My dear hero Khader Adnan,
I’d like you to know that you’re not alone. Since you were arrested, my thoughts have revolved mainly around you. I look at you, like many other people do, as Palestine’s Gandhi. Yes, you are our Gandhi, the hero of peaceful resistance and empty stomachs.
In 1982, my father went through your experience of hunger strike for 33 days in Nafha Prison. At that time he was sentenced for nine lifetimes. After he had served 15 years inside Israeli prisons, he was released in 1985 through Ahmad Jebreel’s prisoner exchange. But as you know, no one living in Occupied Palestine is ever completely free.
When I first learned about the brutal and inhumane way the Israeli Occupation forces arrested you, I felt like I was hearing Dad telling me about his experience of administrative detention one month after I came into this life. Just like you, the IOF raided our house in the middle of the night, turned everything into a complete mess, grabbed Dad, and hit him violently, without consideration for Mum, who had recently given birth to me, my two elder siblings – Majed, three years old, and Majd, two years old at that time – or to Dad’s elderly parents.
I am greatly inspired by you. I try to do my best to raise the awareness about your issue, and to get people around the world to react to save humanity, to save you. My heart aches for you and your family, as I know very well how painful this is for them, but I know even better that you’re starving yourself so you, your family, and all Palestinians can live dignified and free lives. “If you didn’t burn yourself, nor did I, who would light our way?” I strongly believe these words. I know that when you decided to hunger strike, you aimed to either gain freedom or die for the sake of dignity. I thank you so much for giving your soul to light the way to freedom for everybody in Palestine. Be sure that you’ll win.
My dear hero, I have faith that your incredible strength and steadfastness will make a change. I can see this change happening already when I see how people have started to care more about the issue of our forgotten prisoners inside Israel’s merciless jails.
I always pray that you’ll be free soon, and that this unjust system of administrative detention will no longer confine any Palestinian. Don’t lose faith in humanity. Gandhi said, “Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” I hope your difficult and painful experience of detention and hunger strike will move people to do something to support you. From the sit-in tent for you in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, we support your cause and try our best, with our writings, singing, chanting, and solidarity events, to shake the people’s sleeping conscience. I did a video combines three of my talents as a tribute for you.
I’m sending you all the strength in the world.
Shahd Abusalama
Website: Palestine from My Eyes