Under the slogan “Jerusalem is in our hearts” several Arab communities partook in Arab Communities Day on Saturday the 26th of March each representing 11 different countries. The event was organized by the Palestinian Forum in Britain in London and attended by two thousand people.
The event lasted 8 hours included traditional prose recitals folk dances programs for children hosted by the Aqsa for Kids project. In addition the food on offer ranged from Moroccan Palestinian and Egyptian cuisine.
The participating communities represented Jordan Lebanon Syria Iraq Egypt the United Arab Emirates Bahrain Tunisia Libya Morocco Yemen and Palestine.
Zaher Birawi the chair of the Palestinian Forum in Britain spoke of the unifying goals of this event; he stated: “We all believe that Jerusalem is the compass of all our people our loved ones and our honor from our Arab and Muslim people.” He highlighted his ambition to strengthen the intergenerational connections: “perhaps this day will contribute to linking the new Palestinian and Arab generations to the Arab identity and heritage” Birawi said.
Birawi expressed wishes to strengthen the bonds between the members of all Arab and Islamic communities. “We seek through the heritage and non-political activities to overcome Arab political differences and converge on the mutual and close heritage identity of the nation with its richness and cultural diversity” he said.
An atmosphere of joy and enthusiasm was observed throughout the event; the traditional dabke performance lit the stage with happiness and pleasure. Consequently the national songs performed by the Yemeni artist Abdel Qader Qawza inspired the audience in addition to the moving poems dedicated to Jerusalem he delivered.
Yahya Hawwa renewed the longing for the homeland with national songs and the national anthem of the Arab Countries “Mawtini”.
It is worth noting that the Palestinian Forum in Britain organizes Arab Communities Day annually since 2014 despite stopping last year due to COVID restrictions.
