Nakba #7 - Rashid al-Haje

“For many years I wished that just once I could return to Palestine—for a single hour—and then I could die. But as a refugee, that was impossible. When I became a Swedish citizen and received a Swedish passport, I was able to go back to Palestine. In 1989 I returned for the first time. I traveled as if in a heavenly ascent, like Jesus or like Muhammad. My body and my soul were united. My body became electric; it cannot be described. I did not understand what was happening—I did not understand what was happening—but I believe it was my soul entering all the cells of my body. Being forced to flee has affected my entire being. It is extremely difficult to describe. I have thought about it a great deal. Even small children are affected; even unborn children can be affected. If I see a woman carrying a child under Nazi rule, or a Kurdish woman with a child, or in Afghanistan or in Syria, I begin to cry immediately. Immediately (begins to cry). I so deeply want to get back my house that was stolen from me by force. I wish to experience it for just one day—to be able to feel and breathe freedom—and then die there. I want to experience freedom. I still feel like a refugee—from Palestine, from Syria, and even here in Sweden. My room in Sweden feels like a refugee camp. Why am I denied my rights? I only want my rights back. Period.”