Watch the video "This Is Not Your War" on American nurse Lynn Gras' humanitarian trips to Gaza, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Hezbollah to work with local health care workers. The photo was taken from Palestine Children's Relief Fund.
It's becoming increasingly evident that the topic of global health has a lot to do with issues that don't fit neatly into the sphere of health as we know it. Lynn's video is a testament to that. As a pro-peace Muslim, it is interesting to see how, as the narrator puts it, Western Europe imported its religious strife and racism in the early 1900's to the otherwise neutral "Islamic world" that Muslims, Jews and Christians were cohabiting. Many people don't know that the Quran, the book of the Muslims, urges people of all scriptures to unite peacefully under monotheism. Instead, we're fighting world wars and oppressing each other (and the people behind it are actually portrayed as the most religious). And to make matters worse, vast inequalities mean that the rich always win.
When the political issues are so heavy, can we even talk about public health? This is one of the worst human rights issues in the last century. It seems like there is a lack of political will to do the right thing. And how do we define the right thing? I guess for one thing, it'd be to achieve an environment where kids grow up safe and healthy, in that order.
7 comments:
I really wonder how things ever got so ridiculous in the middle east. The video is actually the first perspective I am getting from the Palestinian side although I have actually been reading a lot of the Israeli perspective such as stuff about the formation of Israel, their fight for a home, and their justifications for their actions. The truth is I think both sides can always find justifications for their actions. As Lynn says in the video, "both sides are guilty of trying to intimidate the other," the war has dragged on so long that so many justifications can be thrown in for any action. I really wonder which side is going to step up and end the violence through peaceful resolution rather than more armed conflict.
For more detailed info on what is happening, you can check out this report by RAND:
Strengthening the Palestinian Health System
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG311-1/index.html
Aman-- http://thdblog.wordpress.com/
Farah,
Have you heard of Banksy, the graffiti artist? I saw a book of his last week, and in it were pictures of pieces he had done on the Israeli wall in the West Bank. Here's one of them:
http://visualresistance.org/wordpress/images/banksy_westbank.jpg
They were so moving...
This is from the Guardian article covering it:
Banksy also records on his website how an old Palestinian man said his painting made the wall look beautiful. Banksy thanked him, only to be told: 'We don't want it to be beautiful, we hate this wall. Go home.'
Anyway, I agree with what you said. Sometimes (or most of the time), it is overwhelming.
That book on strengthening the health system in Palestine looks really interesting. (Not to mention the THD blog. Awesome!)
Yes Farah, I can imagine that most issues stem from the lack of education and understanding. If people were just a little well-rounded about different religions and their political aspects that is being used against various ethnicities; world would be a better place to live in. There is so much misinterpretation between audiences and media, which needs to be changed in order for us to over come main global challenges. I hope that one day we can attain an environment for kids to grow up safe, healthy and educated.
Wilson has put it very well. it's funny too, that I never really felt like I'd been given the story from both sides. it wasn't until i watched the movie Munich where a Palestinian terrorist unknowingly discussed his perspective with the Israeli assassin. the scene gave a side by side perspective that really opened my eyes. it isn't my war, but i hope recent middle east disputes haven't planted seeds in the minds of palestinian and israeli youth that may cloud their ability to take on objective views and lead to rises in future bloodshed.
Nicely put Farah… sometimes we have to think outside of our health “box” in order to see what is really impacting people’s health on a global level.
Nice thoughts Farah. Unfortunately we live in a world where politics dictate what we say, what we think, and ulitmately, what we do. Thus, we have little control over our own lives, affecting the only thing we should have control over - our health. It's especially disheartening to see that children across the world are suffering because of our indifferences. Such a sad reality we live in.
Post a Comment