Peace for Hasan Abu \'Afash and Gaza

[Saad Abulhab]

This topic was imported from the Typophile platform

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Please join us in praying for our typography colleague and friend in Gaza, Arabic type designer Hasan Abu Afash, and wish him, his family, and his people peace and safety.

The text above is set on Adobe InDesign ME Tasmeem using his fonts, Hasan Hiba, Hassan Noor, and Basim Marah. Hasan worked very hard on these fonts in the past year and half in blockaded, electricity deprived, Gaza. He is a self-taught, talented, typographer and a hardworking family man. His third baby was born few months ago. Here is what he wrote us on Christmas eve, 2008:

Happy Holidays to ALL.
Please pray for me (us) in my terrible situation here in GAZA.
Hasan

Please visit his "Hiba Studio" website to appreciate his hard work and dedication to Arabic typography on the occasion of the new year. We are sure this can help alleviate some of his suffering in Gaza today:

http://hibastudio.com/

Hasan's typography friends.

[AzizMostafa]

Praying that Gaza Resistance Will Triumph

[Vladimir Tamari]

The above text translate as:
"In the Name of God the Merciful and Compassionate"
"Long Live the Steadfastness of Gaza"
"Dear Hasan: May God give you patience and comfort these days"
"We pray that the smile will return to the children of honor"
This last is the result of a fortunate type error where a dot was deleted from the word Gaza غزة to make it 'Eza عزة-honor.

Below is a verbatim record of a text chat with Hasan made on Dec. 6 2008 in the 'peaceful' cease-fire days when Gaza was six months into a devastating Israeli blockade that prevented foods, medicines and gasoline from reaching the area, resulting for example in daily electricity cuts. Hasan's Arabic is translated within square brackets. I answered in English or transliterated Arabic because of my slowness to type Arabic. Hasan's often-repeated refrain لا زلنا نقرع جدران الخزان that "‫we still knock on the walls of the water tank" refers to the novel Men in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafani (available from Amazon) where a group of Palestinians try to cross the desert smuggled inside the tank of a water truck to seek work in the Gulf. Before they perish from the heat of the sun they pound the walls of the tank to call for help.

Here is the chat, initiated by Hasan. The text formatting is garbled in places because of the difficulty of alternating right-to left Arabic lines with English left to right ones. I apologize to Hasan for publishing his private remarks, but they show his gentle poetic spirit and the ironic humor that help him survive impossible conditions:

8:24 PM
me: hello dear Hasan how are you?
Hasan: Thanks
I am fine
and you
me: and the situation?
tamam elhamdillah [fine, thank God]
Hasan: Very Good
me: good
Hasan:
‫لا زلنا نقرع جدران الخزان‬
‫الحمد لله اتبعنا النصيحة‬
8:25 PM
‫وصرنا ننام بكير‬

We still knock on the walls of the water tank. Thank God we now followed the advice to sleep early]

me: ya haram..bas elmneeh annak laysa wahdak..
[poor guy, but its good you are not alone]
8:26PM Hasan
‫علشان الصحة نراها كيف تصير‬
‫ولا نت ولا كمبيوتر من أجل عيوننا‬
‫والأكل خففنا، والمشي جربنا، وما عاد نحتاج مستشفيات ‫فسكرت

[and see how health improves. No internet or computers benefits the eyes and we no longer need hospitals because they have closed]
me: aah hadi iuqta muhemme...la takrahanna shay'an la3allahu khayrun lakum!
[This is important.."Hate not something it may turn out for your good!"]
Hasan: ‫وصرنا نعتمد بالأكل على الخضروات الطبيعية لأنو ما في غاز‬

[and we rely on raw vegetables becausae there is no gas
me: nuqta muhemme
[an important point - [correcting a typo]]
Hasan: ‫هاها‬
[haha]
me: sharru alamr ma yudhek!
[the worst happening is one that makes you laugh]
8:27 PM me: what do you think will happen?
Hasan: ‫الفجر قادم‬
‫عما قليل تشرق الشمس[The dawn is coming. Soon the sun will shine]

22 days later the Israeli jets started pounding Gaza and contact with Hasan was cut...

[pascal zoghbi]

Dear Colleagues
Dearest Hasan

i hope hasan and his beloved family are Ok in Gaza.
i was also trying to contact him for the last 5 days but i am not able.
neither by email nor by phone.

usually i always see him online on ichat or so...
and we chat so technical OT stuff or just friends talk...

he always asked me to pray for him and all of the Palestinians living in Gaza in the end of each chat we had.

and even before bombing started, they were in not able tog et so much food supplies, electricity was always coming only few hours (so it was like precious time when he is online for us to exchange all the needed info...), and the humanitarian issues were getting worse and worse by the day.

and now it is always a question of how we can help.
but actually there is very little that we can actually do.
or maybe even nothing, due t the Israeli extreme blockade on the Strip.

i hope i will read him own comment in this thread soon.
and i hope the bombing of Gaza will stop soon.
and no more innocent blood is shed.

peace

Pascal Zoghbi

[pascal zoghbi]

01/01/2009

latest chat with Hasan

Me:
17:07
i am happy to see you online 17:07
i was so worried about you 17:07

Hasan:
شكراً لك 17:07

Me:
i hope you and your family are well 17:07

Hasan:
الوضع صعب للغاية 17:07

Me:
i know 17:07
seeing the news lately 17:07
so you are ok 17:08
and your home... 17:08

Hasan:
نعم 17:08

Me:
are the bombing close to where you live? 17:08

Hasan:
حتى الآن 17:08
ولكن فقدت الكثير من الأعزاء 17:08

Me:
good to hear that 17:08

Hasan:
والكهرباء بالكاد تأتي ... 17:08
لها 36 ساعة مقطوعة 17:08

Me:
the important thing that you and your family are ok 17:09

Hasan:
شكراً 17:10

[John Hudson]

I sent Hasan an email a few days ago, after the bombing campaign started, and today was relieved to receive a response from him:

Thanks,
am still alive ... but.
Thanks for your wishing.

Just I need your prayers.

[piccic]

Thanks to you all for sharing the messages, I truly appreciate the care you show.
I knew Hasan site, which hosts also an interview with John and so many good resources.

I lose too much time on the web, time to shut off the computer and actually pray. That's what matters.

[Vladimir Tamari]

... pray. That’s what matters
Hasan too is very devout; he had told me that he wakes up at dawn to perform the first of the five daily prayers for a Muslim.

Here is a translation of Hasan's Arabic in the above chat with Pascal:
[Thank You...The situation is extremely difficult...17:08 Yes...until now...but I lost many dear ones...and the electricity is hardly available..it has been cut since 36 hours...thanks]

[AzizMostafa]

Hasan appeared here last night exchanging "Bloody New Year"
http://graphics4arab.com/showthread.php?p=11739&posted=1#post11739

More Importantly:
http://www.countercurrents.org/lamb301208.htm

[H_Afash]

What I can say ...
I don't have any words, but thanks to your great feelings toward me.
I am too luck to have you as a great friends.
Thanks....

Just, pray for us ...

[piccic]

Hasan, it's comforting to see you here.

Nothing can break the complex blend of ignorance and evil actions all over history, nor enlighten our infirmity, except Charity. Prayer doesn't need to be a sentimental experience, all is required is that's sincere, as much as we can. All the rest is in His hands.
The wealth of the West is as much deadly as the shameful situations of war in other countries.

I pray for your family and friends, and for the attacking forces to be enlightened and stop this madness.

[John Hudson]

Anyone heard anything from Hasan since Friday?

[Vladimir Tamari]

No news is...bad news. The military operations are being enacted in civilian neighborhoods so there is that danger. There is no gasoline for electricity which affects the water supplies. There is lack of food and medication and the hospitals are overloaded with care for the wounded. It makes for an ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.

Today a friend e-mailed me the URL of another Gaza graphic artist. Omayya Joha is a cartoonist, designer, and mother of a child called Noor ('Light', a popular Arab name which is also the name of one of Hasan's fonts). She also holds a degree in mathematics. This seems to be the only page in English about her on her website, an interview with Al-Jazeera:
http://www.omayya.com/new_omayya/carton-206.html

We pray for the safety of Hasan, Omayya and their families, for a cease-fire and a just peace.

[H_Afash]

Thanks to all of you,
I am fine.

Forgive me for my delay. It was the bad situations we are facing in Gaza now.
I think that you heard about for NEWS.
The electricity as switched off since 7 days and we are living in a dangerous situations.
Please pray for us to be safe and peace.

Hasan

[William Berkson]

I pray for your safety and for a quick and lasting peace.

[Vladimir Tamari]

Its great to hear that Hasan is not only well, but was able to finalize an Arabic font commission even during the invasion. His portfolio of font designs and services is impressive enough even in normal circumstances. See this page and the ones that follow it on his website for samples of his fonts.
http://hibastudio.com/links/Fonts_Eng/Hasan_Eng01.html

Also Hasan Noor, Hasan Hiba, and Basim Marah on on the Tasmeem plugin site:
http://www.winsoft-international.com/en/store/fonts.html

[Saad Abulhab]

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Our hearts with you and Gaza, Hasan. The continuing horrors in Gaza this past new year season is a black mark on humanity face. We should never forget or forgive those who committed such crimes, or ignore them through media censorship. What can one say: In the end Gaza and Palestine will triumph.

-Saad

[AzizMostafa]

http://podblanc.com/video-holocaust-lies-told-by-zionists-now-public

[John Hudson]

I would prefer it if a thread that is supposed to be about peace and concern for our friend Hasan not be used as a platform for anti-Jewish conspiracy theories and propaganda produced by white supremacists. With or without flowers!

[AzizMostafa]

[Vladimir Tamari]

Thank you John.

[Saad Abulhab]

This thread is about peace and solidarity with our colleague, type designer Hasan Abu Afash and Gaza, where he and his family live. Everyone should condemn the undisputed crimes against humanity committed in Gaza today, but I agree with John, this thread should not be used as political or ideological platform.

-Saad

[AzizMostafa]

I agree with Saad that everyone should condemn the undisputed crimes against humanity committed in Gaza today

[Saad Abulhab]

Thanks, Aziz for observing the non political nature of this thread.

Meanwhile, let's pray and if not let's sing for Gaza with Michael Heart latest song, may be Hasan who contacted us last on January 8th can find comfort with it if he finds his way the web again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHy1T-tao9w

http://www.tropismes.org/post/462

-Saad

[AzizMostafa]

For Gaza by our typography colleague+friend from Mauritania:
http://typophile.com/user/13041