I was going to write this post about a recent mis-step we made and tell you what we learned.
Instead though, I'd rather write about something much more important, and much more uplifting. That something is a trending topic on Twitter called #Call4Palestine. What's it all about? Well, at the end of Ramadan, there's a muslim holiday called Eid al-Fitr.
Being a random Scottish guy in Seattle, how do I know this? Well, someone from Indonesia told me about it on Härnu (see image to the left).
#Call4Palestine is simply an idea for people to randomly call numbers in Palestine and pass good wishes on to those on the other end during Eid al-Fitr:
"Happy Eid, next year in a free Palestine, from the river to the sea!"
You can read more about the details here. There's also a Facebook page chronicling stories of people making the calls and the resultant conversations.
Well, not speaking Arabic, and fearful of offending anyone, I was a bit hesitant to actually call someone there. So, I did what any geek would do - I made a Soundcloud recording and then sent that message to Palestine via the map on Härnu for any and all Palestinians to discover it! Härnu will then auto-translate the text into Arabic if that's their preferred language. Of course, they're stuck with my Scottish brogue on the Soundcloud recording :-)
I have no idea if anyone from Palestine will hear it, but I really hope so, and it'd be great if more people here in the West would do this too. I'm not talking about politics or religion here - I'm talking about humanity.
A random act of kindness from a stranger goes a long way to restoring our faith in each other. So, go ahead, what are you waiting for?!
** Update **
Any doubt I had about what I was doing just evaporated with this awesome message from someone in Nablus, Palestine (which is a twin city of Dundee, Scotland by the way :-)
Being a random Scottish guy in Seattle, how do I know this? Well, someone from Indonesia told me about it on Härnu (see image to the left).
#Call4Palestine is simply an idea for people to randomly call numbers in Palestine and pass good wishes on to those on the other end during Eid al-Fitr:
"Happy Eid, next year in a free Palestine, from the river to the sea!"
You can read more about the details here. There's also a Facebook page chronicling stories of people making the calls and the resultant conversations.
I have no idea if anyone from Palestine will hear it, but I really hope so, and it'd be great if more people here in the West would do this too. I'm not talking about politics or religion here - I'm talking about humanity.
A random act of kindness from a stranger goes a long way to restoring our faith in each other. So, go ahead, what are you waiting for?!
** Update **
Any doubt I had about what I was doing just evaporated with this awesome message from someone in Nablus, Palestine (which is a twin city of Dundee, Scotland by the way :-)
What you did is just awesome :) You responded to the initiative and did it your own way and that's not just fine that's cool ;) I posted your message on the FB page so every Palestinian there could get it. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisan, but it was nothing. This is a really great initiative that just struck me for its simplicity and beauty. I had to do what little I could.
DeleteIt also has similar goals to a web site I help run. We're trying to connect people around the world to learn more about each other's cultures. I'd be honored if you'd try it out. We're at www.harnu.com.
Thank you :D
ReplyDelete