Description
Just as there is personal dignity for individuals, there is a civilizational dignity for peoples and nations. Paradoxically, the personal dignity of an individual cannot be complete without a collective identity imbued with civilizational dignity for their people, their state, and their national entity. Otherwise, that dignity remains wounded, if not on a general level, then at least on a personal, human level.
Some nations established their civilizational dignity long ago, through a long and illustrious history. They are often called the cradles of civilization, and our country is one of them. Some have preserved that dignity, while others have seen their dignity erode, just as the stones of their temple columns, statues, palaces, and astonishing monuments have crumbled, even if their knowledge remains.
For while winds and other natural forces can scatter palaces, they cannot scatter cultural achievements in all their various forms. These selected articles were written and published over five years in the newspaper “Al-Quds Al-Arabi,” while the testimonies appeared in other newspapers and magazines, and some were presented at conferences. The book’s contents are arranged in three sections, with the second section following the chronological order of their publication. This arrangement mirrors the dramatic developments that swept through Palestine and the stances of Arab regimes towards it during a period when all neutrality was shattered, merging into the prevailing darkness.
The book is an attempt to reflect on the past quarter-century, a period marked by shifting circumstances that continue to this day. It is also an attempt to contemplate a long history, spanning a century, which witnessed the rise of empires and the fall of others, and the changing of masks that soon became mere changes of faces. Furthermore, it tells the story of a people who, despite everything, understand that Palestine is their face, their heart, and their qibla (direction of prayer). Finally, it is an attempt to reflect on Arab culture. And Palestine, its role, and its radiance despite attempts to stifle and erase it; an attempt to contemplate the predicament of an enemy who, despite all its victories, has been unable to put an end to our existential struggle with it; and an attempt to contemplate the delusion of those who believe, willingly or unwillingly, that there can be joy in their dances with the hyenas.
This book is an attempt to say something about all of this, so that it will not be asked one day: Why did the poets, writers, and artists remain silent?
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