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The horrific IS legacy. Iraq 10 years on
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A bright blue games console, identical to ones found in living rooms across Britain, sits on a table in northern Iraq. It looks innocuous – until you get closer.
Sink taps, bags of rice and bottles of oil – all are items ISIS transformed into explosives to target innocent civilians or unsuspecting soldiers during their reign of terror in Iraq and Syria.
A decade after their rise to power shocked the world, Molly Blackall of the I newspaper travelled to the former IS heartlands of northern Iraq to discover the inside story of their bloody occupation from those who lived through it.
Off a dusty road in Sulaymaniyah, a Kurdish city close to the border with Iran, is also a Mines Advisory Group (MAG) base which trains civilians to find and defuse explosives.
Iraq is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, with decades of conflict leaving the land littered with unexploded devices. But here, the target wasn’t “military or strategic, it was there for everybody”.
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Iraqi Jewish confectionery are a window into a bygone era
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Five days a week, 78-year-old Tzvi (Sabah) David rises at 4:35 a.m. and dons an all-white baker’s outfit before heading out to open up Konditorei David, the last-of-its-kind Iraqi pastry shop in Petah Tikva that was opened by his father David Tsalah.
Three days before the Purim holiday, David is getting ready for one of the busiest times of the year as multiple generations of Iraqi customers will soon stop by to purchase sweets that have been synonymous with Purim for Iraqi Jews for centuries, if not millennia.
“I love the work. It is a very tiring and difficult job and I am not 18 anymore, but I feel young in the morning when I get up,” David tells Eliyahu Freedman of The Times of Israel on a recent visit to the small shop, which doubles as a window into the pre-modern world of Middle-Eastern pastries.
His first item of business today is making a fresh batch of baba qadrasi, also known in Arabic as “mann el-sama” or “manna from heaven,” named after the legendary food that God miraculously delivered from the sky to feed the Israelites in the Exodus story.
If not truly the biblical food itself, an early recipe for baba qadrasi was found in a 10th-century Abbasid cookbook.
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With the stroke of a brush. Meet Iraqi artist Fairoozan Abdullah
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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.
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Let's talk about a revolution. New film explores Iraq's 2019 uprising
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Swiss filmmaker Maja Tschumi and eyewitnesses Melak Mahdi and Mohammed Al Khalili explore the hopes and desperation of a young generation in contemporary Iraq. As Murtada Elfadl explained for Variety;
"Revolutions bring hope for a better life and strength in community. “Immortals,” a documentary about young Iraqi activists, deals with the aftermath of 2019’s October Protest Movement. What happens when the promise of a better life has been hijacked by insidious political forces?
An insightful look into the social and political fabric of modern Iraq, Maja Tschumi‘s film shows the quiet desperation of losing hope and having raging emotions that cannot be outwardly expressed. It also chronicles the plight of a generation who shares their dreams and frustrations with other people around the world suffering from similar oppressions."
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totallyhussein-blog · 10 days
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The Manchester connection. Holocaust stories take on new meaning
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Giving added thought to the Anne Frank Trusts conference in Manchester, it was remarkable to hear a first hand account from a Holocaust survivor, who settled in the city and rebuilt her life after WW2.
This connection drew me back to the story of Victor 'Young' Perez, the Tunisian Jewish boxer, who died during the Holocaust but was the World Flyweight Champion in the 1930's. Victor 'Young' Perez had also boxed in Manchester in 1932 and in 1933.
An evaluation of the Anne Frank Trust UK shows its education programme's make young people more positive towards various social groups. The Educating Against Prejudice report by the University of Kent presents data on nearly 3,000 school pupils.
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totallyhussein-blog · 10 days
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Let's talk about books for young minds
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Two books which would make a marvelous addition to Wood Street Mission's 'Books Forever Appeal' are, 'I Sang You Down From the Stars' by Tasha Spillett-Sumner and 'Osnat and Her Dove' by Sigal Samuel.
These are ideal for kids aged 4-11 and both books engage young reader's in Native American heritage and traditional Jewish storytelling. In last year's 'Books Forever Appeal', both were a much welcomed contribution.
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.
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totallyhussein-blog · 13 days
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Have you read Anne Frank's Diary? Here's how you can now get involved!
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I had a fantastic time at The Anne Frank Trust UK's national conference in Manchester, which took place on Thursday 14th March. They had some incredible speaker's and all of the subjects were highly relevant to what is taking place in modern day Britain.
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It's incredible that in 2023, annefrank.org.uk worked with over 119, 311 young people in schools across Britain, with 92.3% of those young people making significant progress in their understanding of prejudice.
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After seeing the work that was put into the conference and witnessing some of the positive impacts the Trust is making across Britain, I really hope that friends with an interest in history, will visit the AFT website and get involved!
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totallyhussein-blog · 16 days
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Be Inspired by Harry Haft
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Harry Haft was a Polish-Jewish boxer and survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. He was briefly a professional boxer in post-war Germany, and boxed as a light heavyweight in the United States.
After the war, Harry Haft emigrated to the USA with the help of an uncle in New Jersey. Haft's final fight was against future champion Rocky Marciano, on 18 July 1949 in Rhode Island Auditorium.
In April 2007, Harry Haft was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
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totallyhussein-blog · 16 days
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Be Inspired by Rocky Marciano
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Rocco Francis Marchegiano better known as Rocky Marciano, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956.
He is the only heavyweight champion to have finished his career undefeated.
Known for his relentless fighting style, formidable punching power, stamina, and exceptionally durable chin, Marciano is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
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totallyhussein-blog · 16 days
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Be Inspired by Victor Perez
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Victor Perez was a Tunisian Jewish boxer, who became the World Flyweight Champion in 1931 and 1932, fighting under his ring name Young Perez.
Perez was arrested in Paris in 1943 by the Milice Francaise, a French collaborationist paramilitary force of the Vichy Regime. He was detained in the Drancy internment camp before being transported to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
Victor “Young” Perez died on the death march on January 22, 1945; probably he was shot because of an attempted escape or died of complete exhaustion. He was 33 years old.
The Institut National des Sports in Paris named its boxing arena after Victor Perez and put up a plaque in his memory. Victor Perez was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
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totallyhussein-blog · 20 days
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We Can Do It! Meet Emma Nicholson, the Baroness revolutionizing women's rights
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It's amazing to think of the incredible impact Baroness Emma Nicholson has had on the lives of women worldwide. In 1991, Baroness Nicholson founded the AMAR International Charitable Foundation and she is also president of the Iraq Britain Business Council.
Since 1991, AMAR have provided over 11 million medical consultations to communities impacted by conflict and has funded various programs and initiatives aimed at creating opportunities for women's growth, education, and personal development.
Baroness Nicholson also launched 'Escaping Darkness' in 2015, the first national trauma service in Iraq, which provided specific care to women and girls who had survived the genocide carried out by ISIS. This work has since produced the AMAR Ashti Women's Choir, who performed for HRH Prince Charles in 2020.
You can learn more about the work of Baroness Nicholson by visiting amarfoundation.org or you can Whatsapp +447754782898 for more information on how you can get involved. It's only by working together, that we can rebuild lives.
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totallyhussein-blog · 23 days
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Be Inspired by Salamo Arouch
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Salamo Arouch was the Middleweight Champion of Greece, the All-Balkans Middleweight Champion and survivor of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
A Greek-Jewish boxer, Arouch came from a family of fishermen. Salamo, his brother Avram, and his father, also worked as stevedores.
By 1939, Salamo had a 24-0 (24 knockouts) record with a traditional style of boxing: jabbing and crossing. He became known in Greece as "The Ballet Dancer" due to his "fancy footwork."
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totallyhussein-blog · 23 days
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Making disability rights a priority in Fallujah, Iraq
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The month of March is dedicated to Developmental Disabilities Awareness and there is no greater guardian for children than Aslan.
“My country was made for noble hearts such as yours, no matter how small their bearers be” and these words hold resonance for kids in Fallujah, who are supported by the Iraqi Children Foundation.
From physical therapy to educational assistance, the Iraqi Children Foundation’s clinic is helping children reach their full potential and live life to the fullest.
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totallyhussein-blog · 26 days
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Be Inspired by Beatrix Potter
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Beatrix Potter was born on 28 July, 1866, and remains one of the world's best-selling and best-loved children's authors. She wrote and illustrated 28 books, including her 23 tales of Peter Rabbit which have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
In her later years, she became a farmer and sheep breeder and helped protect thousands of acres of land in the Lake District. When Beatrix Potter died aged 77, on the 22nd December 1943, she left 14 farms and more than 4,000 acres of land to the National Trust.
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totallyhussein-blog · 26 days
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Be Inspired by Siegfried Sassoon
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Siegfried Sassoon was an English war poet, writer, and soldier. Decorated for bravery on the Western Front, he became one of the leading poets of the First World War. Siegfried Sassoon was born to a Jewish father and an Anglo-Catholic mother.
His father, Alfred Ezra Sassoon, son of Sassoon David Sassoon, was a member of the wealthy Baghdadi Jewish Sassoon merchant family. Sassoon's family first arrived from Basra to the British city of Manchester in 1856.
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totallyhussein-blog · 29 days
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Be Inspired by Tove Jansson
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Tove Jansson is without a doubt one of the best Finnish artists of all time and also the most widely read Finnish author abroad. Her work is of immeasurable value because of her success as a writer, artist and cartoonist.
Tove Jansson was a multi-talented artist who is mostly remembered as the creator of the Moomins. The Moomin books have been translated into over fifty languages. Her worldwide fame is also recognisable because she succeeded to write for both children and adults at the same time.
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totallyhussein-blog · 29 days
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Be Inspired by A.J. Cronin
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Archibald Joseph Cronin is best known as A. J. Cronin and was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is The Citadel which was published in 1937 and is a story about a Scottish doctor who serves in a Welsh mining village before achieving success in London. The themes explored in The Citadel inspired the creation of Britain's National Health Service (NHS) after World War Two.
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