Introducing "European Book Review"｜"Regaining Writing" by Adania Shibli and Laila's headscarf

I have never been to Gaza, but Gaza is in my poems

Adania Shibli is also writing about the "fierce war" between Israel and Gaza in 2014. The article "Regaining Writing" was published in the first issue of European Review of Books , and the Arabic and English translations were perfectly contrasted. I read "Regaining Writing" and also remembered the constant sirens and the stairwells and bomb shelters I had to run to every day in 2014. However, I don’t know that as Adania Shibli mentioned, when the IDF wants to bomb a building, they will call the residents and use a mechanical voice to notify them that the place they live is about to be bombed. This is considered "done". The obligation to inform. After the war, I read a lot of texts, mostly written from the perspective of Gaza and Palestine, because I lived on the other side. Adania Shibli was in Berlin when she received that call, but later chose to go back.

After reading "Regaining Writing", coupled with today's incident of Iranian women burning headscarves and cutting their hair in public to protest the incident of young girls being beaten to death for not wearing headscarves, I suddenly thought of Laila. Leila was my former literature classmate. She was very talkative, often spoke actively in class, and had very good opinions on many literary works. She was also a Palestinian teacher. In order to study literature, she had to go through strict border inspections every time to get to Israel. Then, because of the language barrier, she was made things difficult for her at every turn. She still cried when she told the story...

Laila wears a headscarf, but she never wants to. During several classes, she expressed that she wanted to take off her hijab, but there was no way she could do it because she was afraid that once she took off her hijab, her society would cause an uproar and would not be able to tolerate her.

I have always admired Laila. Her understanding and experience of many literature and life were far richer than mine at that time, and she was also very polite in dealing with others. As a woman traveling between Israel and Palestine, it was not easy.

Seeing Iranian women taking off their headscarves and cutting their hair, and many Iranian men also joining the fight against the dictatorship, I feel very admirable when I think about it. Theology, dictatorship, and despotism are all the same. They cannot withstand people's questioning and resistance, even if there is only one person. But the most dangerous thing is connivance and appeasement. The courage of Iranian women to take off their headscarves is historic. I can't help but wonder, what is the specific form of the curse on our heads? Confucius and Mencius, filial piety or...?

Therefore, I am grateful to the European Review of Books for allowing me to read "Regaining Writing" and for allowing readers to see the comparison between Arabic and English translations. "European Book Review" is a very good journal. The first issue was released this summer. The website is also very beautiful and exquisite. The good intentions of the editors and designers are evident. It is recommended that readers who like multiple cultures and also love European diverse and inclusive culture subscribe and read this journal. You will not be disappointed. In addition, you can also go to Kickstarter to see the crowdfunding page of "European Book Review" . Yes, they are a crowdfunded journal, and the videos and texts are so interesting!

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As we all know, the New York Review of Books is a big name in the field of literary criticism. So, are you looking forward to the European Review of Books?