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19 August 2007

Whose Land is it Anyway?

- good question!

Written mid August 2007 - (130 lines)

*

What rules do we apply when we say:
"Whose land is it anyway?"

It seems that most people would agree
That a Jew is an acceptable returnee
After an absence of two thousand years
From Palestine, although only tears
Suffering and death have been the results
From ethnic cleansing to constant insults
Of those who at least have equal rights
To call that place home, as fellow Semites

People might argue historically
Or say quite spontaneously:
"Of course the Jews have a right to return
That is their land for which they yearn!
It really is about time we learn
From the past so as not to repeat
The policies which always end in defeat
And failure for everyone involved -
The Jewish return is a problem solved!"

Thank you very much! - If that is OK
Then surely we also have to say
That it would be just as desirable
Everywhere else and not just Israel

And that all the peoples who still live
Where they used to, those truly native
But whose numbers colonisers in hate
Did everything they could to decimate
But failed in their quest to exterminate
Have the right to proclaim that land their state
If they wish - and if no foreigners fit
Into their plans, well, so be it!

*

If we decide after much debate
On an arbitrary cut-off date
That might be fair to some, maybe most
But others would say we moved the goalposts
To suit ourselves or wealthy friends
You see, it really all depends
Whose side we are on - there will always be some
Who know where we are coming from!

Natural resources would undoubtedly play
The greatest role in what might sway
The minds involved to accept this view
Or that, we may assume that few
If any would possess the integrity
To rule with impartiality
On matters of such momentous weight
As the birthright to call a land your state

*

The North American Indians
(The new world's Palestinians!)
Should demand that the three hundred
Million foreign colonisers spread
Across their vast ancestral lands
Leave at once and the last one hands
The keys of America to its rightful heirs
And let them manage their own affairs!

The same is the case in Canada
New Zealand and Australia
Return those lands without any fees
To the Inuit, Maoris and Aboriginees!

And as a latter-day Viking I demand
That nearly one half of all the land
Of England is returned immediately
Right here and now to the sovereignty
Of Denmark to which it did belong
For a thousand years ago we were strong
Called the Danelaw way back then
Recognised by kings and ordinary men
From London to Chester up to the river Tees
From coast to coast between the two seas

Denmark and Norway should between them decide
Who should have what from the mark of low tide
Of most of the coastline of Britain, and of course
To make way for the influx of the new Old Norse
On the Shetlands and Orkneys and the Western Isles
Those living there now would soon be exiles!

We cannot do this? Oh yes we can!
And for my private fiefdom - the Isle of Man!

And all of Ireland really belongs
To us, the Vikings, for legends and songs
And well-known history confirm that fact
Frozen in time, caught in the act
Invaders turned traders turned farmers turned on
By the green and pleasant land they had gone
Through so many troubles to seek and find
Leaving all they had not so safely behind
For their all-consuming new interest
Building a better existence out West

*

There are countless similar cases throughout
The world but those mentioned I do know about
So chose them here as examples to show
As humanity expands the planet will grow
Ever smaller and tighter, leaving us to grope
For ways of reducing the increasing scope
For deadly conflicts over things in demand:
Oil, gas, metals, forests, water - LAND!

*

Accept or reject the status quo?
Precisely how far back should we go?
These are the questions we need to ask
If we honestly intend to lift the mask
To determine who is the owner and who
Is the usurper or impostor - true?
Do not be afraid to think outside the box
So what if it upsets or shocks
Some people so long as the intention is good
Presented in a way that is understood
And if not well at least decently said -
Even if rejected, your point was made

*

What is good for the Jews must be good for all!
The world's credibility stands or falls
On implementing this principle or not!
So, will the Palestinians be left to rot
In refugee camps for sixty years more
Or returned to where they lived before
In peace with their neighbours and in dignity
As a matter of the utmost urgency?

You are adviced not to hold your breath
Sadly it would lead to certain death...

But they want to return and so they must
And who is to blame if they no longer trust
Anyone to deliver what was promised so long
Their wish to return is incredibly strong
Their expulsion illegal cruel and wrong
It is up to the world and not Israel
To make that decision once and for all
Though the powers that be are wavering still
Soon, inshallah, return they will!

*

Meanwhile that awkward question remains
As we wait to work out the losses and gains
What rules DO we apply when we say:
"Whose land is it anyway?"

*

Copyright © 2007 - IBRAHEEM (O.E.H.Johansen) - All Rights Reserved

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

salam,absolutely fascinating!
ive read quite alot of your work and I am gobsmacked, so easy to understand and so much said, may Allah let your message reach those hearts blinded by arrogance...ameen.
you should consider writing a book brother, I have told all my family and friends about ur work and I hope u dont mind that I posted some of your work up in the ''poetry free for all''.....thanks for sharing this great work, salam

NeoVerine said...

Great poem Ibraheem. Your work is so highly informative all the time, super stuff. MUCH APPRECIATED. Thank you for writing such a piece! You're a credit to the cause and never give up.

VIVA PALESTINE!

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