09-26-2003, 07:05 PM
Yesterday, September 25, Edward Said finally died.
In him, we lost the Arab Orwell, a man who never once let up in his fight for justice and truth, who never let the popular lies pass unnoticed.
He devoted his life to a scholarly yet personal fight against injustice, hypocrisy and corruption. Here was someone who tolerated neither the opressions of the Israelis nor the corruption of the PLO. Here was a man who never let up in his criticism of Arafat's incompetence and autocracy, of his army of feeble yes-men who have so shamed the cause of Palestinian nationalism, of Hamas and their insane, random violence. Yet here was also a man who never broke solidarity with the Palestinian people, who would never accept less than an independent state for an independent people, free of oppression, racism and united with a democratic sense of purpose.
Here was someone who understood that violence is not justice, that nobody will ever win anything with explosives.
I can only hope his memory inspires a new generation of Palestinians to take up his struggle for total, non-violent independence for their people. Edward Said, not Yassir Arafat, should be the greatest symbol of the Palestinian cause.
Jester
In him, we lost the Arab Orwell, a man who never once let up in his fight for justice and truth, who never let the popular lies pass unnoticed.
He devoted his life to a scholarly yet personal fight against injustice, hypocrisy and corruption. Here was someone who tolerated neither the opressions of the Israelis nor the corruption of the PLO. Here was a man who never let up in his criticism of Arafat's incompetence and autocracy, of his army of feeble yes-men who have so shamed the cause of Palestinian nationalism, of Hamas and their insane, random violence. Yet here was also a man who never broke solidarity with the Palestinian people, who would never accept less than an independent state for an independent people, free of oppression, racism and united with a democratic sense of purpose.
Here was someone who understood that violence is not justice, that nobody will ever win anything with explosives.
I can only hope his memory inspires a new generation of Palestinians to take up his struggle for total, non-violent independence for their people. Edward Said, not Yassir Arafat, should be the greatest symbol of the Palestinian cause.
Jester