Moon of Hope and Love

It is the 10th of Jan 2009. The moon is going to be at its closest position to our planet earth (perigee). So what? you say. It is claimed that it will appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal!! If you do not believe it, well maybe you need to do like me, make a point to watch it tonight just after sunset while it raises from the east and do not be late as by the time it is at the top of our heads (Zenith), human perception sees the moon less bigger. They call it the Wolf Moon in Celtic and Native American traditions and folklore, a symbol of night, a time which can be frightening and lonely. It also stands for the path of discovering the deepest levels of self, of inner knowing and intuition. To truly come to understand oneself, one must learn to listen to the voice within, which in silence speaks as clearly as the sound of a wolf howling in the night. The Arabs on the other hand calls it the 14th crescent (Bader) not just because it appears on the 14th day from the birth of the new crescent moon but also because it has always been associated with a beautiful young girl. A symbol of beauty, prosperity and love rather. On this occasion, I send a message of hope, love and healing to our brothers and sisters and the children of Gaza as still the black smoke of explosions continue to raise in Gaza skies blocking the twinkle stars and the bright moon while Israel is determined to kill the innocents with the excuse of self defense . Verily, along with every hardship is relief, Verily, along with hardship is relief (Quran chapter 94 verses 5-6).

Muharam crescent

BBC Photo

Its first of Muharam, the first month of Islamic calendar and a national holiday in the country. The crescent is there just for those who are excited to observe it while the rest are inside the homes and the roads are closed because of the AGCC summit . Setting at 19:08 PM, there was plenty of time to spot it. With what I see on TV these 2 days. I could not stop myself from thinking about the people of Gaza, they have the same skies as ours, the same stars, and the same Muharam crescent moon but for sure not the same scenery. Thick black clouds of bombing and explosions are covering the skies. The Israelis have not left a single reason for people of Palestine to celebrate for. Not a Christmas star, nor the Muharam crescent. But what am I talking about! With the undiscriminating bombing in the city, the pleasure of watching the sky is on the n th order of priorities. If you come to think about it, we human take things for granted, from the piece of bread we put in our mouth, to the glimpse of that faint star in our skies. So the next time you look up to the sky, remember your next kin in humanity who are not able to enjoy it like you do .