“The lady of words and deeds”. Fadwa Toukan
*****
Whilst the sky darkens and the wind blows in the Arab world taking us in no direction; she leaves us. The mother, beloved friend and companion has departed.
The jewel of the Palestinians, the Arabs and the free world, men and women has left.
“In the dark night, the full moon is missed”
*****
While darkness prevailed, minds slept, and hearts froze across the Arab world, she launched her last cry and screamed with the earth and the sky:
“Enough, enough, enough, stop the killing and the bloodshed,
Enough with torture and death, enough with fragmentation, dispersal and division, enough with sectarian and tribal quarrel.
Let the human within us awake, Arabs, let’s unite against what penetrates the bone,
Let us remember what unites and discard what scatters.
The suffering of the Syrian, Egyptian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Tunisian, and Bahraini women is my suffering, and the struggles of the Arab human against occupation, oppression, and backwardness for the sake of freedom, dignity, and social justice is my struggle.
“I feel that I am a part of the women struggles across the globe against oppression, hunger, injustice and tyranny, and part of her struggle to achieve social justice and achieve her indivisible freedoms.”
*****
In her farewell; the bird of love flew and touched the hearts of her family members, friends and beloved ones, and all of those who worked with her, knew her or heard about her. Humanitarian stories dispersed and touched the hearts of beloved ones and formed an established school by itself, a beacon and a lighthouse for future generations.
“In the beginning of the 1967 war; Um Faisal (Isam) picked me, she inspired and cultured me; as she saw in me good valid material as she put it, so she is to thank for my path of struggle.” Naela Atout / Nablus
*****
“To the family and loved ones, Um Faisal, Isam Abdul-Hadi, lived great and died great.”
Um Samer Alisawi / Jerusalem
*****
“Lover of Palestine, Icon of Palestinian women struggle: Isam Abdul Hadi/ Um Faisal.
Your struggle and role was not only for Palestinian women’s struggles and their renaissance, despite its importance, but it has bypassed it to the continuous, conscious and stubborn struggle for the rights of the people and the nation at large, as union, social and political works took a large portion of your conscious tireless sincere practices.
I have known you as a proud role model, a wise and humble teacher, and as the head of the General Union of Palestinian Women, and in all of the conferences that were held for Palestine. You never had the factional partisan mentality. Your horizons have gathered widely along with your nationalism, and your regards of land and humans as sacred, the entire political spectrum. Your house was cuddling, safe and an oasis of democracy, you listened to everyone, even to the extremist views, with love and patience without conviction.
My friend, my leader, and my teacher, no authority has managed to influence you or your red lines. You were sincere to your principles and to the Palestinian constants. You will live in our hearts.”
Wafeyeh El Barghouti/ Jordan
*****
“Her image and approach will remain present in the continuous Palestinian struggle in the face of colonialism, and its cheap tools of dismantling in our present time.”
Mahmoud Zaidan / Lebanon
*****
“There is no mourning to the loss of our beloved ones, good memories remain and the magnificent history of struggle to a person who has left her mark in the history of the Palestinian women’s movement. I didn’t know her personally, but I knew her through you, and I have touched her character of struggle through yours, and every time I read though the history of the Palestinian National Movement, her name appears as a tough struggler, for her name to remain immortal in our hearts.”
Janan Abdo / Haifa
*****
“A great struggler that reminds us of that time, when many things had a taste and a color, most importantly to strive, as striving and struggling had meanings of their own. It is sufficient that she participated in the making of that time, bless her…”
Usama Alayasa / Bethlehem
*****
“With her departure, the Jordanian and Palestinian National Movement have lost one of their inspirational leaders, as she was an example to the constant solid struggle that never yields.”
Qusay Shaheen/ Jordan
******
“This is big news in Palestine within nation and women’s movement.
The late Issam Abdulhadi was the first president of the General Union of Palestinian Women, among many other notable achievements. She is very much respected and loved.
Heare is the link to her story from Peace Women cross the Globe (PWAG) website:
http://www.1000peacewomen.org/eng/friedensfrauen_biographien_gefunden.php?WomenID=2087”
Margo Okazawa-Ray/1000 Women Across the globe/USA
*****
“We pay our condolences to the Palestinian people and the Arab women everywhere.”
Hala Khawaja / Damascus
*****
“The most beautiful of what I saw of Um Faisal, is her ability to disagree with the other’s opinion with respect. A top of the line struggler and thinker.”
Dr. Fatheyeh Nasro / Ramallah
*****
“Great people do not die, but change their whereabouts; as their memories are eternal.”
Ghazi Khazale / Jordan
*****
“Today is filled with emotions. Sadness for a great friend: Mrs Issam Abdul Hadi, a symbol of Palestinian and Arab Women.
She was the head of the General Union of Palestinian Women; she represented Arab women in all international organizations. She was the woman who hosted Yasser Arafat in her house in Nablus, and risked the safety of her family as she was protecting her bigger family Palestine. My dear Faiha Abdul-Hadi: you were a witness to her perseverance when you were tortured in Israeli Jails in front of your mother’s eye, and you knew that she was the one being tortured. We do not say goodbye my lady; but we rather say: it is the departure of the flesh.”
Zein El Abidine Fouad / Egypt.
*****
“It is really hard for a person to find words to mourn a mother; so how is it to mourn a mother of a wounded and a bleeding homeland?! She departed with a piece of history of a homeland to depart with her, we hope for it to be documented, as it was established and deepened in our lives since our school days with dearest Fadia and Faiha. Maybe she finds peace in the other world that we dearly miss.”
Abida and Marawan Al Sayeh / Jordan
*****
“The mother of strugglers, she lived for the sake of her homeland, her giving is connected and continuous, she called and worked for the unity of the nation, and restoring the cohesion amongst the sons of the one homeland. O mother of strugglers; we love you. O lady of generosity and giving, we bow to you, yes we bow.”
Afnan Abdul Latif / Al Quds
*****
“Whoever leaves this wealth of achievements on several fronts; national, social and family does not die.”
Dr. Lamis Abu Nahleh / Ramallah