"Dear God, please save us from the people who believe in you." (DrKenner.

com, 2011) This quote was found written on a wall after 9/11. This is very relevant to what is happening in the Middle East because they all fight in the name of god. In Palestine, they are fighting in the very land that is supposed to be sacred to them. We must explore the culture and history in the Middle East to shine light on violence and terrorism occuring worldwide today. This report will examine the history of Palestine, and the ongoing problems today. In addition it will draw connections to the book Burned Alive, which is set in the country of Palestine. Finally it will discuss what is has happened there lately. Discrimination is happening between cultures, and also within them. This is the root of the violence in Palestine today. History of Palestine The Palestinian area includes Israel, West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Israel is the largest country in the area. About 76% percent of the citizens are Jewish, while the rest are Arab. Israel gained independence from Palestine in 1948. West Bank is predominantly Arab, with only about 17% of citizens being Jews. Many local governments are Palestinian, but it is still officially under Israeli control. This is where Burned Alive takes place. Gaza Strip is completely Palestinian. Israel removed all military and citizens from Gaza Strip in 2005. These three areas, plus Jordan and part of Syria comprised what used to be Palestine. When World War II began, Jews started coming to Palestine for protection. Although some Palestinian leaders sided with the allies, the majority agreed with the axis in the hatred of Jews. Mohammad Amin al-Husayni, leader of Jerusalem, traveled to Rome and Berlin meeting both Mussolini and Hitler. He stayed in Germany and

supported the Nazis rather than returning to Palestine. His goal was to stop the Jews from sneaking into Palestine. Shortly after World War II ended, the Jews living in Palestine rose up and gained their independence, forming Israel. Since then the Arab Palestinians have been trying to destroy it. Gaza Strip and West Bank were acquired by Israel in the 6 day war. Palestinians have gathered in those areas, mostly gaining control. There were two famous uprisings from the Palestinians called intifadas. Lately the Palestinians have been trying to negotiate their independence with Israel, and Israel is slowly compromising. Many meetings and conferences have gone on throughout the years to try to reach an agreement. Each of them fell through as new violence occurred. The final goal is to create two countries, Israel and Democratic Palestine. These two groups have fought over this land throughout history and the fighting continues to this day. (If Americans Knew, 2011) (Wikepedia, 2002-2011) (Iseroff, 2009) Issues in Palestine Today Three groups, the Palestinian Muslims, the Christians, and the Israeli Jews, all consider Palestine to be the holy land. Because of this there is tension between the groups. Israel and Palestine have tried to make agreements, but it always turns to violence. Palestinians are sick of being controlled, and Israel wont give up its land. Even parts of West Bank that are under Palestinian control are still watched over by Israelis. They have built walls on Palestinian lands to take control and even created Jew only roads. It is a terrible and unfair system that is imposed. Honor Killings are a huge problem in the Middle East. Women are killed for things as simple as not obeying the dress code. Killings also occur for affairs outside

marriage, trying to divorce or resisting an arranged marriage, or being raped, before or after marriage. The killings are slow, painful, and horrendously creative. In Burned Alive, they attempted to kill Souad by pouring gasoline all over her and lighting her on fire. Men rule everything in the Middle East, and women are treated like second class citizens. Some girls are killed at birth just because they could dishonor the family later in life. (Judd, 2011) (WorldandI.com, 2011) The SURGIR Foundation is committed to helping the victims of honor killings and other violence. It was founded in Switzerland, but helps victims worldwide. In the book this is where Jaqueline comes from to help Souad. SURGIR is run by a group of five people called the Foundation Council. Since 2005 it has been a part of the United Nations Social and Economic Council. Involvement in the UN raises international awareness of crimes and inequality. (About Us SURGIR Foundation, 2011) Arranged Marriages happen a lot in the Middle East and India. A forced marriage is a marriage that is performed under duress and without the full and informed consent or free will of both parties. (Stritof, Forced Marriage) Generally the parents of the groom will look for people they approve of. Then the groom decides which one he wants to marry. The parents of the bride and groom have a meeting called the Dowry Meeting. The families negotiate the dowry, which is the money the groom gives to the brides family for wedding costs. If the groom cant afford the dowry, they cannot get married. During the process the bride and groom dont have much power and the parents make the decisions for them. Souads brother and sister were both married this way in the book. (Stritof, 2011) (Palestineartes.com, 2011)

Burned Alive: Tipping Point I believe the tipping point of the story was when Jacqueline met Souad in the hospital. Everything before that point in the story was horrible for Souad. Souad was forced to work all day by her evil father. If she was late, either leaving to work or coming home, she would be beaten. If she did something incorrectly or slowly, she would be beaten. Many of her sisters were killed at birth, and Hanan was strangled when she was just a child. Souads brother Assad got married and abused her as badly as her father had. Fieze, her secret boyfriend, left her when he found out she was pregnant. Soon the rest of the family realized she was pregnant as well, and started to plan her death. Hussein, her brother in law, finally tried to kill her by lighting her on fire. All she felt was the dripping of gasoline and then he lit her gasoline-soaked clothes on fire. She ran away and survived, but was in a lot of pain and the hospital staff treated her poorly because she was supposed to die. Souads family tried to kill her in the hospital several times. Once her mother tried to get her to drink poison, another time her dad tried to suffocate her with a pillow, however all attempts failed. Then Jacqueline arrived in the hospital. After Jacqueline met Souad everything in Souads life turned upside down. She was taken to a better hospital and treated better. Souad and her son went to live with a foster family where they were taken care of for a while. They blended in with all the other kids and pretended they were all brothers and sisters. She went to Switzerland and was shocked by the difference in cultures. Women were free and respected there. She was able to get married and even had two kids all because of Jacqueline. She was

given a chance and ended up having a better life. This is why her encounter with Jacqueline was the tipping point of the story. Burned Alive: Quote Im going to die. That's good. Maybe Im already dead. Its over, finally. (Souad, 107) This reflects Souads entire life up to the point when she is burned. She was constantly abused and ruled by her family. Her father was awful to her, as were her brother and brother in law. She would be beaten and yelled at for any little thing her father disapproved of, and everything in her life revolved around fear and pain. Fieze, her only friend, abandoned her and left her in a terrible situation. This quote sums it all up because it would have been easier to die than live her life. This quote was meaningful because instead of having thing to look forward to like we do, her life was spent waiting to die. Nothing in her life was enjoyable except what little time she had with FIeze and then he left. They were going to kill her, something she had been expecting since birth. The gas was poured and lit and she thought it was all over. Finally. (Souad, 107) Current Events Israeli killed, three wounded in 'accidental' IDF West Bank shooting: A Palestinian truck went through a checkpoint with out stopping. An Israeli soldier shot at the truck and killed the driver. Then he walked into the road to examine the truck and another Palestinian truck ran him over. (Levinson, 2011) This article shows how quickly killings happen in Palestine. In Burned Alive killings were a fact of life. Souads family members were killed numerous times during

the story. Then she was almost killed as well. Death and Honor Killings were the socially accepted practice. Pathology of a Checkpoint in Service of Settlers: There was a checkpoint to keep Jews from going into a Muslim town. Since there were always six soldiers at the checkpoint sometimes they would spontaneously torture people from the nearby town. One man was seen handcuffed tightly and blindfolded. Some soldiers were trying to get the handcuffs off with a knife. He was stomping his feet in pain because they told him not to talk. When they let the man go they told him not to say anything about what happened. (Fleishman, 2011) This reminds me of the story because Souad was tortured frequently. I remember her describing the fear she always felt in her fathers presence. When she was hiding in the shed, she was very afraid her father was going to find her and kill her. Also she witnessed her own sister being strangled with a telephone chord. Torture and fear were scattered all over the story and this article is a great example of it. In Palestine, violence and hate are going on every day and most people dont think about it. The country has had a brutal history that continues to this day. Discrimination because of race, religion, and gender allow things like honor killings and forced marriage to happen. In Burned Alive, Souad tells how she endured abuse her whole life, and even an attempted honor killing. Groups like the SURGIR foundation try to help by rescuing people in situations like that. Thorugh writing this paper I have discovered the horrible things happening in the Middle East, and I belive we need to be more aware of the larger problems going on in our world.

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Levinson, Chaim, and Amos Harel. "Israeli Killed, Three Wounded in 'accidental' IDF West Bank Shooting - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News." Israel News Haaretz Israeli News Source. Haaretz Israeli News, 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israeli-killed-threewounded-in-accidental-idf-west-bank-shooting-1.394947>.

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"Timeline of the IsraeliPalestinian Conflict." Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia. WIkipedia, 24 July 2002. Web. 12 Nov. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Israeli %E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict>.