America's Independence Day

My Dear American friends:  I have been thinking of you and what message can I possibly send you on your Independence day on the 4^th of July.  Many of you have been on my list and have checked my blog and my writings for some time now.  Many of you have also read my book,  Reflections from Palestine:  A Journey of Hope, and your solidarity with our people, and for the cause of justice has been amazing.  

But I am not sure whether you realize down deep in your heart what it means to lose your country, your identity, your freedom, and the right to self-determination; an ongoing  process of dispossession since 1948.   So as much as I would like to rejoice with you and congratulate you on your Independence Day, it hurts me to realize that it is your government that has been the major obstacle that has prevented my people’s independence, liberation, and right to self determination.  I am not blaming you personally, however maybe the words of Dr. Martin Luther King will inspire you to be active and  do something about it. “We are tied together in a single garment of destiny. We are caught in a network of mutuality, And I can never be who I ought to be until you are who you ought to be” 

Happy Independence Day, Samia