I believe we could go beyond your idea of mourning [individuals killed on all sides during the conflict]. You inspired me. What about opening a mourning house in Ramallah like we do for dead people (3 days mourning). The title will be “The Death of International Law in Palestine.”
The idea would be that someone from every country would come and pay condolences. This would be a great advocacy campaign and I am sure it will capture the attention of media and the international community. I know where to host this and I have enough people and resources to implement it. You will be the main guest at this event.
What do you think?
—Fadia Daibes Murad in an email to me on May 30, 2007
Fadia Daibes Murad was a world recognized Palestinian water expert, young, vibrant, articulate, with a recent PhD in hydrology. She published a tome about Palestine water rights and won an Edberg Award in 2005 for contribution to peace in the Middle East through her work on water rights law. She emphasized including using water as a catalyst for peace in the Middle East. She had embarked on a path to bring the water rights’ issue to world attention thru the international court system. She told me, I’m beyond writing about the conditions. I want solutions, and I feel the main route to solutions is thru adjudication by international bodies.
I agreed, and since one of my main photographic themes is hydropolitics, I offered to supply her with visuals. I could imagine working closely with her as she prepared a case for equitable distribution of water rights between Palestinians and Israelis. Not to be, not with Fadia, she is now dead.
Fareed, a Palestinian justice activist and friend, wrote me that she’d died. When I first read his email in the presence of my daughter, Joey, I wept and swore, expressing my usual combination of grief and rage. Returning to Ramallah from attending a water conference in Istanbul Turkey, she died in a car crash. Robin, a colleague of mine, informed me that “It was a rainy day and a car skidded and hit her vehicle. She was killed instantly by a blow to the spine, though she was wearing a belt.” (Curious that water led to her death.) When I told my good friend Y about this—who commiserated fully, remembering who Fadia is and what she meant to me—she asked, Any chance of Israeli involvement? I’d not considered this, now I might, but Fadia was probably not a threat to Israel at this stage, not yet.
Or was she?
We met for the first time in 2006 when Bassam of Pronto Café in Ramallah told me about her. On my last trip in 2007-08, meeting at the Pronto, excited to see her again, she gave me numerous hydropolitics’ leads. At the end of our rich conversation I mentioned not yet finding an apartment. She said, Oh, I think I can help with this. Because of Fadia I had virtually free shared housing for most of my 3-month sojourn—a testament to her generosity.
We’d remained in touch. She always loyally responded to my questions about facts and interpretations while I prepared my slide shows and photo exhibits. For my upcoming trip this summer I’d planned to write her, asking her for more leads and for help finding housing. Erased—bluntly and suddenly erased. I am distraught.
In an email to me she’d suggested organizing a House of Mourning in Ramallah to bemoan the death of international law in Palestine. Perhaps I can create the equivalent facility for mourning her death on this blog.
I encourage all who knew her or knew of her and were affected by her to comment to this blog about your personal story related to Fadia.
As Joe Hill, the International Workers of the World organizer, declared shortly before his execution by the state of Utah for his activism, Don’t mourn, organize! For me this means to continue my photo projects with new fervor, especially about water rights. I hope others are encouraged by her story to pursue their own struggles for justice in Palestine/Israel.
Links:
Her statement on YouTube during the Forum, March 2009
Summary of the 5th World Water Forum
Her book, A new legal framework for managing the world’s shared groundwaters
Hi Skip,
I took a mo’ and viewed her on YouTube – very articulate about the problem. What a tragedy that she is no longer with us in the way she has been. And what great fortune that she was here at all, moving things in a positive direction, inspiring others with her passion, clarity and commitment to peace for ALL. I am deeply moved and grateful to know about her. Thank you for sharing this.
Love,
Maddy
….and also sad for YOU at the loss of this dear compadre…. xxoo
Dear Mr. Shiel,
I felt so sad just by reading your words, and even more after trying to get a glimpse of her work and who she was.
I am truly very sorry for your, our, and the just cause’s loss.
I am sure the Lord up above is embracing her with all His mercy, as well as her family with patience and serenity in acceptance of her tragic loss.
One can only feel so small upon looking at such a dedicated person’s work!
Deepest condolences;
Thank You Ein al-Nour,
Lin
I also took the moment to watch the video and go through the links… and learned, and was inspired, and added a role model to my lists of admiration. thank you…
allah ye7armha.
Skip, my heart aches. I met her very briefly and was inspired by her to read more and more. What energy and creativity and well channeled response to injustice. I love the idea of creating a place of mourning of international law. But I do take heart in an opinion piece in the NY TImes on how Israel has trashed international law. Slowly the world is turning to justice. So so slowly, but turning. We need her voice and I share our grief and rage. Peace Brother. We must keep on keepin’ on. M
Sir, I just read your blog about Fadia. Her passing is everyone’s loss. I didn’t know Fadia in her professional capacity. I knew her through her children- as a mother. My son is very close friends with her eldest son. She has two wonderful sons, who, with the help of their father, family and friends, are trying to come to terms with this devastating turn in their lives. She was a very sweet lady, and I do wish I had gotten to know her better. She will live on in her work, in the books she had published, and most importantly – in her wonderful children.
R.I.P Fadia
Knowing you has been my privilege.
I just read the loverly words about Fadia she was such a great person I knew Fadia as a friend since I was her neighbour 16 years ago she was always loving, conciderate and great to have fun with. She was always there when you needed her, her family is also as loving as she is. I am going to miss her a lot around the years especially whenever I visit Jerusalem and Ramallah may she rest in peace and give coarage to her husaband and her 2 kids.
[...] the entire 4-day proceedings, was Fadia Daibes Murad, now dead. I’ve written about her on my blog. I considered mentioning her at some appropriate point but never found it. How many would have [...]
Dear Mr. Shiel,
Your words are not only a comfort but a source of strength for our family and fadia’s many friends. Fadia has achieved immortality in her own way by serving an outstanding role- model for women in general and Palestinian women in particular. She will live on in the hearts and minds of all who shared with her dreams of peace and who will continue to work diligently to continue her legacy.
Fadia lives in her own special way.
khouloud
fadia’s sister
We had the great honour to know Fadia as a student (and later as a professional colleague) at the University of Dundee, where she completed her PhD in international water law. We cannot believe that she has been taken from us so young — and yet her legacy lives on, so strongly in her writings and through the many people she has touched. We were in regular contact over the past 10 years, and watched as this young inspirational woman, full of love, energy and talent blossomed, sharing her beauty, fragrance and luminescence around the world — leaving everyone she met a bit brighter, a bit happier, and certainly, a lot richer for having been touched by her. We will see what we can do to continue her legacy so that her beacon of joy continues to light the world — we love you Fadia… with sincerest sympathies and condolences to Said, Fadi, Bashar and their families… you always have a home (which Fadia called her 2nd home) in Dundee (Scotland) Professor Patricia Wouters, Director, UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, University of Dundee, Scotland and all of our team xoxo
[...] Thinking of AM’s sister who is a hydrologist, I decided impulsively to write her about my immediate experience with Basem, and point her toward my mourning site for Fadia on my blog. [...]