I wanted to join my voice and gratitude with AquaCool to Fadi Andrawos for his piece "Palestine and Lebanon". Its probably the first singer who attempted to approach this delicate "double identity" issue. Why? I mean why hasn't anyone before stumbled upon this problem that many many Palestinians scattered around the world in general or the Arabic countries in Particular?
I believe identity is created by direct interaction of the person with his present society, with his parents roots and with the personal belifes and ideologies. But often there are certain conflicts in such mixture.
Fadi Andrawos in his song "Palestine and Lebanon", adressed his personal double identity of being a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon. Some Palestinians may argue, that by speaking the lebanese accent or by declaring himself being Lebanese that he is forgetting his roots.. and that his not loyal to his own people.
He is only a simple example of thousands of refugees.. everywhere.. including those in Jordan.
Many times during my study period at the University, i faced the very direct question... "where are you from?" Are you Jordanian or Palestinian.. ? You have to choose.. either tick or tack!
And I couldn't help but thinking in myself.. why can't I be both? does that make me less of a Palestinian? if i feel obligated to respect the dignitity and soverenity of the country hosted my grandparents when they were refugees. Or if I declare my self as a Palestinian (even though i hold a Jordanian citizenship) ,does that make me less of Jordanian? or maybe accused of being a "careless" Jordanian...and thus treated as a second class citizen..?
I guess that issue, in the previous generations was solved by the Arab nationalism ideology. (though that doesn't resolve the situation palestinians faced in non-arabic countries). Ideology that at that time united everyone against the Israeli agression, but failed these days.
It gets even more complicated if you travel. Again the very same question... Where are you from? Am I Palestinian ? Am I Jordanian? :S so i settle down with answering "I am from Jordan".. but if the one who hears this question knows a bit about Jordan.. he will be like: " are you Palestinian or Jordanian Jordanian ?! So back in the loop.
Yes it is hard , to have double identitiy.. I am not Jordanian with Palestinian originis, i am not Palestinian staying temporarily in Jordan, i am not Jordanian Jordanian not Jordanian Palestinian.. I am not Palestinian Jordanian... I am simply both. Not 50 % Jordanian and 50 % Palestinian.. but 100 % Palestinian and 100 % Jordanian.
Yes we can be both, and am so proud of both as i happen to be proud of even anther whole issue of having even third identity.. the Macedonian one...
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