Haneen Abudayyeh
23 October 2008
Growing up with my parents and where they come from is not always easy. I have been through and seen a lot because of who they are. I have been called names because people who do not know any better think that all Arabs are terrorists. I have traveled to Palestine and have missed the bombing of cities by a matter of hours. I have seen my father get endlessly interrogated by (Israeli )soldiers just to harass him and waste our time. I have heard stories of his time spent in (Israeli) jails, a place where torture is the norm, all because he was opposing an illegal occupation and fighting for his country. We are Palestinians and sixty years ago our homeland was destroyed. Forty years ago, the West Bank of Palestine was occupied by (Israel). This event caused extreme havoc for both sides of my family, especially my mother and father. Although this demoralized my parents, they will never give up fighting for the land they call home, and their pride in their country, makes me proud.
My parents will never stop fighting for their homeland, so in my life I have attended many Free Palestine demonstrations and one of my most vivid memories is at one of these demonstrations. My parents, brother, and I were walking to our car after the demonstration and there were policemen on horses all around. There were people yelling and making vicious comments and gestures at my family, and treating us as though we were barbaric. I remember my brother becoming enraged and my father telling him these people are not worth it, they are not worth his time. My mother and I were both crying because of the way these strangers tried to make us feel as if we were inferior to them; we were crying because these people were trying to take away our self-worth and were judging us because of what we believe. I was so confused as to why these individuals were supporting people who had taken our home, and were condemning us because we were fighting to get this land, the land my parents love, back. People cannot choose the family they are born in, or the place they come from, and after that day I realized I would not change it even if I could.
The pride my parents showed, and still show, in standing up for what they believe in, even if others could not understand, is something I will never forget. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” This quote by Eleanor Roosevelt is now a quote I completely understand and agree with. Those people had no right trying to make my family seem less than them, and it has taken me years to understand that. I used to be ashamed of where and who I come from, but now I am extremely proud to say I am a Palestinian. No one can change who you are, and no one should try to; everyone is unique, and that is what makes this world such an amazing place to live in. Although that day at the demonstration may have been the most traumatic day of my life, that day I realized I am important, as a Palestinian, as an American, and overall as a human being, and no one can change that or take that away.
23 October 2008
Growing up with my parents and where they come from is not always easy. I have been through and seen a lot because of who they are. I have been called names because people who do not know any better think that all Arabs are terrorists. I have traveled to Palestine and have missed the bombing of cities by a matter of hours. I have seen my father get endlessly interrogated by (Israeli )soldiers just to harass him and waste our time. I have heard stories of his time spent in (Israeli) jails, a place where torture is the norm, all because he was opposing an illegal occupation and fighting for his country. We are Palestinians and sixty years ago our homeland was destroyed. Forty years ago, the West Bank of Palestine was occupied by (Israel). This event caused extreme havoc for both sides of my family, especially my mother and father. Although this demoralized my parents, they will never give up fighting for the land they call home, and their pride in their country, makes me proud.
My parents will never stop fighting for their homeland, so in my life I have attended many Free Palestine demonstrations and one of my most vivid memories is at one of these demonstrations. My parents, brother, and I were walking to our car after the demonstration and there were policemen on horses all around. There were people yelling and making vicious comments and gestures at my family, and treating us as though we were barbaric. I remember my brother becoming enraged and my father telling him these people are not worth it, they are not worth his time. My mother and I were both crying because of the way these strangers tried to make us feel as if we were inferior to them; we were crying because these people were trying to take away our self-worth and were judging us because of what we believe. I was so confused as to why these individuals were supporting people who had taken our home, and were condemning us because we were fighting to get this land, the land my parents love, back. People cannot choose the family they are born in, or the place they come from, and after that day I realized I would not change it even if I could.
The pride my parents showed, and still show, in standing up for what they believe in, even if others could not understand, is something I will never forget. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” This quote by Eleanor Roosevelt is now a quote I completely understand and agree with. Those people had no right trying to make my family seem less than them, and it has taken me years to understand that. I used to be ashamed of where and who I come from, but now I am extremely proud to say I am a Palestinian. No one can change who you are, and no one should try to; everyone is unique, and that is what makes this world such an amazing place to live in. Although that day at the demonstration may have been the most traumatic day of my life, that day I realized I am important, as a Palestinian, as an American, and overall as a human being, and no one can change that or take that away.
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