Category: Under the threshold (writing fragments)

Omar Saad is 19 year old Druzee from Al-Maghar village. He plays the viola and plays tennis. He is kind to all people without any prejudice.Like every member of the Druzee community Omar must serve in the Israeli army as it stated in the bill that was released  in 1956 by the consent of five Druzee elderlies. However, Omar is a person who plays music in orchestras around the globe, he is the leader of The Galilee Quartet He can’t replace the peaceful viola for a deadly weapon. He can’t stop his friend in Ramallah to search his bags and humilate him. Complying to his moral conscious Omar went to the military offices in Tiberias on the 4th of december to announce his refusal to serve in the Israeli army.

Family who is very supportive to Omar, his friends, many prominent characters in community showed up on wednesday in Tiberias to support Omar and demonstrate against this heinous law. Before he entered the offices, Omar played music with his Quartet which includes his two brothers(Mostafa and Gandhi) and his sister (Teebah). In his unusual way he said his goodbyes to dear ones.

Omar was sentenced for twenty days in jail no.6 until a verdict is heard, on december 24 he was condemned with another twenty days in the same prison. His viola collecting dust, the quartet is silenced, the Beit Al Mosiqa(where omar learns music) is forlorn.Omar must go free.

Many young druzee haad refused to the military service but they did that using the mental and physical disabilities they had or pretended to have. While Omar and other few guys outspoke what is believed and muffled by fear” I’m not serving”. This outcry motivated many other Druzee to reject serving in the army. For example; Saif Abo Saif from Shfaa’mr and other six teens from the Arabic community.

Omar, we respect you and love you! God be with you.

I’ve always heard of people sticking to a veg diet but never did i thought i would be one of them and that is for many reasons:

I live in an Arabic society where meat is as important as water, believe me I’m not exaggerating; In wddings,birthday parties,celebrations and funerals we cook meat.

In every dish there has to be a place for meat, with rice, with fried potatoes,with maize, with onions bread and the list goes on.

Lahme Lahme everywhere.

You may ask yourself why the sudden change? why did I become a vegetarian?

First it was a bet with my English teacher who’se vegeterian herself. I said that I can be a vegetarian for one week and I can stand the temptaion. Simultaneously I saw many videos about animal-torture ans maltreating them. And that’s how I started to be a vegetarian. One week and two days has passed since the bet and yet I didn’t eat any meat. surprisingly the free-meat diet seems to fit me well.

Generally speaking it wasn’t difficult to refuse all the meat dishes only for one exception (fkhad msahba- checkin stuffed with rice and vegetables, that’s my weak spot). Many friends  will open their jaws wide and ask curiously how could you? is it difficult? stop acting come on life would not be the same without meat. and I will reply nonchalantly it is all about the voilition you have (I don’t like to sound wise or anything but it’s true).

Will I keep being vegetarian or will I surrender? that’s a thing that the time will disclose.