Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Khalil El-Saghir
country: Michigan - U.S.
comments: Dear Marcel,
You are certainly mistaken for not being able to "see beyond" the bullets that days and nights hunt down your people...
You are undoubtedly unprofessional for lacking the courage to equate, in the name of art, between the killers and their victims...
What a wonderful world that is!
Nevertheless, we're proud of you ... your stand is but another rock in the face of the occupier and its servants throughout the world ...it is just another wonderful lyric

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Samer Hijazi
country: Canada
comments: I was not surprised at all by what The voice of Freedom and revolution (Marcel Khalife) did. As a matter of fact I would have been surprised if he did otherwise. Perhaps surprised would not have been enough if he did participate in the Festival. I think we, who grew up hearing him singing and writing music for the cause of Freedom, revolution and all the Arab matters, we who were reading our history through his songs(listen to "Toot Toot A Beirut" and "Koustena nezha rifieh" , to know the complete history of Lebanon), who knows by heart "Al-houdoud", "Omi", "Al-Jesser", "Ya Bahrieh", "Ya hadieh Al-Eiss", "Kan Fi Mara Toufel sighir" and all those songs, would have been devastated, we would have had a broken heart, We would have had a single light of hope that there are still someone who is carrying the flame of freedom. Thank you again Marcel for what you have done and will do.
Your Pride, Marcel, is not in attending international festival(you know that and we all know that), your pride is in the music you write the poems you sing and the cause you write the songs and sing the poems for, and it is the noble cause. The noble people of the "Mouqawama" refused to give up the land to the Israeli, and the noble people of the "Thaqafa" definitely refuse to give up their prides to the Israeli.
Samer Hijazi

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Germana Nijim
country: USA
comments: It is a mistake for you to withdraw because an Israeli is participating with Israeli's support. Please reconsider!! Arabs NEED to be represented at all international functions. The world needs to SEE and HEAR our music and poems and artists. You are more than yourself when you are there: you represent all of those who are oppressed and confined to their homes.

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Hayyatt
country: USA
comments: Too bad people in Australia will not have the chance to meet MARCEL KHALIFE and too bad THE REST OF US throughout the world are gone be punished because of an unpleasant circumtancial israeli artist one more time is making the voice of israel stronger then the loving voice of Marcel Khalife and those who love him around the world. I wish there was another way to contribute to world peace and to the Palestinian peace in particular other than withdrawing. But Marcel, if this the way you're perceiving it, so be it. You have my support in however you want to express yourself and our voice in this unfortunately too bloody and too long of a struggle.
Blessings and Love,
Hayyatt

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Blanca Madani
country: USA
comments: Chava Alberstein has been a supporter of Palestinian rights since the 1987 intifada. In 1987, she did irreperable harm to her own career by recording the Passover song, "Had Gadya," an old Aramaic prayer lamenting cycles of violence, where she added a verse written by herself, in solidarity with Palestinians, attacking the denial within comfortable bourgeois Israeli society of the pain of the Palestinians.
As to the comment by the group or person that said Khalife was opposing the sponsorship of the Israeli government, and not the individual, note his precise words in his letter to Womadelaide Festival: "I emphatically declare my refusal to participate alongside Israeli singer Chava Alberstein as a testimony against the arrogance of Israel and its relentless massacre and bombing of the people of Lebanon and Palestine." He does not say "Israeli government-backed singer," but simply "Israeli" singer. He ignores this particular Israeli's solidarity with Palestinians, and thus, his refusal is against Israelis as a people, and not just the government. It is common for socialist governments to subsidize the travel expenses of their artists.
I wonder if Mr. Khalife would have refused to participate if a singer sponsored by the Syrian government, or the Turkish government, or his own Lebanese government that allowed his incarceration in the summer of 1999 when Islamists brought him up on charges of blasphemy over his singing his adaptation of the Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish's well known poem, which paraphrases a surah from the Qur'an. Or, for that matter, would he refuse to participate if there was a government-backed singer from any of the north African states that have and are currently oppressing their indigenous population, the Amazigh (Berbers), who are being forced to identify as Arabs, are not permitted to give their children names from their own ethnicity, but are forced to choose an Arab Muslim name from an official list, are dehumanized through the non-recognition of their language as a language, much less as an official one, and the descsription of everything pertaining to them as "traditional," a description which basically means it is illiterate, non-progressive, non-modern, and thus, unworthy of recognition. Just imagine if the Israeli government abolished Arabic, and did not even allow its use within the legal system with translators, as is now the case in Algeria, Morocco, and Libya, for instance, and which has resulted in the legal appropriation of long-held Amazigh lands. This affects so! me 40 million or more citizens whose first language is Tamazight.
Does this mean, then, that any artist sent by the Algerian, Moroccan, Tunisian, or Libyan government, not to mention the Spanish government, which claims the Amazigh Canary Islands, constitutes grounds for boycott at any world music festival?
Respectfully,
Blanca Madani
Founder and Editor, WAAC
http://www.waac.org (a site that represents all Algerian people, whatever their ethnicity and ideology, as well as all Amazigh people, wherever they are geographically located)

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Dr. Abdullah Mohammad Sindi
country: USA
comments: Supporting Mr. Marcel Khalife
Bravo Mr. Marcel Khalife for withdrawing from the Womadelaide 2001 world music festival in Australia. You have made all of us Arabs very proud. Very few people have your courage and dignity.
Thank you.

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Thuraya
country: Germany
comments: I have to admit that I seem to be one of the few who dislike Mr. Khalifes decision in this respect. First of all, I have to say that I love his music and appreciate his message and that I strongly support his stand for the Palestinian people and their rights. But I am strongly convinced, that he has missed a excellent chance to communicate his message to a non-arabic audience and convince them by his music and words. Besides, I think the only way to peace in the Middle East is by cooperating with those people who work for peace and who try to build a different future - and I consider Mrs. Alberstein one of those. Peace is a joined effort and if we as Arabs always refuse to have our voices heard we will be on the loosing side. Though it is a painful procedure and will take long, particularly the situation prevailing currently, we have to come to terms with Israel as such - not with the horrible acts it commits. We have to exist in one way or the other the State of Israel is there and that we can't just throw them into the sea. And after recognizing this, we have to try to make the best of it, e.g. try to make them understand our anger, our fear and our culture, sand vice versa, understand their ways of life or maybe even meet a peacful Israeli in person (Yes, they exist!) Otherwise, hatred will never end.
Unfortunately, and to my greatest regret Marcel Khalife whom I consider a great musician and upt to this day also thought to be a mature personality, doesn't have the strenght and maturiy yet to overcome the first stage. (I don't mean to offend you, Mr. Khalife!)

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Yosef Abuneaj
country: USA
comments: I like to commend Marcel Khalife on his courageous decision to withdraw his participation from the Womadelaide Festival. Once again Marcel Khalife shows us that he an artist with high principles and great morals. I wish every one in the Arab world will follow in his footsteps.
Marcel has been and always will be my hero.

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Kerem Un
country: USA
comments: Hi,
I believe Khalife should attend Womadelaide. I respect Khalife's decision but I believe it would be better for the things he is fight ing for if he uses every opportunity to express himself in the international arena. Sad but true: we live in an era of public relations. And participation is always better than self-isolation in that sense.
Best regards,
KEREM

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Halima El-khatib
country: CANADA
comments: Boycotting the festival in Australia
Perfect!!. The way to go

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Yasmena Samahy
country: USA
comments: Israeli's drove Arabs out of Palestine. They should never drive us out of another home, or event. We have so much respect for you and your music. I would rather see you present yourself, your music and Arab culture than leave this empty.

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: nimer
country: usa
comments: Dear Marcel,
It is fair to say that you are speaking for all the Arab people, the "free Ones", at least. You are a giant among the dwarfs. We expect you to say know to the participation in the Australian festival, for you feel for us, when there is no feeling or life in so many; not to mention those who are willing to do any thing to shake hand or try to accept and defend the brutality of the zionist entity.
So, dear Marcel, keep your voice loud, and alaways say no, because we have been hearing SO many Yeses from so many dwarfs for so long.

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Basim Daoud
country: USA
comments: I strongly commend Marcel on his stance. Eventhough I strongly feel that he should be able to present his high quality Arabic music to the world at all opportunities. But because the Israely artist was backed by the government of Israel, Marcel had to make the honorable choise not to perform. If she had come on her own accord and her music is against zionism then I would say yes that Marcel should perform. I hope to one day see Marcel being admired by many people and musicians all over the world.

Thursday, February 1, 2001
name: Lubna GHneim
country: Jerusalem, Palestine
comments: I think Mr. Khalife should paticipate in this event even if all Israeli musicians are paticpating, not only one. if he participate for Lebanon and Palestine he'll show that Palestine exisits, because many people even arabs keep calling it Israel, and many forgot and doesnt know that Palestine exisits on the world. so we have to show the world that we still there.

Friday, February 2, 2001
name: YOULA HASSAN
country: JORDAN
comments: THIS IS YOU, THE PERSON WE LOVE & RESPECT.
I WISH U & ALL THE STRUGGLERS THE STEADFASTNESS.

Friday, February 2, 2001
name: Medi van Baalen
country: the Netherlands
comments: I have full understanding for Marcel's human reaction.However it is not very often that an well spoken and talentfull Arab artist get the chance to bring his opion in the open.The western media are mostly carefully picking uneducated people to do the talking.That is why I think he should have taken the oportunity to go and sing,preferable also some songs in English,to let the world know what is going on.Music is an excellent opportunity because those interested are listening and not everybody may watch the news or only pick out the news on what their attention is focused on.I am an old lady who spent 25 years with the Palestians under occupation.My heart is with them and with Marcel,but for heavens sake let some onetake the stage and tell the world in an impressive way.By running away,how understable,you don't do anything and give the opportunity to exlpain it in the wrong way.If you don't come nobody will miss you,but if you come you may open eyes.

Friday, February 2, 2001
name: Michael
country: USA
comments: with moronic and hateful gestures like that of khalife, there will never be peace between the israelis and the palestinians

Friday, February 2, 2001
country: USA
comments: Dear Mr. Khalife,
God bless you and more power to us Palestinians and Lebanese.
Always best wishes to you.