On the earlymorning of September 4, my eight-year-old niece Joody woke up bright-eyed and firedup and recommended we commemorate her daddy’s birthday. It hadactually been 25 days giventhat we lost her daddy Moataz Rajab in the massacre the Israeli army brought out at the al-Tabin School in Gaza City. He was one of more than 100 civilian victims who had lookedfor shelter at the school along with his household.
While Joody understood her baba was gone, it was clear she was attempting to procedure a date in the calendar that had constantly been unique to her and her brotherorsisters.
As the household – consistingof my sis, Joody’s mother – was still extremely much in grieving, no one understood for sure how to handle the circumstance. We exchanged glances, hoping one of us would action in and dealwith the matter.
Everyone offers with shock inadifferentway, and each of us understood this was Joody’s method of coping with her dad’s death.
Her grandparents provided her a hug and a kiss on her forehead and attempted describing that it is uncomfortable to commemorate the birthday of somebody who hasactually passed away so justrecently. Other members of the household likewise informed her it would be odd to sing a birthday tune for somebody who is regretfully no longer amongst us. There was likewise no birthday cake to be discovered; bakeshops in Gaza were havingahardtime to make bread let alone produce such “luxury” products.
We understood the finest method to dealwith this was not to get psychological, however be calm and shot to factor with Joody.
Disappointed, my niece nodded her head in contract and went about her day. But an hour lateron, she came back running to her mom with a counterproposal. “What if we commemorate baba’s birthday not by singing him a birthday tune, however rather by reading the Quran?” a figuredout Joody asked.
We discover haven in the Quran in great times and in bad times, so we all believed it made sense to keepinmind Moataz by reading holy verses.
We likewise handled to discover a service to the “birthday cake issue”. We discovered a woman who had some flour and was prepared to bake 7 pieces of