AMAL KASSIR

 

Article bout her winning the slam poetry thing (Brave new voices) in 2012 

Youtube clips: this one is my fav 

This one's a winner

Just watch em you'll love her, you wanna be her.

Really.

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I just admire loud, confident women.

I admire people who can relay their message in their comfort

Who knows how to word their anger and frustration in melodic rhymes

I admire women who stands up and take the mic

Who speaks clearly and have the fight vibe

I admire people who construct their thoughts

And made it heard

I admire people who knows what they want

Where they're heading

I admire people

of aim

and vision

and strength

and passion

AMAL KASSIR's spoken word poetry are just amazing. She's turning 19 this year and she've already gone far. Her background is Syrian-American, so yeah, with everything that's going on in Syria, it must have bleed bad in her. 

I dont know what's that like. Having your family members there in the time-bomb country. Any minute now you'd be hearing news of death and, guess what, you actually know these people. 

Whenever I hear news about Palestine or Syria or Iraq or any other muslim countries that are on fire, I dont know what to think. I'm usually just bummed by how bad the world has turn into. And the fact that less and less people care these days; its just devastating.

I just got back from volunteering at the hospital and as I sat down to read this morning's paper in the library, I get so frustrated I feel like crying. It may have been the exhausting day (lab practicals from 9 am, peopleee). But I'm betting that the content of the news was what got me.

So, Nentahyu won again. And well, everyone know that whoever's the PM at Israel doesnt really matter coz we're not suppose to count on them for peace. But the way the article was written. It was as if he's just a political figure with no crime.

I thought of all the kids he killed, the children he left orphaned. The many many videos I watched of how buildings were bombed and kids were stuck in between cements and snipers shot babies on their foreheads~

I'm not expecting him to lose

I just. 

I expect the world say something. I expect rage, I guess. For justice is too much to ask for these days - they have 'negotiations' for that.

Syria was bombed for no reason.

If you have oil, you're done man. You're the target.

And let's make it even worse. Lets put fear in people. Now that they're backing up the muslims for the massacres they're facing. Now that they're making rallies and protest against Israel and war in general. Let's make them not wanna get involved.

Lets create, say, ISIS.

Coz Al-Qaeda is old story and well, if we can fool people bout Osama for 10 years, this generation would wanna something fresh so there, one new issue. 

And there it is.

I'd go for lunch with my friends, talk about assignment, life and what's hip and what's not, and when we diverge the conversation to the news, they would awkwardly pat me on the back and congratulate me for not being part of any terrorism of any sort.

Seriously.

It hurts me that my religion is treated this low.
It hurts me that my friends; people who actually go to uni and study and are educated, thinks that ISIS is something that we have no choice but to support.
It hurts me when they couldn't be bothered questioning the bias media
It hurts me when they are oblivious of how this whole islamophobia thing is being played

It hurts me that I'm so weak and all I could do is explain
And my explanation are not great anyway

It hurts me when this pure religion is being constantly made fun of.
Being played.
And it hurts me
that we are so massive in number
And we are this weak

Hurts
like hell.

Dunno how the Palestinians cope.
Theyve been hurting forever.
And still.