The Little T that Lifts

Image: http://sres.rocklin.k12.ca.us

 Today I met a little girl from 2nd grade; she will always have a dear place in my mind and heart. She is full of energy and she is there to help everyone even the teacher, who sometime may find her quick handling of everyone’s affairs a little bit annoying. She has a little 

body, but a big heart. I was there to help and lift her when she stumbles on words to write. Her teacher thought so too and so did I until the moment came when the other teacher was handing everyone a pink card with a "way to go" message written on it. Every time a name was called the entire class cheered up and clapped hard, so did the little one with a big warm smile on her face and an enthusiastic “clap, clap, and clap” that came straight from the heart too. Every time before a name was called out by the teacher, she was sure to look around and announce with a "go, go… you deserve it!" motivating voice the name of the student whose turn to place the pink card on the board of honor was next. Even the ones that were not there when their names were announced and they were just walking into the class were assured by her that they are getting one. When the other teacher finished calling all the names, she announced with the same cheerful motivating voice, "hey guys! Let us give the new teacher a clap". She was so commanding in her little own way and every one responded with a clap including me. Then she looked me into the eyes and then with the same enthusiastic motivating voice she said, "and let us clap for the other teacher too!"...I thought I was to lift her up, but at the end of the day she turned out to be the one lifting me up with her cheers, claps, and warm heart. I am sure she will touch everyone heart's who s/he crosses road with her, as I am very sure despite of her many challenges she will soar to be this person of influence one day. Thank you T!

Maher Zain - Mawlaya (Arabic version) | Official Lyrics Video

علق فأجبت: الديمقراطية هي الديمقراطية تحترم رأي الأغلبية أن كان من توافقه أو تخالفه...دعواتي لمصر أن تكون نموذجا تحتذي به الأمم..فلم أرى من يحب بلده كالمصريين وإن جار حكامه عليهم  وبطشوا ونكلوا بهم...لهم من الصبر ما يعجز عنه الكثيرون ... وله من المرونة والحكمة ما يعجز عنها الكثيرون.. يصارعون دهاء قادة العسكر بفكرهم، وسيناريوهات من يقدمون مصلحتهم فوق الكل ونحن نعلمهم جميعا مثل الجمل الذي لا يرى أعوجاج رقبته- يطالب الأخرين بما لا يفعله ولا يحترمه-  بحنكة وفطنة وذكاء...ولهم من التكاتف والتضامن ووحدة الهدف ما يجعل العالم فرحا يقول "أرفع رأسك أنت مصري"..فمن دعا للثورة ونظم لها ومات دونها كان أول من قال نعم للرئيس الديمقراطي وإن إختلفت معه سياسيا، بل وسأقولها أمام الكاميرات حزبك قد إرتكب أخطاء قاتلة ...نعم سأعطيه صوتي ولا أضع على عيني عصابة سوداء ولاأسكن عقلي التشائمات والشائعات وأنهم لو أتوا ثكلتنا أمهاتنا وعلى الدنيا السلام فأنخنا مطايلنا بالعويل والبكاء ولطم الخدود كما فعل أنصار منافسه، ولا أروع قلبي بفوبيا إصطنعها من يناهض عقيدتي فصرت أردد خلفه مثل ببغاء حارت به السبل لا للإسلام ومحمد صلى الله عليه وسلم دانت له فارس والروم به...ولكن قال دولة العاص عصية على من يتربصون بها...فالملك لله يوليه من يشاء ولا ضير إن إتبعت قول الرحمن وتركت البشر، أهو الخالق أم هم الخالقون أهو الوارث أم هم الوارثوان أهو العالم أم هم العالمون...الخوف كل الخوف من دعاة الديمقراطية..فحين لا تأتي الرياح بما لا تشتهي سفنهم ينكصون على أعقابهم مدبرين، ضاربين يالديمقراطية عرض الحائط....فلا سلم العالم من حروبهم... ولا عمر جيب من أقتصادهم ...و لا سد رمق من إعانتهم...ولا تحررت أرضا من تقسيمهم... وبعد كل ذلك أن تولوا زمام الأمر أقسموا بالواحد المعبود...فمن منا أصدق قيلا؟

The Epicenter of Wars

Courtesy:e-drian.deviantart.com

When children in schools are taught every day about non-violent struggle, the governments are on the leach hungry for war and destruction. The children will then learn that what's in the books remains in the books; a nuance of a crazy mind in a sane world! The history tells us that the most devastating wars that lead to the killing of the millions and destruction of corps and lives in our recent history had only one epicenter...We live today to witness the same episodes of the past unfold. Life has it cycle and so do we; when we are faced by the natural cause of the cycle of rise and fall, we must resort to wisdom...no one remains strong forever, no one remains oppressed forever. To gravitate towards rebuilding the falling states of power, better fall with dignity to rise again in dignity than having to destroy, lose, and fall.

AN APPEAL TO THE LEADERS OF DARFUR

source: unknown

Darfurian Leaders:


Assalamu Alikum Warhamt Allah Wabarakatu, In-Sha-Allah Taybyeen...Masa-allah 3yny barda ...What a great assembly! What a great sense of belonging I feel as I stand here in front of you today.
When I look around, I see my family in your faces and I know I belong. When I look around I see Darfur in all corners and I know I belong. When I look around I see Darfurians and, therefore, I know I belong.
I must say that this very unique sense of belonging grows larger than a certain ethnicity, a certain tribe, a certain place that may give me a distinct identity and travels deeper to embrace the whole and affirm my belonging to Darfur and the motherland, Sudan. So, I am Darfurian and my nationality is Sudanese. Therefore, I know I belong. When I look at you, I see no distinction based on what tribe you may belong to or which part of Darfur you may come from. When I see Darfurians in the refugee camps through the eyes of a journalist or a broadcaster or a news anchor or a photographer or an aid worker, I see my people and all those place, tribal and ethnic distinctions melt away. So, we are all Darfurian and our nationality is Sudanese.

Standing here today among my people I should be rejoicing but my heart is full of agony. As a Darfurian woman, I feel I have been betrayed. When I hear the call for battling and fighting each other, the noise growing louder than the call for peace, unity and reconciliation, I feel betrayed. When I hear the stories of Darfurian women being expelled to bordering countries or forcefully displaced leaving their homes and dignity behind because Darfurians can no longer resolve their conflicts peacefully and affirm their unity, I must say as a Darfurian woman, I feel betrayed. When I hear the stories of my mothers and sisters related on-line or on newspapers or video clips and how they are continuously being subjected to cruel violence and brutal rape, my heart shatters to pieces and weeps silently in grief.

My Dear Darfurians Leaders,

Thousands and thousands of appalling stories and traumas beyond comprehension happen to our mothers, sisters and daughters as we gather here today to appeal and call on our unity. Yet, we dare to continue to fight each other, to cluster in separate groups, forging countless battles against our unity, to continue to disgrace our women and children, to render them widows and orphans, to dispel all their rights to feel safe and human, to sentence them to a cruel reality of constant turmoil, suffering and pain. I must say, as a Darfurian woman, I have been betrayed. Women and children of Darfur deserve better than living in shame, fear and despair.

We Darfurians may be a sector of and I quote the last vice-president, Dr. Garang, “the marginalized of the marginalized" but we, the Darfurians, certainly have the right to call for justice and equality. And when our voices are not heard, it is conceivable why we may resort to extreme measures to affirm those rights but when the international community and our friends call upon us to reconcile so that we can, perhaps, build a sustainable peace accord for the sake of our people, we must favor reconciliation, peace and unity. That is our noble cause… That is what we need to fight for: Our unity and, ultimately, our rights. If we, the Darfurians, cannot unite in times of turmoil and extreme suffering, embrace our grievances as one, stand in solidarity and unionism, we shall forever remain at conflict. It is now that we unite, embrace one cause or never. Therefore, for our daughters, let us unite; for our mothers, let us unite; for our sisters let us unite. For our future as Darfurians, let us unite. Let us embrace one another in unity. For a prosperous Darfur, let us think, live and embrace unity. For a unified Darfur where we Darfurians of all ethnicities live in dignity and harmony thus affirming our unity and celebrating our brotherhood and sisterhood, now let us unite.

Women and children of Darfur shall wait no more. Women and children of Darfur shall live in fear and despair no more. Because to you--you, Darfurian leaders--that women and children of Darfur appeal today. It is in you--Darfurian leaders--that women and children of Darfur take pride in gaurding their dignity and honor. It is in your unity as one Darfurian, that they seek refuge and salvation from their cruel reality. And it is in your reconciliation that they will be able to heel, to forget, to realize that their ultimate sacrifices didn’t go in vain. Let us join as one. Let us unite today. And collectively, we shall fight for justice and equality through unity, peace and reconciliation. So women and children of Darfur can heel, can bury their wounds and betrayals of the present and embrace their future. So that their hearts that were once full with grief and despair can rejoice again.

Darfur Baladna in kuna bany halba walla zag’awa, in kuna barty walla dagu, in kuna foor walla masalyeet in kuna and I quote arab walla afarga....

Shukran

Wa-ssalmu Alikum

Ghada Adam Abdelmoumin
Former Member of the Board of Directors
Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Inc.