The value of knowledge – Mazin Qumsiyeh
I am in London and gave my first talk at the Blackheath Friends Meeting
House last night. I reminisced that this is where we held a memorial for
our friend Qavi who died and was buried in Palestine 27 August 2017. We
talked about the ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity; the same
day,70 buildings were destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces in Sur
Bahir, Jerusalem. Ethnic cleansing, killings, and lies continue. Some 50
good people listened carefully and asked good questions or made good
remarks. Our tour in the UK continues – you can find an updated schedule
here: http://qumsiyeh.org/upcomingevents/ . Jessie and I are staying in the
homes of friends and we are grateful for the kind hospitality of so many
colleagues and look forward to meeting hundreds of supporters. We can use
your support even if you cannot attend talks. Volunteers and donors are
sought. Please visit palestinenature.org to see how you can help.
The past two nights were spent at the home of Neville and Jane Grant, a
home filled with books in every room and every corner. The couple are
themselves book authors. Knowledge is power and when I think of the
positive things about the UK, I think of the myriad of great UK books that
changed my life over the years. Darwin, Dickens, Dawkins, Shakespeare and
hundreds more hard working people who enriched our live more than make-up
for the likes of Balfour and Herbert Samuel who destroy. In one of my
reincarnations as mammalogist, I think of the influence on my life of
people like Oldfield Thomas and David Harrison. I am always strengthened in
my belief that knowledge is power and we try to create such a knowledge
environment at our museum and institute for biodiversity and sustainability
so that children and university students flourish. There are millions of
books beyond the Quran and the Bible! I pity those who do not read beyond
requirements of formal coursework k or are so closed minded (e.g. Zionists)
that they simply do not want to read and know facts (one came to challenge
me at the lecture yesterday). I try to finish reading a book every week
(some longer ones take me 10 days). Like Neville and Jane, I am obsessed
with buying and reading books (already did so in the first 24 hours in
London). As I tell my students, we all need to read and write more. I feel
guilty that I have almost finished writing two new book manuscripts and
then put them aside for the past two years. I need to take advantage of the
time on this trip to look for a publisher.
Anyways, as noted in link above there are opportunities for us to get
together while in the UK (many cities). We welcome your support and we
invite you to visit us in Palestine
Stay Human
Mazin Qumsiyeh
A bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Professor, Founder, and (volunteer) Director
Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University
Occupied Palestine
http://qumsiyeh.org
http://palestinenature.org
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