Traveler I am not a vagabond. I am a traveler seeking a lost nation. My compass is made of wood pointing randomly at the four directions as if I own them like a lone wolf. I am a traveler searching for a lost nation that I may call it mine. My journey started in...

The sense of hopelessness and despair were part of the gloomy future for those of us who experienced the defeat of the six day war in 1967.  It was a crushing setback in a very peculiar war in which the zeal was sensed only in radio stations controlled by misinformed...

For the last forty four years and since my eviction I thought of the little town, Bani Naim, to the point I dreamed about its streets and houses rather frequently. Every year I invented plans to travel back and visit this town and the people who live in it.  My...

I recall my early years as a young boy walking in the dirt allies of Bani Naim without shoes and wearing a robe-like attire.  The morning always started with shepherds herding their animals through the dusty roads and directed them to the countryside for grazing and...

Life on Earth is still a mystery and is proven to be a very difficult nut to crack. I challenged myself many times to go back to recall or remember the first thing I ever recognized during my childhood without avail.  Events during that time continue to bounce in and...

In any culture superstition plays a significant role in the behavior of individuals. The fortune tellers, astrologists, palm readers, coffee cup readers, and voodoo performers are thriving professions even in our current nowadays technologically advanced societies....

I read a short article about one kind of sea crabs that they usually roam the bottom of the oceans and building their houses as they go. They may scavenge shells and items to add to their houses to camouflage themselves from predators and bushwhack their prey. ...

Going back in time to our teenage years is my pass time whenever I ran out of things to do.  To relive the moments of these wonder years is really soothing to our sorrow. Somehow we cannot delete these memories regardless of how hard we tried. Occasionally I found it...

Once every four years I found myself watching many of the Olympic Games for about two weeks.  During the last two Olympics I had a few tears rolling down my face when I saw Palestinian athletes competing and presenting Palestine for the first time in the history of...

Removing religions and fates from the equation, astronomers and physicists constructed models and theories to describe our existence and how the universe started. Even though these models provide explanation that one can understand, they are still insignificant,...

Long time ago, when a family sits on a dinner table, the parents would always look at their children and ask the question “When are you going to graduate from high school?” As if graduating from High School is the ultimate educational goal.  I lived in a time and a...

There are many moments in our lives that only death can erase them from our memories. Somehow, we aimlessly recall a few of these moments on a regular day. Compiling a list of moments that we may recall in a month or two is a huge feat. For some reasons when we reach...

Experiencing love is a very strange feeling that we human cannot explain in terms of words, which indicates the functions of our brain and senses are more than what we can explain in terms of any known language.  Many research findings indicate a normal person uses on...

After the first contact was made with one of my niece’s daughters (Afaf), she was inspired and her emotions took over her mind and soul.  She wrote me two poems and one of them is entitled “Nothing is impossible from now on.”  It is written in Arabic and therefore...

Every now and then, a melody would stick in our head and we keep repeating it over and over without getting tired of the repetition for hours and hours.  Occasionally, we recall events happened to us during our childhood and we wonder why these events pop up in our...

To be a man without a soul is a condemned corps until the end of time. To be a man with a soul is something you can crow about. To be a man and you know your soul resides in Bani Naim is a celestial blessing. I left my soul in Bani Naim To attend the high school...

Sometimes it is hard to imagine that I would leave this world without closing the cycle by going back to the place of my birth, Bani Naim. Even though I am physically too far away from this place, I still dream of Bani Naim very often.  These dreams are becoming vivid...

Through history the Arabs and Muslims were fascinated with all kind of developmental knowledge in China ranging from astronomy, philosophy, and science. The messenger of Islam encouraged his followers to seek knowledge even if it is in China. There are two...

The day starts at 6:00 am when a guard passes through the corridor slapping his club against the iron rods that made the rooms doors. The detainees will have 30 minutes to get ready by folding up their blankets and straighten out themselves. Then they leave their...

Watching the winners at the Beijing Olympic Games brings mixed emotions especially when there is a drastic or a dire story behind the gold medal winners. Human ability to achieve extraordinary physical goals is unlimited, such as a female runner who won a gold medal...

While mourning and paying respect to the deceased are sacred rituals among every culture known to human through history, I feel the Palestinian people need more than paying respect to a dead man. The way Poet Darwish's death was treated by the fellow Arabs is a...

Living in several counties and different states may be an advantageous, since one would learn different languages, be exposed to different cultures, and expand knowledge. One might think that all of the above would help people to be open-minded, become moderate,...

The morning of the eighteenth of June 1980 was my first time to walk in Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas, which runs east and west. It is the main street that leads to the University of Arkansas. The Physics building happened to be located on the south side of...

The overcast, gray, and gloomy weather in Dayton area for most of the year appears to have a negative impact on the inhabitants. The absence of the sun has a major influence on the behavior of people. A day without a shining sun is very depressing, discouraging, and...

I do not believe there will be a possible way to forget any details of the events of the 14 th of December 1970 unless being infected with a crippling brain injury or an illness, such as Alzheimer's disease. A week earlier to this date, I was blind-folded and...

My wife grew up in Indianola, Mississippi, which is a very small town at that time with a well defined downtown where southern hospitability, friendliness, and sociability are the trademarks of the residents. The highlight of the day was the short distance walk to the...

The group of people I despised the most while I was living in the old countries, in particular the Middle Eastern countries, was the policemen. They were the most despicable and hated motley bunch of people due to their brutalities and cruelties against the general...

Extended families in the Middle East are usually large. In my case, I was blessed with very productive relatives with head counts of at least six per household. In a few cases, head counts reached twelve or more. Most of the members of my extended families were...

The general consensus of the cause of multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease. The autoimmune disease is a term described as the body's immune, or defense, system mistakenly attacks its own tissue. In case of MS, the immune system attacks the nerve tissues in...

Coming straight to northwest Arkansas was a shocking experience due to the culture difference, but also due to the unique environment, setting, and upbringing of the people of Arkansas. At the time of my arrival, the state motto was the “Land of opportunity,” which is...

Living in a neighboring country to Palestine was not enjoyable, pleasurable, amusing, or exuberating experience. Everything and the whole government are focused on the ruling family. The residents are judged by their proximity and nearness to the rulers regardless of...

Considering the catastrophic events that happened to every Palestinian family, I consider myself somewhat fortunate. I was physically and forcefully removed from the little town called Bani Naim more than four decades ago. Living in a neighboring country and...

Yageen is a several century old rectangular structure standing on top of a hill. It is an ancient mosque with a tomb built inside the only room that is still standing to this day despite the erosion by the elements. The first time I enter the structure at age of five...

I clearly remember the events that lead me to attend the first day of school. A week earlier I was playing with my peers and each one of them was excited about going to the first grade. At that time I have no clue about attending school. Early morning of the first day...

The Manasreh family is composed of many sub-families and believed to arrive from the Arabian Peninsula to the city of Bani Na’im, 4.0 miles east of Hebron, Palestine. The city of Bani Na’im is built on an ancient Roman town known as Kufr- Brusha. This name is changed...