I’ve been a huge admirer of Laila el-Haddad ever since I first read the brilliant blog Raising Yousuf (Unplugged) that she writes, mainly from her family’s longtime home in Gaza City… Then, around a year ago, I got to meet her there. She and her parents were SO welcoming, and I just loved meeting and talking with them all (as well as her too-cute-for-words little rascal, Yousuf.) And we’ve kept in pretty good touch since.
Now, Haaretz journo Ofri Ilani has also caught a case of Lailamania and has written a story about Laila and her blog, which is running in today’s paper. To write the story, Ilani evidently cruised the archives of Laila’s blog. She also interviewed Laila by phone. (L is currently spending a bit of time in North Carolina, where her spouse, Yassine, is doing his medical residency at Duke University Med School.)
At the end of the article, Ilani quotes Laila musing a little on the risks a person exposes herself to when she (or he) discloses a lot about herself through blogging:
- “Some [comments on the blog] have been very vitriolic and hateful, to the point where I’ve had to initiate comment moderation. I’ve had people say: ‘Yousuf’s a beautiful boy; it’s too bad he has such a horrible mother who is raising him to become a suicide bomber like all other Palestinians.’ It makes you realize you are throwing yourself out there as cannon fodder, and you have to learn to live with the consequences of putting yourself out there like that. That is the price you pay for opening your door to the world.”
I know I’m not the only person who is really, really glad that Laila has been strong enough to take on those risks and persist in getting her voice out to the world. It’s great her voice is being made available to the readers of HaAretz, which is a significant Israeli daily newspaper that publishes (slightly different) editions in both Hebrew and English.
Interesting that on their English-language website, the piece is listed under “Arts and Leisure.” This seems a little demeaning. Laila’s voice is an important testimony to all aspects of the lives of the Palestinians of Gaza and of the Palestinian ghurba (diaspora)– daily life, politics, etc. But categorizing this article about the blog as “Arts and Leisure” makes it seem as though Laila just does it in her spare time, having taken it up as an alternative to reading novels or doing crossword puzzles, or whatever. Why is women’s work, and the contribution we make to the public sphere, so frequently demeaned and marginalized in one way or another, I wonder??
Oh well… It is nonetheless great news that HaAretz ran the story. (You can check out the comments afterwards for many examples of the kind of vitriol to which Laila gets exposed. Including, the very first one of all from a commenter who boldly asserts– based on zero evidence– that contrary to what Laila had written, based very much on her own intensely lived experience of these matters, that “Her hubby is free to enter [Gaza] thru Rafah… “)
I really don’t like HaAretz’s comments discussions at all. They are filled with anti-Arab hatred and propaganda points that, like that one, are totally unbacked by any evidence. They disseminate (and expose) some of the very worst parts of Israel’s public discourse… I really don’t know why HaAretz runs them without any discernible moderation at all.
But that’s a small quibble. The main point is: Good that they ran the piece, and good that Laila has a calm and persuasive voice that makes some Israelis, at least, want to take her words seriously.
Nice work, Laila!
““All countries have weaknesses to be addressed” says Innocenti Director Marta Santos Pais, “No single dimension of well-being stands as a reliable proxy for child well-being as a whole and several OECD countries find themselves with widely differing rankings for different dimensions of children’s lives.”
According to the Report Card small North-European countries dominate the top half of the table, with child well-being at its highest in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. There is no strong or consistent relationship between per capita GDP and child well-being. The Czech Republic, for example, achieves a higher overall rank for child well-being than several much wealthier European countries. Also no country features in the top third of the rankings for all six dimensions of child well-being.
Pointing out that the Convention on the Rights of the Child calls on all countries to invest in its children “to the maximum extent of available resources”, Ms. Santos Pais said that international comparison was a way of testing this commitment – “A country cannot be said to be doing the best it can for its children if other countries at a similar stage of economic development are doing much better – and that’s what the league tables are designed to show.””
These 25 rich countries, with our problem in undeveloped countries we seeing the children’s basic needs have been damaged or humiliated by those 25 most rich countries include Israel off course that concerns about their children but not the rest of undeveloped nations…
Read the report if you interested
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_38299.html
Please Check these photos!!
Border Police officers restraining a Bedouin man while his house is destroyed south of the West Bank city of Hebron on Wednesday. (AP)
A security services bulldozer demolishing a stone and mud hut in the Hathaleen area south of Hebron on Wednesday. (AP)
This in today haaretz
All these acts from stealing the land and humiliations acts toward the owners of this land what will produce?
Anger and anxiety will be planted in the hearts and soul of this Palestinians family kids who are powerless of these daily seen and the humiliations of their fathers and Mums by Israelis, these drive them from inside to fight back these acts in whatever means to get revenge from those who did this distraction inside the soul of Palestinians
What risk? That she may get a nasty or snarky comment in her blog section? Or in the comments section of haaretz?
I consider journalists like Salah Choudhury from Bangladesh to be taking real risks. This is a man who faces charges of “sedition” because he attempted to visit Israel to speak in favor of interfaith dialgoue. He now faces a trial where he could be sentenced to death.
So not everyone who reads Laila’s writings will agree with her. Perhaps some even register their disagreement in rude language (although pointing out that her son is a very nice boy but is being inculcated with her own hateful prejudices is a valid point).
Joshua:
Before you cry for “Salah Choudhury” life who may got paid for his ticks to go to Israeli by those Israelis lobbing him to do so, take a look (An older man set watching Israeli force demolish his house (Imagine Joshua if you are in his age what’s your feeling?
Israeli behaviours full of humiliations and crimes against humanity of Palestrina’s who have lost their rights for 50 years ago under the “Only Democracy in ME”
Salah,
I’m not sure why Salah Choudhury should get the death penalty because Israel demolished an illegally constructed home.
Even if Israel was in the wrong by denying permits in the first place, then why kill Salah Choudhury for going to visit Israel to call for interfaith dialogue?
Helena: I see we share a commenter/critic. It’s a wonder he has the time to cover your blog, mine & Muzzlewatch (where he’s also slashed me).
I don’t think you should assume the article is listed there because Laila is a woman. But rather because the article is about blogging. Haaretz is notoriously uncool & out of touch w. new technology like blogs & treats it (perhaps unintentionally) w. condescension by considering blogs to be “leisure” time activities.
Though I have it on good authority that Haaretz is working on adding some new interactive elements to their site.
And yes, the comment threads are atrocious. It’s why I make it a pt. to add my 2 cents there whenever I’m so moved. All progressives who visit that site should participate if we want to raise the level & tone. BTW, you shouldn’t assume that ALL readers of the site are like the commenters. Brit Tzedek staff tell me it provides far the best response of any media outlet for their ads.
One thing that disappointed me about Laila’s interview was that she focussed only on the hate spewed against her. Surely, there are Jews & Israelis who write positive constructive comments. I know there are because I am one. She never replied to an e mail I sent her. I wondered whether there was any reason for that–like she mistrusted ALL Jews or Israelis. But perhaps I’m jumping to conclusions…
Hi Richard I just now saw this post by Helena and the subsequent comments. Its not the first time I’ve been accused of “ignoring emails” by Jews or otherwise. Yes, you are jumping to conclusions. Half the time, I forget to answer very important emails, let alone emails from readers, bloggers, and other commentators. Remember I have a little 3 year old pulling at me ever second of the day.
regarding the interview: it was about 4 times as long as what was published. The author used her discretion to publish what she wanted. She asked me about all comments, good and bad, but she chose to focus on the bad (I had two examples that stood out in my mind, one from an American highschool teacher and reservist being sent to Iraq, who read an entry from my blog each week to her class, another from an Israeli journalist who was a sister of an Israeli soldier who served in Rafah, had his friend die in his arms, and was dismissed for “psychlogical” reason. ).
Anyway, I’m not sure why so many Israelis and Jews are quick to assume I am somehow ignoring their emails or mistrusting them or whatever. You obviously don’t know me very well.
I owe Laila an apology since she DID reply to the e mail I sent to her. My memory failed me and I am sorry for that.
Regarding my wondering whether you mistrusted all Jews was not meant with any animus. I freely understand there is much hate directed at you by Jewish commenters. I’ve read it. I’ve suffered the same hate at my own blog fr. similar folk. I wouldn’t fault you if you made assumptions about all Jews based on what some Jews wrote to you. If you did feel that way (which you don’t clearly) I would feel sad about it. But how could I fault you?
And finally, I’d like all I-P peace bloggers to have MORE contact w. ea. other. To see ea. other as allies in the long “war” for peace. To cooperate in any way they can. That’s why I created the Israel Palestine Blogs peace blog aggregator site which features Laila’s blog & 50 others. I’d gladly feature JWN except that I’m trying to restrict discussion as much as possible strictly to the I-P conflict & Helena covers so much more territory than that (which is to her credit).