.

We have been enjoined by Him to eliminate:

1. Religious prejudice

2. Racial prejudice

3. Prejudice against women

4. National prejudice

We find in one of the Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha in the book titled "Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha" in which He mentioned the Teachings of Baha'u'llah which He stated "abrogate and nullify religious, racial, political, patriotic and economic prejudices."

The members of this Baha'i organization, who do not accept the living Guardian of the Faith, and who have therefore been classified by us as Heterodox Bahai's, should consider the flagrant inequity and injustice of their own recent decision to initiate legal action against us in a civil court in the United States with the objective of preventing us from calling ourselves Baha'is and using the sacred symbols of our Faith.

We ask them:

Why cannot we call ourselves “Baha’is?

Why cannot we use the word Baha’i?

While these Heterodox Baha'is claim to believe in the elimination of the same prejudices that we do, as listed above, why do they not observe what they preach in their relationship with us?

We therefore invite and urge them to eliminate their blatant prejudice against the Orthodox Baha’is and permit us to freely practice the Bahai Faith under the Guardianship of the living Guardian, Joel Bray Marangella.

We pray for the long life of our Guardian.

Dr. A. Parikh