'Children of Palestine'

One of the last days, I was having lunch in the Berlin district of Neukölln, where I love the authentic affordable Middle Eastern food and the many family-friendy locations. The place I chose was a simple restaurant, offering various plates, and was half-empty in the middle of the day. Friendly personnel and fast service, and a mix of customers - Muslim families and curious locals and Middle-Eastern food lovers.

In the background, on the huge TV screens, images of music video clips were rolling with sound off, showing some sheik looking boys singing together around an old tree. I was checking the screen once in a while, curious to get insights into the visual culture of a part of the world I am not extremely familiar with.

Suddenly, I remained stuck with the fork full of food on the mid-way between the plate and my mouth when a non-sheik looking young man appeared on the screen, singing in the front of the Temple Mount Mosque. Compared to the previous music displayed, the words were translated into English on the screen, so not sure what was the language used previously for the clips. But this is less important.

The words of the screen sung by Sami Yusuf were what really counted. The song was about the 'Children of Palestine', who took their destiny in their hands and started to fight the occupier. Another line from the song was that they, the 'occupiers' are doing to 'us' what other did to them, without being afraid that Gd is always on the side of the opressed, the singer assumed.

Having an intellectual reason to my very mundane food activities is what I love, and this song was of those opportunities to have a direct access to a world otherwise closed to me. 

I've been previously accused of perpetuating a mindset typical of the 'oppressor' when I say that the best weapon against any kind of oppression is education. There is nothing more valuable and worthy in this world than education, culture and education again. If someone or a group of people want to go beyond their limits, more or less politically and geographically assigned, go to learn. Learn a job, learn about the world, learn a new language. Education is the most powerful weapon and by using it, you always win. Who know, Gd is on the side of the opressed - although I have some doubts often - but with a degree, you can go beyond the condition of being assisted and poor and helpless. You start by helping yourself and as long as your mind is working, no weapon can change this. 

When individuals and groups will stop being complacent and will rather find their own ways to overcome their situation instead of crying their impotence in the front of the Temple Mount, then, they will finally be able to take their destinies in their own hand. And no, I am not assuming that right now Palestinians are a uneducated herd unable to take care of themselves, therefore the need of a strong 'occupier'. I know that there are many people among them that can and want more than that. But they are often the victims of their own rulers, the parents of those 'children of Palestine' who prefer to rather be down on their knees because otherwise the sheiks will not help them to stay in power, no matter what. But it seems that even some of the sheiks are actually having other plans and again, the 'children' are not let to grow up.