#hussein al-alak

[totallyhussein-blog]

Winnie the Pooh is inspiring Manchester’s kids to read

It's great news from Wood Street Mission and the Books Forever Appeal! Over 8,000 children's books have been donated so far and amongst them are the stories of Winnipeg the Bear -aka the real life Winnie The Pooh- and the Canadian veterinarian Harry D. Colebourn.

I'm positive that books like these will inspire Manchester's young people to read and with more WSM Book Roadshows planned in our city's schools, Wood Street Mission are still in need of brand new or good condition pre-loved books for children and young people.

In 2022, WSM distributed over 20,500 books to disadvantaged young people across Manchester and thanks to support from the public, it's brilliant that each child gets to take home 5 books to keep. Through such acts of kindness, you are helping to overcome barriers that children in low-income families face.

But did you know that donating to Wood Street Mission’s 'Books Forever Appeal’ couldn’t be easier? You can drop off a book in person or have it delivered direct to the Wood Street Mission, 26 Wood Street, Manchester, M3 3EF, The UK.

Wood Street Mission is located next to the John Rylands Library on Deansgate. You can also visit woodstreetmission.org.uk for more information or to make a secure online donation.

[wearepeace]

“Walking and talking are two very great pleasures, but it is a mistake to combine them. Our own noise blots out the sounds and silences of the outdoor world." ― C.S. Lewis

[007chana]

https://totallyhussein-blog.tumblr.com/post/708807790665334784/churches-unite-for-earthquake-relief-in-syria

[totallyhussein-blog]

Explore the life and legacy of Gertrude Bell

Gertrude Bell was an archaeologist, travel writer, explorer, and political administrator responsible for creating the borders of the countries of the Near East after World War I and for laying the foundations of the modern state of Iraq. Gertrude Bell made important contributions to archaeology and a greater understanding of the cultures of Mesopotamia and ancient Persia through her books, including what is still considered the best translation of the Persian poet Hafiz’s work.

Queen of the Desert is the compelling story of Gertrude Bell, archaeologist, linguist, and author whose passion for the Arab peoples turned her into an architect of the independent kingdom of Iraq, a role driven by an unyielding spirit. Drawing heavily on Gertrude's personal diaries and letters, journalist Georgina Howell paints an intimate portrait of a Victorian woman who gave up her world of privilege and plenty to navigate the complex geopolitics of the Middle East.

Letters from Baghdad tells the extraordinary and dramatic story of Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in her day. An explorer and political powerhouse, Bell shaped the destiny of Iraq after World War I in ways that still reverberate today. More influential than her friend and colleague T.E. Lawrence, Bell was an outspoken critic of the policies of the British colonial office.

The Baghdad Archaeological Museum was established with the help of the British author Gertrude Bell in 1926. In the 1920s the Museum was under the Ministry of Public Works while under the Ministry of Education in the 1930s. The Iraqi National Museum is now the only institution dedicated to protecting the comprehensive and collective archaeological heritage of Iraq from loss or destruction, in order that it may be enjoyed and studied by the present and future generations.

[totallyhussein-blog]

Manchester's Little Free Libraries are a world of pure imagination

I absolutely adore the Little Free Libraries which are located here in Manchester and last weekend, it was wonderful to contribute the entire 'Chronicles of Narnia' along with the classic story 'Five Children and It'.

These creative small boxes are scattered across the city and contain a world of pure imagination. All you do is donate a book, take a book and help by spreading the word. They're magic!

[totallyhussein-blog]

A Jewish family story speaks about a lesser-known Iraq

The Mother of Kamal opens in Highgate, London, after a sell-out run last year! The Mother of Kamal is being performed at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate from 19 – 28 January. Are you going to see it?

It's 1948 in the slums of Baghdad. A working-class Jewish mother finds her two sons arrested by the Secret Police. Inexplicably, one is imprisoned while the other is set free. Um-Kamal is reluctantly drawn into the orbit of the Communist Party, risking all to save her teenage sons and hold her rapidly fragmenting family together.

The play was not written to suggest easy solutions to complex issues. But it does tell, almost allegorically, the story of an Iraq that many people will not have known existed. Prior to 1935, the different ethnicities and religions that made up Baghdad had coexisted without significant conflict, though by the 1940s things had begun to shift.

As Um-Kamal and her sons struggle to navigate rising oppression, it is the diverse community around them which comes together to oppose the threats of fascist mobs and arbitrary bureaucratic injustices. And when government thugs looking for trouble come, it is their Muslim friends who shield Um-Kamal and her family.

[totallyhussein-blog]

Not silent! Yazidi's need justice to survive, heal and thrive

Almost ten years ago, ISIS seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria and launched a genocidal campaign against the Yazidis in northern Iraq.

In August 2014, shortly after ISIS declared a caliphate, they attacked Sinjar, the northern Iraqi Yazidi homeland. More than 400,000 Yazidis fled their homes and tens of thousands took refuge on Mount Sinjar where they remained stranded and hungry for weeks.

Over 3,000 Yazidis, mostly men and elderly women, were killed, and around 6,000 women and children were captured by ISIS. The captive women and children were targeted for sexual slavery and trafficking, while the boys were trained to fight for ISIS.

The 2015 documentary Escaping ISIS, recently released on FRONTLINE’s YouTube channel, presented the gripping, first-hand accounts of Yazidi women who escaped ISIS with the help of an underground network.

Now, almost a decade later, while ISIS’s so-called caliphate has collapsed, the Yazidi community is still dealing with the aftermath of the terror group’s brutal rule. FRONTLINE examines the challenges many Yazidis still face as they seek justice, reunite with family members and attempt to rebuild their community.

[totallyhussein-blog]

With the stroke of a brush. Meet Iraqi artist Fairoozan Abdullah

Growing up in Baghdad, Iraq, Fairoozan Abdullah remembers painting as far back as the age of five. The young artist went on to earn a bachelor's degree from the College of Fine Arts at the University of Baghdad and teach art in the Iraqi capital for many years.

At 30, Fairoozan and her family were forced to leave Iraq, however she continued to paint as a refugee in Georgia, Romania, and Yemen. In 2010, a United Nations refugee program allowed her to go to the US. It was after planting roots in South Carolina that Fairoozan began her paper quilling journey.

The dynamic art form of paper quilling involves taking strips of paper and rolling them into different shapes to create detailed designs. The result looks just like a regular painting, with each strip representing a brushstroke.

[totallyhussein-blog]

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...Thunderbirds Are Go!

“I can't believe it's been 4 years, since I took part on Salford's Run Media City with my good friend Tracy.  It was also fabulous, to adorn our Thunderbirds costumes and promote the international rescue efforts of the AMAR International Charitable Foundation.

We're incredibly proud of what AMAR has achieved in Iraq and this includes the school for orphans, which the AMAR Foundation built in Basra back in 2016. Since opening its doors, the school has grown to become a sanctuary for kids who have lost parents to conflict or illness.

The school boasts modern facilities and provides a broad curriculum, so children get the best start in life. The teaching staff are also equipped to assist children's emotional development and this allows the young people to grow in a nurturing and supportive environment.

This picture was taken on our second Run Media City adventure for the AMAR Foundation and I've also done the Manchester 10K for AMAR's efforts in Iraq. If you're looking for a challenge and believe in welfare, healthcare and education, then why not run for AMAR? We'd love for you to join us!”

(pictured is Hussein Al-alak and Tracy Hollowood on the Run Media City 5K in Salford for the AMAR International Charitable Foundation. You can contribute to AMAR’s ongoing work here)

[totallyhussein-blog]

Armenia to recognize 3rd August as Day of Commemoration of Yazidi Genocide

The Armenian Parliament voted this week to designate August 3rd as the official commemoration day for the victims of Yazidi Genocide. The bill submitted by ethnic Yazidi MP Rustam Bakoyan passed the first reading with 88 votes in favor. Armenia will thus become the first country after Iraq to enshrine this into law.

“Genocide is a crime against humanity, and it is the biggest crime. This is a direct result and a direct consequence of incorrect and improper condemnation of the Armenian Genocide in 1915. The destinies of Armenians and Yazidis are quite similar, and our destinies have always crossed paths. We have often found ourselves in the same situations in different stages of history,” Bakoyan said as he presented the bill.

“The Republic of Armenia, adhering to the policy and priority it adopted in the process of prevention and condemnation of genocides, in 2014 condemned the genocide of Yazidis in Iraq from the high podium of the United Nations. In 2015, the Yazidi genocide in Iraq was condemned by the Armenian National Assembly factions, and in 2018 by the National Assembly,” the MP said.

“The prevention of genocide and crimes against humanity is one of the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy,” Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan said, adding that Armenia actively supports the measures aimed at the prevention and condemnation of the mentioned crimes, the processes of further development of tools and mechanisms for the prevention of genocides and other mass crimes, both on bilateral and multilateral cooperation platforms.

[totallyhussein-blog]

When John Pilger spoke up for Iraq's sanctioned children

As people around the world mourn the passing of journalist John Pilger, let's go back to the year 2000 when ITV aired 'Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq'.

In this documentary, John Pilger fills in an important gap in US, UK and Iraqi history, detailing events during the period of time between the First Gulf War and the 2003 Coalition invasion.

[totallyhussein-blog]

Why the UK is so concerned about schools and public buildings

British politics has returned from the summer obsessed with one apparently unlikely subject – concrete. Fears over the safety of reinforced autoclave aerated concrete, or Raac, have closed schools in England and more buildings could follow.

So what is reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or Raac, and why is it suddenly so prominent? To get to grips with this issue, check out the Guardian's Crumbling concrete: why the UK is so concerned about schools and public buildings and the UK’s school buildings failure goes back decades by the Financial Times.

The Royal College of Nursing has also warned that emergency plans should be shared with staff and employers should immediately assess any risk of buildings collapsing. It comes after it was revealed that dozens of NHS buildings and hospitals in England contain the “weaker” reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

“Nursing staff and patients deserve to feel safe and will be alarmed at this letter warning trusts to get ready to evacuate hospitals if they are at risk of collapse. Staff must be properly briefed by their employer and provided with relevant information concerning their place of work. Employers have a legal duty to make sure staff, and others who could be affected, such as patients and visitors, are safe."

While we're on the subject of buildings in Britain, The Morning Star are reporting that nearly 5,000 people in Britain died last year due to damp and cold homes. The End Fuel Poverty Coalition have calculated that of the 21,890 excess winter deaths in 2022-23, 21.5 per cent were caused by people living in cold homes.

[totallyhussein-blog]

In the bleak midwinter, let books be your guide

Are you looking for something new to read? If you are, check out 'Frankenstein in Baghdad' by Ahmed Saadawi and 'The Watermelon Boys' by Ruqaya Izzidien.

According to the New York Times; "In the 200 years since Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, her monster has turned up in countless variations - but few of them have been as wild or politically pointed as the monster in Ahmed Saadawi's Frankenstein in Baghdad."

BookFabulous described The Watermelon Boys by Ruqaya Izzidien as an "intricate tapestry of Iraq during WWI stitched up from the various points of view of a wide cast of strongly fleshed out characters moving in a space that is so well detailed in its description it actually felt as if were cinematic, playing out on an imaginary reel in this reader's mind."

[totallyhussein-blog]

Reach for the stars, as NASA makes giant leaps for mankind

As the world was getting to grips with remote learning during Covid restrictions, back in 2020 a special message was beamed into Iraq from NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir on the International Space Station.

This message was sent to children being supported by the Iraqi Children Foundation, through their Baghdad based mobile schools called the Hope Buses.

Today and in honor of Black History Month, NASA are recognizing the contributions of Black astronauts to America's space programs. These men and women have and continue to light the way in space exploration.

Coming to NASA from various backgrounds like military pilots, engineers, scientists, and physicians, these astronauts have made history-making contributions. What they have all accomplished, has been a giant leap for mankind.

[totallyhussein-blog]

What is to be done? Let's have a fresh discussion on foreign affairs...

It's been twenty years since the US and UK established 'Democracy' in Iraq and we're also coming up to a decade since the 2014 ISIS Genocide.

But the question now being asked is, could Israel’s Gaza war drag Iraq into another conflict?

The US & UK were seriously damaged across the entire MENA region, with the false claims that Saddam had WMD's which could be launched in 45 minutes.

The belief in democracy was also set back by the emergence of terror groups like Al-Qaida, prisoner abuse scandals at Abu Ghraib and the coalitions failure to provide basic infrastructure, in a country which had already been plagued by the 1991 Gulf War and UN sanctions.

According to the Iraqi Children Foundation, by the end of US/UK military operations, over 800.000 Iraqi children had been left as orphans.

According to Al-Jazeera, 'Iraq has increasingly become a scene for strikes between Iran-backed forces and the United States amid Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, with concerns mounting about a serious escalation.'

But what also needs to be asked is, can the US and UK afford to commit both finances and man power to another 20 years of war in the Middle East?

And what about the consequences? As this would mean directly and publicly confronting Iran, and all of their regional 'backed forces'.

Before anyone can commit to active military engagement in the Middle East, people in the US and UK need to consider that both countries are heading towards elections.

There is also growing unrest due to the cost of living crisis and the economic recovery from the Covid pandemic. Then there is the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the issue of what is to be done with Israel and Gaza.

Maybe the West should try a new approach to foreign affairs rather than using their previously tried and tested model.

[totallyhussein-blog]

Hear Angels Cry is the Christmas song that 'transcends borders'

As a partner in this project, John Handal, a music producer from Bethlehem, and owner of RJ Music, has played a crucial role in bringing this collaboration to life. Do you know the background story to the song Hear Angels Cry?

John's commitment to the project reflects a shared vision of using music as a beacon of hope and healing in the Middle East region. “It’s an honour to be part of a project that transcends borders and brings together artists from Bethlehem and London.”