The reason WHY..

Assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera..

Entri kali di kopipes daripada fb seseorang dan entri ini berkait rapat dengan entri sebelum ini, sensitiviti kian pudar.. kalau malas sangat nak baca karangan yang panjang ni, terus baca perenggan terakhir. 

Once,a friend was raving about Prosperity Burger with so much enthusiasm.It was however cut short with my noncommittal,equally unenthusiastic response. 

Said friend asked for the reason behind the zombie-esque persona. And I quietly replied, 'I've never had those,and haven't had their other products in years.'

To which the said friend counter-asked, 'Oh,you're one of those who joined the boycott-bandwagon thingy,eh?'

The answering smile was tight with barely restrained emotions, 'They took away my brother.Literally'

And I am writing this,with the hope that all of you guys out there will understand.The reason WHY.

_________________________________________

Had a bad day,so bad that it was not even funny.

When I got home,a mail from Manchester was waiting in the mailbox.Unexpected.And it got the recipient misty-eyed while clutching the said mail,barely even moving from the car.

It was from the kids.

My kids.

Eiad.Eiad was the youngest.He was only 6. He looked cheeky in the picture,as any boy his age would. His orange shirt loudly stated 'All Superstars Are Girls' (made me wonder who was the one dressing him up for the photo-op), and I couldn't help the chuckles that escaped my lips.His birthday was in May 2007.His hobbies are arts,games,and watching TV.He walked to school.The distance is less than a mile. His aspiration,was to be a teacher.

The family's accommodation standard was average.And the means of support was from handouts.His father....his father died in the war.The so-called Israeli-Palestine 'conflicts' In September 2006.

Eiad was in Palestine.Still is.A young boy,aspiring to be a teacher.

I got to the next page.Dalal was looking back at me with solemn eyes.Haunted eyes that should not belong to a 10-year old.Dalal,she was the second youngest. Her birthday was in November. She loved watching TV and playing with the computer.Like Eiad, she too, wanted to be a teacher. Her teacher's comments were 'hoping that she will progress and succeed'. She walked to school, and the distance was less than a mile.

The family's accommodation standard was quite good,but the means of support from the family was also from handouts,like Eiad's.Her father died from cancer in February 2008.

Dalal was too in Palestine.Still is. With her solemn haunted eyes.

Then I got to the last one.

Aya. She was the second youngest of the three actually.Her birthday was in June.Unlike Dalal's solemn look, she had an intense,serious gaze that screamed a thousand dreams.Her hobbies were the computer and horse-riding.

Unlike Eiad and Dalal,her family did not own the house. They rented a flat. And the accommodation standard was poor.Again,the means of support for the family was from handouts.Her father died in an accident in February 2009.

Like the other two,she too walked to school. Her aspiration was to be a doctor. Her teacher enclosed her examinations results in the mail. She got As for Arabic,Art,Computing,English,Islamic Studies,Psychology,and Sports. The only B that marred the score was Science.I could barely read the next line.My lacrimal glands had vetoed emotions over vision. I was so proud of her. So proud. So so proud.

Aya,was also in Palestine.Still is.Aya, who wants to be a doctor,armed with monumental inner-strength no other average and ordinary 10-year olds possess, and armored with gargantuan determination. Aya, who scored almost a perfect score despite being against the odds in a war-torn country,despite living in a poor condition.Aya,who throws the proverbial cold bucket of water onto yours truly to snap out of the blues.

Which reminded me to the other one,the one that was not included in the mail.

Zanon.

I first saw him in November 2008.17th November 2008 to be exact.He was 15 back then.Bright-eyes,full of dreams and potential.He was smiling in the picture.A smile full of hopes for the future.His birthday was in August 1993.

Barely weeks after, on December 27th 2008,Israeli forces declared The Gaza War.Also known as Operation Cast Lead by the Israeli military forces.We called it the Gaza Massacre.Also known as the Battle of Furqan.It went on and on for weeks.Only ended in January 2009 with barely there ceasefire.

And I never heard a thing from Zanon.Ever.

They,took away my brother.

You don't have to sponsor an orphan to acknowledge them as other kids who has aspirations and dreams.They are human too.They deserve to live,happy.As much as you do.

And it is quite hard to bit back the remarks when people are gushing about the products that are contributing to the deaths of the people that you hold dear.

Your mother.Your father.Your sister.Your brother.

I've lost one.Were you the ones paying for the bullets?

If you are in my shoes,

Would you forget?Would you forgive?

May Allah bless.

Pasted from <https://www.facebook.com/hlovatehood> 

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