Trending News: Israel Fears Hamas Ambushes in Gaza‘Not A Single Mosque Remains Standing’Killed by The Israeli ArmyTrump’s War in The Red Sea‘Zionism a Mistake’ – Israeli Historian Tom SegevAnalysts: US Fails on Houthis After Six Weeks of Bombing52 Deaths in Gaza Due to HungerDustin HoffmanIsraeli Soldiers Killed, Injured in 2 Separate Incidents in GazaUS Warplanes Makes 1200 Strikes on Yemen Since 15 MarchMoroccans Hold 110 Protests Against Israeli GenocideAvi Ashkenazi: Hamas is Pushing Israeli Army Into a QuagmireThe Israeli Army Kills 212 Gaza JournalistsIsrael Starts Forced Displacement Under World SilenceGaza Faces Public Health CrisesSusan Sarandon Stands With PalestineSheep in a Wolf ClothingMilitary Analysis: The Gaza Resistance is BackTO THE WORLD: Please Stop Recurring Gaza Famine!Israelis Celebrate Death of PopeGallant Admits Hamas Wouldn’t Harm Israel CaptivesShin Bet Chief Reveals All Against NetanyahuAngelina Jolie Condemns IsraelPope Francis Dies at 88ALL Israelis Want to End The War on GazaDestroyed Treasures of Gaza Speak of Muslim HeritageBombing a Hospital!Rehabilitating Iran?Iran-US Talks in Muscat: Winners and LosersPalestine in 1944Israel’s Right is to Pack up and GoHow The West Came to Control ArabismGaza in Starvation Mode Thanks to IsraelGeorge Clooney For PresidentPalestineRemember a Late BirthdayIsraeli Academics, Soldiers, Airmen Say ‘No’ to NetanyahuIsraeli Planes Bomb Baby 50 Meters Into The Sky!Can Israel Change The Middle East?UK MP Calls For Expulsion of Israel’s AmbassadorTalk of Resistance Weakness is Wrong – Military ExpertNetanyahu Has Irked Trump. Why?Iraq Announces November ElectionsGuterres: ‘…Time to End the Gaza Dehumanization’Middle East PsychosisGaza Under The RubbleControlling AmericaIsrael Bombs ‘Journalists Tent’ in Khan Younis10 British Citizens Face Gaza War Crimes – Guardian NewspaperIsrael Kills Photojournalist No 2011 in GazaVictory For PalestineUS Senate Votes For Israel WeaponsIsrael Beheads BabiesIsrael’s Gaza Bombing Surpasses ISIS DaysCan Arab States Stop The Israeli Genocide?‘In Gaza We Die a 1000 Deaths a Day’Amnesty Condemns Netanyahu’s Visit to HungryTrump, Iran And The ‘Nuclear Fight’Israel Violates Syria With 11 Air Raids15 Martyred: Why Does Israel Kill Ambulance Men?Burning Muslim CivilizationIsrael Kills Journalist and His Family in Gaza‘Its as Bad as Ever in Gaza’ – UN WorkersThank You AnnieGaza Cracks Trump’s Image as ‘Peacemaker’How Israel Uses Its Legal System For GenocideThis is GazaThe Middle East OctopusGaza: Back to The Killing FieldsHouthi Missiles, Trump and The Israeli depth‘All Attempts at Displacing Gazans Failed’ – A Historical OutlineCanadians Say No to Arms Sales to IsraelUS Launches War on Yemen With 15 Airstrikes‘No One in Lebanon Wants to Normalize with Israel,’ says PM Nawaf SalamIsrael Kills Children as World Looks onIsrael Sentences Dr Abu SafiyaCartoon Made 13 Years AgoThis is Not Hiroshima, This is GazaAl-Duwairi: Houthi Missiles on Tel Aviv Confirms Failure of US Airstrikes on YemenIsrael’s Top Court Says No to NetanyahuIsrael: Displacement Versus Regional ExpansionGaza Massacres ContinueS. African Ambassador Gets Huge Welcome After Expulsion by TrumpSaudis Say No to Israeli Displacement AgencyGaza Deaths Top 50,000 as Israeli Army Continues Bloody OnslaughtIsrael Kills Two Journalists in Gaza Spiking their Number to 208Netanyahu’s Trap!Israel Destroys Turkish-Palestinian Friendship HospitalGenocidal Maniac From The Start!Israel’s Intensifies Displacement Campaign in GazaIsrael Kills 200 Children in GazaIn a Psychedelic Arab WorldIsrael Kills 130 Children in Gaza in a Single-Day – UNICEFIsrael, Trump and the Latest Bombing of GazaIsrael Kills One of Its Prisoners, Injures Two in Latest Gaza Attack – Hamas OfficialWhite House Complicity: Bloody Days Return to GazaTop Pakistani Architect Says No To Israeli PrizeIsraeli Raids: 326 Killed in Gaza in Five HoursIsrael Re-Launches Its War on GazaRachel Corrie Remembered
Mon. Apr 28th, 2025 8:46:44 PM
Trending News: Israel Fears Hamas Ambushes in Gaza‘Not A Single Mosque Remains Standing’Killed by The Israeli ArmyTrump’s War in The Red Sea‘Zionism a Mistake’ – Israeli Historian Tom SegevAnalysts: US Fails on Houthis After Six Weeks of Bombing52 Deaths in Gaza Due to HungerDustin HoffmanIsraeli Soldiers Killed, Injured in 2 Separate Incidents in GazaUS Warplanes Makes 1200 Strikes on Yemen Since 15 MarchMoroccans Hold 110 Protests Against Israeli GenocideAvi Ashkenazi: Hamas is Pushing Israeli Army Into a QuagmireThe Israeli Army Kills 212 Gaza JournalistsIsrael Starts Forced Displacement Under World SilenceGaza Faces Public Health CrisesSusan Sarandon Stands With PalestineSheep in a Wolf ClothingMilitary Analysis: The Gaza Resistance is BackTO THE WORLD: Please Stop Recurring Gaza Famine!Israelis Celebrate Death of PopeGallant Admits Hamas Wouldn’t Harm Israel CaptivesShin Bet Chief Reveals All Against NetanyahuAngelina Jolie Condemns IsraelPope Francis Dies at 88ALL Israelis Want to End The War on GazaDestroyed Treasures of Gaza Speak of Muslim HeritageBombing a Hospital!Rehabilitating Iran?Iran-US Talks in Muscat: Winners and LosersPalestine in 1944Israel’s Right is to Pack up and GoHow The West Came to Control ArabismGaza in Starvation Mode Thanks to IsraelGeorge Clooney For PresidentPalestineRemember a Late BirthdayIsraeli Academics, Soldiers, Airmen Say ‘No’ to NetanyahuIsraeli Planes Bomb Baby 50 Meters Into The Sky!Can Israel Change The Middle East?UK MP Calls For Expulsion of Israel’s AmbassadorTalk of Resistance Weakness is Wrong – Military ExpertNetanyahu Has Irked Trump. Why?Iraq Announces November ElectionsGuterres: ‘…Time to End the Gaza Dehumanization’Middle East PsychosisGaza Under The RubbleControlling AmericaIsrael Bombs ‘Journalists Tent’ in Khan Younis10 British Citizens Face Gaza War Crimes – Guardian NewspaperIsrael Kills Photojournalist No 2011 in GazaVictory For PalestineUS Senate Votes For Israel WeaponsIsrael Beheads BabiesIsrael’s Gaza Bombing Surpasses ISIS DaysCan Arab States Stop The Israeli Genocide?‘In Gaza We Die a 1000 Deaths a Day’Amnesty Condemns Netanyahu’s Visit to HungryTrump, Iran And The ‘Nuclear Fight’Israel Violates Syria With 11 Air Raids15 Martyred: Why Does Israel Kill Ambulance Men?Burning Muslim CivilizationIsrael Kills Journalist and His Family in Gaza‘Its as Bad as Ever in Gaza’ – UN WorkersThank You AnnieGaza Cracks Trump’s Image as ‘Peacemaker’How Israel Uses Its Legal System For GenocideThis is GazaThe Middle East OctopusGaza: Back to The Killing FieldsHouthi Missiles, Trump and The Israeli depth‘All Attempts at Displacing Gazans Failed’ – A Historical OutlineCanadians Say No to Arms Sales to IsraelUS Launches War on Yemen With 15 Airstrikes‘No One in Lebanon Wants to Normalize with Israel,’ says PM Nawaf SalamIsrael Kills Children as World Looks onIsrael Sentences Dr Abu SafiyaCartoon Made 13 Years AgoThis is Not Hiroshima, This is GazaAl-Duwairi: Houthi Missiles on Tel Aviv Confirms Failure of US Airstrikes on YemenIsrael’s Top Court Says No to NetanyahuIsrael: Displacement Versus Regional ExpansionGaza Massacres ContinueS. African Ambassador Gets Huge Welcome After Expulsion by TrumpSaudis Say No to Israeli Displacement AgencyGaza Deaths Top 50,000 as Israeli Army Continues Bloody OnslaughtIsrael Kills Two Journalists in Gaza Spiking their Number to 208Netanyahu’s Trap!Israel Destroys Turkish-Palestinian Friendship HospitalGenocidal Maniac From The Start!Israel’s Intensifies Displacement Campaign in GazaIsrael Kills 200 Children in GazaIn a Psychedelic Arab WorldIsrael Kills 130 Children in Gaza in a Single-Day – UNICEFIsrael, Trump and the Latest Bombing of GazaIsrael Kills One of Its Prisoners, Injures Two in Latest Gaza Attack – Hamas OfficialWhite House Complicity: Bloody Days Return to GazaTop Pakistani Architect Says No To Israeli PrizeIsraeli Raids: 326 Killed in Gaza in Five HoursIsrael Re-Launches Its War on GazaRachel Corrie Remembered
Mon. Apr 28th, 2025 8:46:44 PM
Culture
1000 Global Writers Call For Boycott of Israeli Cultural Institutions
1000 Global Writers Call For Boycott of Israeli Cultural Institutions

Over 1,000 writers, publishers, and literary professionals, including prominent authors Sally Rooney, Arundhati Roy, and Rachel Kushner, have signed a letter committing to boycott Israeli cultural institutions.

The signatories pledged to disengage from Israeli publishers, festivals, agencies, and publications they say are “complicit in violating Palestinian rights” or remain “silent observers” of what they describe as systemic oppression.

Organized by the Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest), the campaign urged global literary figures to boycott any institution that, in the organizers’ view, has failed to recognize the “inalienable rights of the Palestinian people as enshrined in international law.”

The letter criticized Israeli cultural institutions for allegedly “normalizing these injustices,” asserting that many of them play an “integral role” in obscuring the effects of occupation and displacement.

The signatories declared that they will avoid collaborating with institutions supporting “discriminatory policies and practices” or contributing to “whitewashing and justifying Israel’s occupation, apartheid, or genocide.”

“We, as writers, publishers, literary festival workers, and other book workers, publish this letter as we face the most profound moral, political, and cultural crisis of the 21st century,” the letter said.

“Israel has killed at the very least 43,362 Palestinians in Gaza since last October and that this follows 75 years of displacement, ethnic cleansing and apartheid,” it added.

“We cannot in good conscience engage with Israeli institutions without interrogating their relationship to apartheid and displacement,” it reads, noting that “countless authors” took similar stands against apartheid in South Africa.

The campaign has received backing from groups like Fossil Free Books, which advocates against investments linked to Israel and fossil fuel interests. The letter concludes by inviting peers to join the pledge, emphasizing a call for solidarity as the crisis persists.

The Israeli army has continued a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border incursion by Hamas last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

More than 43,000 people have been killed, most of them women and children, with over 101,100 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced nearly the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to critical shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

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Culture
‘I am Mahasen from Gaza and I am trying to stay alive’
‘I am Mahasen from Gaza and I am trying to stay alive’

Words that didn’t last for long because of the pounding Israeli warplanes that seeks to end anything called Gaza, Palestine and Palestinians.

The young woman always tried to stay cheery and alive. But her death was always to be expected as she was killed by an Israeli missile that pulverized her home.

She finally become a martyr with her family in indiscriminate Israeli military strikes on the Jabalia Camp, northern Gaza on 18 October, 2024. The camp has been under constant bombardment for the last two week. This is the third time the Israelis tried to enter the camp in a year-long onslaught.

Artist and painter Mahasen Al Khatib life was cut too short by a merciless, blinded Israeli war on defenseless civilians while world leaders look on with hands tied behind their backs.

Today she stands as the owner of the “famous chicken” videoclip in which she documented the happiness of her brother when they managed to get a chicken after months of eating leaves on a starvation diet.

She watches her brother playing with the dead naked, meat, laughs and asks:

“How are we going to cook it…?”

“Magloba…[Arabic dish with rice and vegetables,” comes the reply.

“How about roasting yet,” she interjects.

“Yes, that would be great too.”

Oh, I know, how about boiling it,” she wounders as if this is a great festive occasion.

“Yes, that too would be nice,” with the eyes of her little brother lighting up.  

‘Or, what about cutting it, or even stuffing it?”

She made the videoclip on 9 August, 2024. Little did she know would be at the end of an Israeli two months later.

Mahsen drew with her pencils the heinous  conditions of the people of Gaza that have been unrelenting in an Israeli genocide of death and destruction.

Her last post was on Facebook of a youth being burnt alive. His name was Shabaan Al Dalo.

He was burnt alive in a tent outside the Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital on 14 October, 2024.

“How do feel when you see any person burned alive,” she wryly commented a few days later.

Mahasen Al Khatib established Rawasi Palestine Foundation for Culture, Art and Media.

Palestine and Gaza lost a creative personality. She sought to communicate the merciless, ungodly heartache of the people whose lives have long been turned upside down. She wanted to send a message to the world in a clever way about the tragedies of Gazans through her artistic works.

Mahasen left us with a creative, national heritage that sought to fight ethnic cleansing and presented us with immense digital works that expressed our wounds, devastation and hopes for an end to the massacres and killing.

The artist was firm against people leaving their homes. She and her family stood against displacement and fought it tirelessly through her works that depicted the harsh realities in a caricaturist, funny manner which she published on her social media accounts.

“God sends us a chicken after long months…thanks be to God, she says….It was a chicken for eight people and I ate a part of it,” she emphasized.

The social media became alert when news of her martyrdom was announced.

Mohammad Saeed wrote: “The martyr Mahasen Al Khatib documented for us the moment the flour arrived at their home after months of hunger and eating tree leaves. She also documented the arrival of the first chicken for her entire family after many months of absence. She stood firm in Jabalia and didn’t move. Mahasen was martyred tonight in a violent shelling in Jabalia camp. Remember her in your prayers…”

In another post that included a video of the fire, Mahasen wrote, “We saw people burning, we saw people with no one helping, we saw people dying in front of our eyes… May God have mercy on us.”

From Joy to Martyrdom

Over the past years, Mahasen Al-Khatib has spread joy through her artwork. Even in the darkest moments, she would draw a smile by publishing her family’s daily life under the bombing and harsh conditions of war. However, the last thing the Palestinian artist published before her martyrdom carried a lot of pain, which she described as “difficult nights,” according to Al Jazeera.

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Culture
Neo Sora: World Cinema Failed Gaza
Neo Sora: World Cinema Failed Gaza

Japanese-American film director Neo Sora said the world of cinema has failed to adequately respond to the genocide in Gaza, stressing the need for a stronger reaction during his appearance at the 2024 Venice International Film Festival.

US-born Sora, who posed with a Palestinian keffiyeh and a flag reading “Free Palestine” at the festival, discussed the art world’s attitude towards Palestine with Anadolu.

Describing the positive response he received at the festival, Sora said: “In Venice, there was a resounding applause for the keffiyeh and the Palestinian flag. People were shouting from the audience, ‘Free Palestine,’ and I was responding by saying, ‘Free Palestine.’

“Making films and having the privilege to attend international festivals like Venice gives me a huge platform to have my voice heard by people globally, including Japanese audiences,” he said.

Sora also expressed disappointment with the festival’s programing, saying: “I was a little disappointed because you could tell they were trying to create an equivalency by including one Israeli film and one Palestinian film in the same section of Orizzonti, where my film was featured.”

Oct. 7 and reality of genocide

“I was in New York on Oct. 7, 2023, when it happened. It was really difficult to stay motivated to finish my film in the face of such extreme, livestreamed genocide, the likes of which I’ve never seen in my lifetime. I think it’s the worst genocide we’ve witnessed.

“I questioned whether I could continue making films because what’s the point of telling stories about human dignity when we’re witnessing such horrific violence that strips people of their humanity? After reflecting on the past year, I am 100% convinced that it is indeed genocide,” said Sora, recalling events from Oct. 7 last year.

Sora added that Israel’s settler colonialism isn’t just a Palestinian narrative. “It’s not something I’ve only been convinced of through Palestinian voices. Israelis themselves say it’s a settler colonial project. Look at the words of people like David Ben-Gurion or the founders of the Zionist movement; they called it a settler colonialist project.”

Palestinian culture being destroyed

Sora emphasized the importance of boycotting organizations that support Israel, saying: “As consumers, boycot is critical. We need to show these big corporations that if they make films like Wonder Woman, or Marvel featuring Gal Gadot, who’s basically a spokesperson for the IDF, they’ll lose money because we won’t support those projects.”

“We’re at the start of an AI dystopia. More concerning, though, is that the responsibility for these war crimes is being shifted to military AI systems created by Israeli military and software companies. This is a disastrous situation, especially given the environmental impact of these AI systems,” Sora said, highlighting Israel’s attempts to evade accountability.

‘We are at a historic turning point’

Sora pointed out that artists and others are not doing enough to stop the genocide in Gaza.

“The fact that this genocide has continued for 367 days and now these atrocities by Israel are spreading to other countries, like Lebanon, shows we’re not doing enough. We all need to do more, whether we’re filmmakers, businessmen, lawyers, or professionals in any other field,” he concluded.

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Culture
Cultural Genocide: Israel Destroys, Loots National Museum of Gaza
Cultural Genocide: Israel Destroys, Loots National Museum of Gaza

In addition to religious structures, cultural institutions have also faced devastation. The National Museum of Gaza, which housed over 3,000 rare artifacts, has been looted and destroyed. These artifacts represented centuries of Palestinian history and culture, and their loss is irreplaceable.

The war has resulted in the complete destruction of over 800 mosques, with many historical and culturally significant buildings lost forever. Among them is the Great Omari Mosque, which dated back 1,400 years and was a symbol of the region’s Islamic heritage. Other notable casualties include the partially destroyed Al-Sayyid Hashim Mosque and the Al-Zafaar Damri Mosque, which held historical significance dating back to the Mamluk period.

Since the onset of hostilities on October 7, 2023, Israel has systematically targeted 206 out of 325 significant archaeological, religious, and historical sites throughout the Gaza Strip.

Historical monuments have not been spared in this campaign of destruction. The Al-Basha Palace, a site of significant historical value, has been targeted multiple times, leading to the erasure of centuries of history. Similarly, the Al-Saqa House, which stood for 400 years, is now destroyed. The Ancient Port of Gaza, a vital connection to the region’s maritime history, has also suffered extensive bombardment.

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Culture
Mashhad Library: 500 Years of Learning
Mashhad Library: 500 Years of Learning

The Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi in Mashhad, Iran, stands as a beacon of knowledge, offering the world of science a priceless collection of rare and ancient manuscripts.

Speaking to Anadolu, the library’s Director Ebulfazl Hasanabadi said: “The Astan Quds Manuscript Library has a 500-year history.”

Describing the library as Iran’s largest manuscript center, Hasanabadi said: “What sets this place apart from other libraries is that the books are either written here or donated and endowed to this institution. Generations have donated books here.”

Hasanabadi explained that, according to their records, three generations from the same family have donated books to the library.

He said that the library preserves over 90,000 manuscripts and more than 50,000 lithographic works.

Including works from other sections in the complex, the number of manuscripts exceeds 120,000, and the lithographic works surpass 68,000, Hasanabadi noted.

Hasanabadi explained that the library houses works dating from the end of the first century of the Islamic calendar to the Qajar period (until 1925).

Works in library

Hasanabadi highlighted that the library contains thousands of copies, sections, and pages of the Quran, making it one of the largest centers of handwritten Qurans in the world.

Underlining that researchers could access the library’s works through its website, he said: “We have more than 20,000 copies of the Quran and sections from the first century of the Islamic calendar until the end of the Qajar period (1925). Including individual Quran pages, this number exceeds 30,000.”

Hasanabadi also said that the “Senan Mushaf” in their collection dates back to the 40s and 50s of the Islamic calendar and is known as one of the oldest Quran copies in the world.

While introducing another copy of the Quran in the library, Hasanabadi said: “The world’s oldest complete Quran, believed to be from the years 80 to 110 in the Islamic calendar, is attributed to Hazrat Ali, the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from 656 CE to 661.”

“It is in good condition. The two-volume manuscript, written in the Hijazi (Kufic) script, includes a donation inscription on the first page. Its printed version (facsimile) will be introduced soon,” Hasanabadi noted.

He also noted the library contains thousands of works on literature, medicine, pharmacy, and similar fields.

“There are manuscripts from poets and scholars such as Ferdowsi, Hakim Nizami Ganjavi, Razi, Hafez, Saadi Shirazi, Ibn Sina, and poets from the Qajar period,” he added.

Hasanabadi further explained that the library holds works not only on Islam, medicine, and literature but also on other religions.

“For instance, we have very valuable resources on Zoroastrianism, such as the Avesta and Kata. Torah and Bible are also preserved here,” he said.

“After examinations, it is likely that the Torah manuscripts are from the 4th century (Islamic calendar) and are considered among the finest copies in the library,” he added.

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