Friday, January 4, 2013

My Love to Pamela Geller...no, really!

I've become a little scared lately at what is happening to America. This is not the America that I remember when my folks came here in the 70s to get away from a brute dictator that was systematically killing all of their college friends. Our 70s America was a fun America. Everyone got alone, went to the Persian market for their sweets, headed to the Greek deli for their feta, and the French bakery for their bread. I remember my classmates in school being mixed; we had Indian, African American, Hispanic, even an Iranian. The college town where I grew up had all kinds of nationalities that got alone great because there were no haters. Our potlucks were amazing mixtures of delicious spreads.

But this America that I'm raising kids has school, mall, military fort, and office shootings. And what about the our droids attacking play grounds, our oil spills that last for months, and worse of all, we have two grown men publically fighting to try to save a country falling off a cliff? But the America that is hurting me most right now is that one that includes people like Pamela Geller.

For those that do not know who she is, please go read up on her on your own. Go ahead, this post will still be here when you get back.

Okay, for those that know who she is, I'll continue.

In my language, we have a word for women like her: Makara. This is a person that goes out of her way to be mean. She is that bully in the high school cafeteria that stuck out her foot as you were walking by with your tray of food. She is that twit that won't let you merge in the lane even though you've been signaling well ahead of her. She is that person at work that drinks the last of the coffee and never makes more for others. That is what Pamela Geller is: a Makara.

When I first created A Crafty Arab, my number one goal was to try to combat negative Arab stereotypes with positive images through my craft products. I wanted to let people know that what happened that horrible day in 2001 had nothing to do with me or what my religion stood for. It was a group of 12 men who thought they spoke on behalf of 1.62 billion people. But in reality, what they did is everything that my religion speaks against. 

But here is Pamela Makara, trying to stick a finger in my face, blaming me for what happened and the downfall of civilization as she knows it. So, today, inspired by this video, I made a Love notebook for her. If anyone has her address, please send it my way and I'll include this lovely letter with it:

Ms. Geller,
I made a Love notebook that I'm dedicating to you. Please don't panic over the Arabic writing, it does not say Death to all Americas, it actually says Love. Inside this notebook, I'd like you to write down each good deed that you do a day. This good deed can in no way harm another human being. It should not make people angry on a morning commute in their subway . And this good deed should in no way make one human want to push another human off a train platform. Examples of good deed can involve donating your current funds (and salary) to a breast cancer organization or perhaps help out your neighbors with a little Sandy fund donation?  Your deed can be volunteering your Thanksgiving time feeding the homeless or perhaps builing a Habitat for Humanity house in New Orleans?  You may visit the website United We Serve for more ideas on ways to fill your notebook..  Whatever you do decide to put in your notebook, I will pray to our God that it makes you happy.

Sincerely,
A Crafty Arab who loves you

Okay, I did include a couple of P.S.s on there, but they sounded a little bit makara from me.  So I will not add them in the letter, but they did feel good to write. ;P

Oh yeah, here is the notebook.  I hope she likes it!


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