Yes, I am

“To smile when confronted with the most severe oppression, is an act of Resistance rooted in unparalleled beauty.” ~ Jonathan Azaziah

Learn more, visit: I Believe in Miracles: a Collection of Palestinian Poems

(LONDON) - Yes, I am a Palestinian

Yes, I am a Muslim

Yes, I am a humanist

Yes, I am a woman

Yes, I am a mother

Yes, I am a grandmother

And

YES

I am a freedom fighter



I fight for my right to think freely

I fight for my right to speak my mind



I fight for my right to live in dignity

I fight for my right to cherish all life



I fight for my right to choose my faith

I fight for my right to live my values



I fight for my right to realize my dreams

I fight for my right to go back home



I fight against “fitna” which is oppression

I fight against “Udwan” which is aggression

Wholly inhumane


I fight with my verses to make headways

My pen is my weapon

My words are my “Jihad”


I fight against greed, vice and supremacy

Either I help bring it to an end

Or I die doing so



And

YES

I am a freedom fighter

Have you any problem with that?

“To smile when confronted with the most severe oppression, is an act of Resistance rooted in unparalleled beauty.”

~ Jonathan Azaziah

Nahida Izzat is a Jerusalem-born Palestinian refugee who has lived in exile for over forty two years, after being forced to leave her homeland at the tender age of seven in 1967, during the six-day war. She has a degree in mathematics, but art is one of her favorite pastimes. She loves hand-made things and so makes dolls, cards, and most of her own clothes. She also writes poetry, participates in written dialogues and believes in building bridges, not walls.

She started writing when her friends insisted she should write about her memories, experiences and feelings as a Palestinian.When she did it all came out sounding—she was told—like poetry! So she self-published two books: I Believe in Miracles, and Palestine the True Story.

Her dream is to return back home to a free and liberated Palestine.

If you like poetry and are intrigued by the notion of learning more about Palestine, you can visit Nahida's blog Poetry for Palestine for more of her writings; prose, poems, letters and dialogues.

You can write to Nahida : nahidaexiledpalestinian@gmail.com