“My Arab Scarf”
A few years ago, a group of us belonging to the same biker club had just returned from a November three day weekend rally and several had ended up at my place. It was late in the evening and we were all road weary and hungry. I suggested they order pizza for us all while I jump into the car and dash into town a mile away, to grab beer from the best and most convenient supermarket still open till midnight on a Sunday.
Still wearing all my leather gear and my warm beloved cotton biker scarf double wrapped around my neck (which is always a welcome shield from the cold, especially on a motor bike!) I shot into the supermarket entrance, mind distracted, looking ahead towards the isles vaguely aware of the security guard by the entrance just on my peripheral vision. Suddenly, the security guard jumped forward towards me, as if to grab me. I instinctively jumped sideways and squeaked in surprise. He put his hands up in apology and kept saying “I’m so very sorry, I’m so very sorry” over and over again. It was only then I really took a good look at him, and realised he was Middle Eastern, possibly Arabic, very very tall; a good six foot six at least, and built like the ‘Hulk’. Initially I was quite unnerved by his close proximity, but he had a friendly presence, and seemed to want to talk to me. It was then that I realised it was my scarf he was fascinated with.
I buy lots of my biker clothing from ex army surplus, like lots of bikers do, because it’s hard wearing, comfortable, and suitable for long periods of time out in the elements. I suffer with arthritis in my neck, so a good scarf is essential. I got this one from a surplus stall at a bike rally some years ago, and it’s the best scarf I’ve ever owned. It was this item which had drawn the attention of my new found acquaintance, the security guard. He explained that it is a very distinctive weave which is only made in Palestine, and desperately wanted to touch the scarf and find out where I’d got it from. I’m mixed race and quite dark skinned with black hair, and I’m sure he thought I might be Arabic like him. He told me that he is Palestinian, how much he misses his beloved homeland and how wonderful it was for him to spot a piece of home-woven cloth. He kept saying “it is from my homeland” and got quite emotional. Apparently this particular weave is not created anywhere else in the world and can only be got from Palestine. We stood for a while talking, and he shared a few heartfelt stories of his home and family and how troubled the region is now since all the bombing, and devastation. He talked about the Arab Spring, the uprising which started in Tunisia and spread through several Arab nations, including Egypt, Syria, Morocco and Bahrain: about the oppression in the West Bank and the revolution to overthrow the corrupt leadership. He cried when he spoke of his loved ones still living there under this oppressive regime.
Up to this point I had never heard of the Arab Spring and the Jasmine Revolution, which started in Tunisia when a street vendor set himself on fire to protest the corruption affecting ordinary people trying to earn a living, and although the protest spread through most of the Arab nation and created great change and transformation, it failed to effect positive change in Palestine, and the Gaza Strip remains under siege and shut off from the rest of the world to this day. The politics is complex and I won’t be able to do it justice in this short blog post, but save to say, it is one of those political minefields which gets omitted from the news these days, because there is no easy solution, and there is a lot invested in preserving the strategic agreements between the Arab world and western powers. Radical change that benefits the population of the Palestinian people may not be so welcomed by the current regime and the western powers who support them. It’s not just about oil, it’s about calling out the atrocious human rights violations, which would be opening a Pandora’s box of trouble.
I said a fond farewell to my newfound friend, but I never saw him again. I hope wherever he is, he found peace and was reunited with his loved ones. My beloved scarf was lost at a busy pub in London the following year, and I hope the person who took it off the back of my chair, treated it with the love and respect it fully deserved.
Aaron David Miller, Nov 13, 2019, Commentary, “Why No Arab Spring In Palestine” “Carnegie Endowment For International Peace”, accessed 03/02/2023
https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/11/13/why-no-arab-spring-in-palestine-pub-80329
Tues 31st Jan 2023 Guardian editorial accessed 03/02/2023
Marilyn R Gardner, Dec 29, 2011, Tahrir Square-Walls and Graffiti, “Communicating Across Boundaries”blog post, accessed 03/03/2023
https://communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2011/12/29/tahrir-square-walls-and-graffiti/
Revolution image ref
https://communicatingacrossboundaries.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/january-25th-revolution.jpg
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