We often forget that the faces on the other side of the television screen have thoughts and feelings just like our own. We forget to think about the common threads of humanity between all living beings. I’m obviously no expert on the subject, having only spent several months in the Middle East and studying the situation now for four years. But the following contains different sorts of observations, analysis and conclusions I had reached, having traveled throughout the entirety of the West Bank, meeting hundreds of families along the way, and engaging in countless enlightening and telling conversations about the conflict, culture, and lifestyle.

Non-Violent Resistance:

Most resistance in the West Bank is non-violent. It’s the violence that makes media headlines, however, that violence nearly entirely ended in 2006. I strongly encourage those in support of the Palestinian struggle to offer their support to the non-violent protests in Nil’in, Massara, and other villages protesting weekly against the separation barrier that has cut off large portions of their farmland.

Protesters won in Bil’in after five years of non-violent struggle, when the Israeli courts decided to reroute the fence away from their farmland. So these protests are somewhat successful and useful. Protesters are met with military force, and 16 people have been killed. I must say that it was by far the most frightening experience I had while in Palestine.

The sound of rubber bullets, stun grenades, and teargas cannisters shooting in all directions from military weapons is extremely discomforting, especially when you cannot see because teargas and ’skunk-spray’ have clouded up your eyes, burned your nostrils and throat, as you clumsily try to figure out the safest route out of the ‘conflict-zone’.

Furthermore, non-violent and artistic forms of resistance are sparking up all around Palestine. Nearly every city and refugee camp has a community center where children are taught traditional Palestinian dance, art, and tales to keep their heritage alive, as well as implement art as a form of expressing their difficulties as a means of non-violent resistance.

In my mind, every Palestinian home built without a permit (which is just about every home), every farmer that continues to work his land despite military orders, and every Palestinian case in the Israeli courts is a form of non-violent resistance that is often overlooked.

Internal Palestinian Dispute: Hamas VS. Fatah

Internal disputes have halted just about all political progress in Palestine. In the West Bank, where Fatah is in power, Hamas is extremely suppressed and persecuted. The opposite is true in Gaza, where Hamas is in power. A majority of people are tired of these partisan politics and wish for their political parties to come to some sort of deal.

Fatah is extremely corrupt and few people will deny that fact. They’re practically a mafia: supporting those who provide them with money and support, while wiping off those who speak out against them. I had met many people who spent years in Palestinian Authority prisons for speaking out against the Government. Quite sickening if you ask me, though it has become not only a norm in Palestine, but throughout the larger Arab and Muslim world.

On the other hand, Hamas is not seen as the great alternative. Art, music, movies, and other well-appreciated Western activities are common hobbies in the West Bank, to which Hamas tends to stand against. Usually those people who are overly strict and unfriendly are referred to, in a joking or mocking way, as “Hamas”- so it certainly does not seem to me to carry along a positive tag. Furthermore, a lot of Palestinians do feel that Hamas policy in Gaza has only encouraged further Israeli aggression.

Of course, views in matters such as these vary person to person. Also, do not forget that other parties exist. The PFLP (Communist Party) is quite popular as well.

We often forget that the faces on the other side of the television screen have thoughts and feelings just like our own. We forget to think about the common threads of humanity between all living beings. I’m obviously no expert on the subject, having only spent several months in the Middle East and studying the situation now for four years. But the following contains different sorts of observations, analysis and conclusions I had reached, having traveled throughout the entirety of the West Bank, meeting hundreds of families along the way, and engaging in countless enlightening and telling conversations about the conflict, culture, and lifestyle.

“How Do Palestinians View…?”

I cannot help but cringe at this question. People constantly ask me,

“How do Palestinians view Hamas?”

“Do Palestinians want the destruction of Israel?”

“Do Palestinians believe in a two-state solution?”

There is no answer to any question implying that an entire society thinks a homogeneous way. All societies contain a diverse set of views. I found families in the West Bank so sympathetic towards Israel that literally tears dripped down their cheeks at the site of a funeral on television for two Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza. Then, to the contrary, there are graffiti images of swastikas and suicide bombers bearing AK-47’s in their martyrdom poses along just about every wall.

Major Problems in the West Bank:

Just about every area confronts different issues. Israeli soldiers patrolling the streets are a rare sight now-a-days in the West Bank since the Palestinian Authority has been handed power of policing all major cities. But almost all cities still face night raids and rather frequent arrests. Most Palestinians seem to have family and friends in prison. From my observation within the refugee camps, a majority of men over the age of 18 had been imprisoned at some point throughout their life.

The separation barrier (be it the wall of the fence) have cut off a significant portion of farmland from Palestinians and have shot a bullet into the heart of any previously existing economic growth. It has left a lot of farmers unemployed, cut off several Palestinian villages from the West Bank, has destroyed the tourist industry that once flourished, and has put a lot of Palestinians that once worked in Jerusalem out of work. Palestinians are also no longer able to reach the beautiful city of Jerusalem and pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque without a permit. Permits are hard to gain, and therefore, the Dome of the Rock has become the symbol of liberation and I personally witnessed Palestinians tear at the thought of visiting Jerusalem once again.

Settlements are a major issue. For those who do not know, they are basically Jewish plots of land built within the Palestinian territories. The settlers are in fact, “Imperialists,” or maybe more-so, pawns of those wishing to annex the West Bank. Some families move to the West Bank for practical and economic reasons, while other move for ideological and religiously-motivated reasons. Settler violence runs rampant and the Israeli Army tends to close their eyes to it, and maybe command them with a light slap on the wrist, “stop please.” Yeah, I’m not joking about the, “Please.” I actually saw them politely ask a settler in Hebron to stop throwing rocks at Palestinians. Of course, rocks thrown in the other direction are met by teargas, rubber bullets, battons, and stun grenades.

“Surely, with every difficulty there is relief. Surely, with every difficulty there is relief.”

The Qur’an contains many beneficial reminders that we can use in our everyday lives. This particular ayah (verse) has benefited me in many ways. Because Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) repeats Himself, this is a powerful reminder of the relief that will come once these difficulties or tests come to pass. It’s easy at times to lose hope, but Allah (swt) is giving us something to look forward to. When we have been put into tough situations, in the end is there not relief? Regardless of the situation we come out stronger, because a true believer derives benefit from any hardships. In addition, we must always remember that we will be rewarded in the future for passing these tests, in this lifetime or the next.  It is also good to keep your head up during these difficulties, because in these times you will be reminded of all the things in life that you should be grateful for.

As a convert these ayah have allowed me to move forward, even in times when I felt hopeless. Many converts, including myself, find it hard to establish their Muslim Identity. Having to find a balance between our old lives and our new Muslim life is not an easy task. In my life, I’ve had to defend my beliefs against my Christian and Catholic friends whom I grew up with. At first I was treated as a traitor, but after finally establishing a strong relationship with Allah (swt), I was able to show them the true beauty of Islam.

After a year and a half of being Muslim, I decided to wear a hijab, and it was not an easy decision or journey.  I come from a predominantly Catholic Mexican family  and Islam is a very foreign and intimidating religion. As a result, I was critically questioned and even looked upon as an extremist. Hearing your mother refer to you in such a manner is very heartbreaking. But, Alhamdulillah (All thanks to God), I stuck with my decision because I knew in my heart that I was doing this to please Allah (swt). Now I have an even stronger relationship with my family and more importantly, with Allah (swt). So I remind myself and the readers that at times when you feel like the world is going to end, remember the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the struggles he went through and the faith in Allah (swt) that he never lost because, God willing, relief will come.

To my utter horror, after the lecture, the Imam asked “Is the young lady here to do the conversion?” Neda was more than happy to pipe up and point to me: “Yeah, she’s right over here.”

Fifty pair of eyes turned to me. I found myself desperately wishing I was invisible while plotting Neda’s death.

The Imam asked me to come to the front of the room. Before I got up, I whispered to Neda that I was going to kill her. She only giggled profusely as I marched to the front of the room. I felt myself turning red as I felt eyes on the back of my head. Everyone was watching! Eek! What if I messed up? The thought taunted me as the Imam asked my name. I laughed awkwardly and said, “I haven’t done this before.” It was true, I hadn’t. Everyone in the room laughed and I felt better since laughter always lightens up a serious situation. The Imam laughed too, which was a relief since he got the joke – “Yes, if you had, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

He asked me a series of questions, such as if I knew anyone in the room. I said yes, I knew Nader and Neda and Amina and Farhat. For some reason, everyone laughed when I mentioned Nader’s name. I didn’t understand why at first but Neda later explained to me that everyone knows Nader, who seems to be very helpful with new conversions. What a coincidence, he helped in mine!

The Imam asked me why I chose to convert to Islam. With 50 people staring at me, my mind went blank. Internally I tried to jump-start my brain: Hello brain, could you start working now? I need to give an answer! I found myself uttering whatever came to mind, such as my family roots, friends, experiences, etc.
I then repeated after the Imam. The first part was in English, which I fully understood. The next part I was a bit more scared about: The Arabic. My initial perception was that he was going to say each word and I would repeat. Instead, he had me repeat each unique and particular sound. I had no idea where the words began or ended but did enjoy repeating the various sounds after the Imam. That was it. Those five minutes was my Shahada!

I turned and watched as fifty people chorused a phrase in Arabic. I knew this was a good sign. After that, I was bombarded with many hands to shake with, sisters to hug, numbers to exchange. I was the center of attention as all the brothers and sisters welcomed me into the community. This welcome was the most warmth I had felt in years.

I am grateful that Neda pushed for me to convert in front of so many sisters and brothers. Not only has this experience been unique for me, but I later came to learn that my declaration of faith to Islam rejuvenated many of the sisters’ and brothers’ faith, as well, because they witnessed a new member to the Muslim community!

That night was a very memorable night for me. I was very pleased and excited to be welcomed into such an open and warm community – one that would help shape me to become a better person in the months to come…

The first of them is a graduate student with whom I am very close. She studies Islam at the academic level despite being Muslim herself. Conversations with her really opened my eyes to what Islam preaches and the meanings behind the practices.

The second influential person is Nader Nasr. He lives in the same dorm building as me and would often tell me that since I always smile and say hello to everyone that I would be a very good Muslim. My initial reaction to this was that this was a sign from God that I should better commit myself to Islam, the religion I am most familiar and comfortable with.

The third person that influenced me is none other than Neda Momeni. If there is one person I can relate to, it’s this witty and clever girl – coming from a unique Iranian background and majoring in Anthropology, as well. She taught me that Islam is not about all of a sudden waking up and being the best Muslim you can be, but instead working towards being a good and devout person. I always thought that it would be rude to convert to Islam when I knew that I could not easily give up bacon or happy hour. I  told her the day when I’m done bar hoping with friends and eating pork chops is the day I will convert to Islam. In reply, she slapped me upside the head and told me that that isn’t what Islam is about. How very right she was.

After that, I became determined to convert, to become a better and more devout person.

Thus, in October of 2009 I converted to Islam. An Imam who was doing a lecture at UCLA in the Haines building performed the Shahada with me.

Before my conversion, I was scared! I didn’t know how to do it or what to do! I found myself googling Shahada and found several sites that seemed to have the pronunciation on there. I thought I would try to memorize it, in case it was customary for me to know it prior to coming in. Neda told me to not worry and simply show up but I couldn’t help myself – I was worried . I grabbed a Hijab from my closet – one I borrowed from my mother in my pursuit to become more acquainted with Islam – and began my walk towards Haines building. The walk was the longest walk ever and I found myself calling every single person in my cell phone address book to tell them that I was on my way to convert to Islam. Out of the twenty five people I called, only three people answered. Which, if you do the math, meant I had left 23 voicemails.

Nervous much? You could say that.

This statement has profound implications because it implies that, for a period of time before my conversion, a curiosity regarding Islam brewed within me that eventually led to my conversion.

I was born on August, 1987 to an Iranian woman whom I refer to as Mother. She was born and raised in Tehran, the capital of Iran, where she was socialized into Islam by her family and her community. By circumstances of fate, or by some bizarre coincidence, she came to America and fell in love with an American hippie – my father. In my twenty three years of existence, I have yet to hear him talk about God. Mother, on the other hand, would frequently say that “God is watching you” to remind me not to misbehave. Aside from comments such as those, my knowledge of God or religion was next to none. Thus, as you can imagine, my upbringing was a very unique and interesting one.

The only memories I have from my childhood that pertain to Islam involved witnessing my mother’s mother – my grandmother – pray. She, herself, was a devout Muslim and would pray the five prayers of the day. I would, in my curiosity, barge in to see what she was doing and find myself confused as to why she was bowing her head to the ground continually. She would tell me, later, that she was praying. These moments were my first encounters with Islam. There were a few instances where she would allow me to pray with her. I had no idea what I was doing and just followed her actions. Unfortunately, for a seven year old who had been brought up with very little knowledge of God, these events had very little  meaning then. However, much later, these events would have a profound effect on me.

Fast forward to 9/11 – I was fourteen years old when the majority of Americans began to scrutinize the Muslim community for the events of the 9/11 attacks. My classmates at my high school were ignorant and would often make ignorant comments about Muslims, to the point where I would stand up and defend the community. I had such a strong conviction that Muslims are not to blame for this.  I suppose it was while standing up for Islam that I began to open my eyes to it. It was within these years that I came to realize that I identified more with Islam than I did with Christianity and Judaism. After all, I periodically saw Mother reading the Qur’an and she would tell me brief stories of what she was reading. My mother’s side of the family were Muslims and I certainly knew more about Islam than I did about Christianity and Judaism. And so a realization started to form within me that, perhaps, I was Muslim after all.

Prior to entering UCLA, I still had not gone to a Mosque, nor had I spoken to anyone about Islam, except for my relatives. My relatives told me that I was Muslim because after all, I am my mother’s daughter. I always shrugged at the statement and as the years progressed, I realized I didn’t know one single thing about Islam except the five pillars. But all that would soon change when I would enter UCLA….