Oh Palestine,
I’m a brother from Afghanistan who's in shock
For your heart is shattering
For your people have been in pain
For your mothers have been crying
For your kids have been hungry
For your fathers have been disoriented
For your brothers have been confused
For your sisters have been wounded
You are the only living witness, watching streams of blood, chains of nightmares, and waves of lamenting for decades.
Oh Palestine,
I am Hazara – another brother in our family of pain; a family of the crying, the hungry, the disoriented, the confused and the wounded, a people who see you as a Mother
Oh Palestine,
How can I find sleep while you are tortured?
How can I dream of peace without you?
I keep my eyes open, watching you in dust and ruins
while my mouth is sewn shut and my head is down.
-- Basir Bita
Basir Bita, an Afghan deeply committed to nonviolence, is a dedicated advocate for marginalized communities in Afghanistan. Basir’s own experiences of war crimes in Afghanistan inspired him to pursue an MS in Mental Health Counseling at Marquette University, with a particular focus on the deep trauma experienced by immigrants.